"I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling"

That scripture comes from the prophet Zechariah, and based on "the word of the Lord concerning Israel", as given to the ancient prophet around 2,500 years ago. It is utterly amazing to watch the ancient prophetic writings come to life. Such prophecies also confirm the existence of the God of the Holy Bible.

"On that day, when all the nations are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves."

(Zechariah 12:1-3)

In this context, we turn to today's news. Is Jerusalem a cup that sends surrounding nations reeling?

"Peace Can't Be Based On Ignoring The Truth About Jerusalem"

Gov't official slams comments made by Abbas at Int'l Conference for the Defense of Jerusalem in Qatar, comparing them to Arafat's denial of Jewish temple in the city; PA president calls on Arabs, Muslims to flock to J'lem.

By Ariel Jerozolimski

Abbas was speaking at the International Conference for the Defense of Jerusalem in Doha, Qatar. Palestinian Ma'an news agency quoting him as saying, "The Israeli occupation authorities are using the ugliest and most dangerous means to implement plans to erase and remove the Arab-Islamic and the Christian character of east Jerusalem," making no mention of city's Jewish history.

Arafat denied there ever was a Jewish temple in Jerusalem, saying this was the reason he was not willing to make any compromises on the Holy City.

Abbas called on Arabs and Muslims to visit Jerusalem in the face of what he called Israel's accelerated efforts to Judaize the city.

The PA president accused Israel of "surrounding Jerusalem with an Apartheid wall and a band of settlements in order to isolate the city from its surroundings in the West Bank."

Abbas slammed Israeli authorities for setting up barriers preventing Palestinians from entering Jerusalem without "almost impossible to obtain" permits.

He added that visiting "occupied Jerusalem" would remind the Israelis that "Jerusalem is the cause of every Arab, Muslim and Christian," and would not constitute normalization with Israel.

The International Conference for the Defense of Jerusalem was taking place for the first time Sunday. This followed a decision made by delegates to last year’s Arab summit in Libya to hold an annual international conference that would include Arab and foreign countries and civil institutions, to discuss defending Jerusalem “against Israeli violation at all levels.”

Exactly as God told Zechariah - it's all about Jerusalem now.

Abbas Urges Arabs To Fight Judaization Of Jerusalem

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday called on Arabs and Muslims to visit Jerusalem in the face of what he called Israel's accelerated efforts to Judaize the city.

Abbas Declares Diplomatic War On Jerusalem

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has turned around Palestinian Authority efforts to erase evidence of Jewish roots of theTemple Mount and accuses Israel of trying to remove Jerusalem’s Arab and Christian character,

Dozens of Palestinian Authority clerics have denied any Jewish connection to the holy site, and the Muslim custodians at the Temple Mount have used backhoes and tractors tor remove tons of dirt that might contain Jewish artifacts.

Abbas said, “Jerusalem belongs to all of us and no one can stop us from accessing it."

Jewish archaeologists have retrieved hundreds of priceless artifacts with the aid of volunteers who patiently sift through the tons of dirt that was discarded by the Muslim construction workers. Many of the artifacts have repeatedly provided proof of the Jewish presence in Jerusalem during the period of the Second Temple, more than 2,000 years ago.

International Conference Attacks Israeli Control Of Jerusalem

The Emir of Qatar on Sunday opened the International Conference for the Defense of Jerusalem, where for the next three days Arabs and Westerners, Muslims and Christians will attack Israel's position that Jerusalem is its eternal, undivided capital.

The official program calls for discussing "the legal status of Jerusalem before and after the Israeli occupation [sic], the reality and the future of Jerusalem under occupation [sic], and the status of the holy places under international law."

There has been violence at the Temple Mount in recent days, but it has all originated on the Muslim side. Twice last week, Christian tour groups were stoned by Muslims while visiting the Temple Mount. The violence escalated on Friday, with Muslim worshippers attacking police throughout eastern Jerusalem, resulting in the death of at least one Muslim and the injuring of 11 Israelis.

But the Arab media rarely lets facts get the way of a good Israel-bashing story, and neither do the speakers at the conference in Qatar.

In other news today:

New Intifada Gains Upper Hand On IDF Restraint

Violence by Arabs from Haifa to Be’er Sheva has grown into new full-blown Intifada, but so far the IDF is holding fire despite deaths. The increasing violence is forcing the IDF to heighten its presence on the highways, and terrorists, already used to de facto control, may escalate their attacks.

Dozens of daily rock-throwing attacks on highways in Judea and Samaria were recorded the past week, causing massive damage to cars, light injuriesand near death. In Haifa, two solders in civilian clothes narrowly escaped with their lives in a brutal attack that police are claiming was not nationalist and was a case of “mistaken identity.”

Netanyahu: UN Report Proves Iran's Nuclear Program Advancing "Uninterrupted"

A United Nations report on Iran's nuclear program proves that Israeli estimates concerning Tehran's progress were accurate, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday, adding that Iran was continuing to advance their efforts "uninterrupted."

Netanyahu's comments came following a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) leaked Friday, which indicated that Iran has tripled its capacity to enrich uranium to elevated levels.

Israel Bombs Tunnel, Suspected Arms Factory In Gaza

Israeli aircraft bombed two targets in the southern Gaza Strip overnight, the military said Sunday.

A smuggling tunnel in the town of Rafah, on the border with Egypt, and a building where Israel says militants manufacture weapons were destroyed.

The strikes came in response to rockets fired at southern Israel over the weekend, an army statement said. It said Palestinian militants fired more than 50 rockets and mortar shells at Israel over the past two months. No immediate injuries were reported.

Gaza Rockets, Arab Rioting Over The Weekend

U.S. Warns Syria's Neighbors of Rogue WMDs After Assad Ouster

Earlier this month, opposition sources reported that Syria's military has begun stockpiling chemical weapons and equipping its soldiers with gas masks near the city of Homs.

The United States is coordinating with Syria's neighbors to safeguard Syrian President Bashar Assad's stockpile of weapons of mass destruction in the event Assad is ousted by popular unrest, Foreign Policy reported on Friday.

Assad's reported stockpile of chemical and biological weapons has been a cause for concern ever since the onset of his 11-month violent crackdown on opposition protests.

Once again we see earthquakes are making the news. Today has already been a big day as far as earthquakes - just take a look at today's quakes that are > 4.0 in magnitude:

SRC	Location	UTC Date/time	M	D	INFORMATION
GEOFON	South Of Fiji Islands	Feb 26 13:49 PM	5.4	10.0	MAP	I Felt It
EMSC	Halmahera, Indonesia	Feb 26 13:27 PM	4.6	221.0	MAP	I Felt It
GEOFON	Halmahera, Indonesia	Feb 26 13:27 PM	4.6	228.0	MAP	I Felt It
USGS	Halmahera, Indonesia	Feb 26 13:27 PM	4.9	235.7	MAP	I Felt It
EMSC	Vanuatu	Feb 26 13:13 PM	4.8	84.0	MAP	I Felt It
USGS	Vanuatu	Feb 26 13:13 PM	4.8	92.3	MAP	I Felt It
GEOFON	Southwestern Siberia, Russia	Feb 26 13:06 PM	4.9	10.0	MAP	I Felt It
USGS	Southwestern Siberia, Russia	Feb 26 13:06 PM	4.9	10.3	MAP	I Felt It
EMSC	Southwestern Siberia, Russia	Feb 26 13:06 PM	4.9	10.0	MAP	I Felt It
EMSC	Southwestern Siberia, Russia	Feb 26 12:50 PM	4.7	10.0	MAP	I Felt It
USGS	Southwestern Siberia, Russia	Feb 26 12:50 PM	4.7	10.1	MAP	I Felt It
USGS	South Of The Fiji Islands	Feb 26 12:12 PM	5.0	35.0	MAP	I Felt It
EMSC	South Of Fiji Islands	Feb 26 12:12 PM	5.0	35.0	MAP	I Felt It
EMSC	Southwestern Siberia, Russia	Feb 26 11:59 AM	5.3	15.0	MAP	I Felt It
GEOFON	Southwestern Siberia, Russia	Feb 26 11:59 AM	5.2	10.0	MAP	I Felt It
USGS	Southwestern Siberia, Russia	Feb 26 11:59 AM	5.2	9.5	MAP	I Felt It
EMSC	Poland	Feb 26 11:52 AM	4.3	2.0	MAP	I Felt It
USGS	Southwestern Siberia, Russia	Feb 26 11:50 AM	4.4	10.1	MAP	I Felt It
EMSC	Southwestern Siberia, Russia	Feb 26 11:50 AM	4.4	10.0	MAP	I Felt It
USGS	South Of The Fiji Islands	Feb 26 11:17 AM	4.9	72.1	MAP	I Felt It
EMSC	South Of Fiji Islands	Feb 26 11:17 AM	4.9	60.0	MAP	I Felt It
GEOFON	South Of Fiji Islands	Feb 26 11:17 AM	5.1	10.0	MAP	I Felt It
GEOFON	Southwestern Siberia, Russia	Feb 26 11:07 AM	4.9	10.0	MAP	I Felt It
USGS	Southwestern Siberia, Russia	Feb 26 11:07 AM	5.2	10.0	MAP	I Felt It
EMSC	Southwestern Siberia, Russia	Feb 26 11:07 AM	5.2	10.0	MAP	I Felt It
USGS	Near The Coast Of Nicaragua	Feb 26 10:00 AM	4.6	86.2	MAP	I Felt It
EMSC	Near Coast Of Nicaragua	Feb 26 10:00 AM	4.7	60.0	MAP	I Felt It
GEOFON	Near Coast Of Nicaragua	Feb 26 10:00 AM	4.6	58.0	MAP	I Felt It
USGS	South Of The Fiji Islands	Feb 26 09:23 AM	4.7	158.5	MAP	I Felt It
EMSC	South Of Fiji Islands	Feb 26 09:23 AM	4.7	132.0	MAP	I Felt It
GEOFON	South Of Fiji Islands	Feb 26 09:23 AM	4.7	10.0	MAP	I Felt It
EMSC	Tarapaca, Chile	Feb 26 08:08 AM	5.1	107.0	MAP	I Felt It
GEOFON	Northern Chile	Feb 26 08:08 AM	5.1	100.0	MAP	I Felt It
USGS	Tarapaca, Chile	Feb 26 08:08 AM	5.4	96.5	MAP	I Felt It
EMSC	Southwestern Siberia, Russia	Feb 26 07:49 AM	4.4	10.0	MAP	I Felt It
EMSC	Hokkaido, Japan Region	Feb 26 07:05 AM	4.8	66.0	MAP	I Felt It
USGS	Hokkaido, Japan Region	Feb 26 07:05 AM	4.6	56.7	MAP	I Felt It
GEOFON	Southwestern Siberia, Russia	Feb 26 06:52 AM	4.8	10.0	MAP	I Felt It
EMSC	Southwestern Siberia, Russia	Feb 26 06:52 AM	5.0	10.0	MAP	I Felt It
EMSC	Southwestern Siberia, Russia	Feb 26 06:52 AM	5.0	10.0	MAP	I Felt It
USGS	Southwestern Siberia, Russia	Feb 26 06:52 AM	4.9	10.1	MAP	I Felt It
GEOFON	Southwestern Siberia, Russia	Feb 26 06:17 AM	6.5	10.0	MAP	I Felt It

That's quite an impressive list for one single day.

Additionally, there were a couple very large quakes from today's list:

Very Strong dangerous Earthquake In Southern Siberia

Very Strong earthquake Hits Taiwan

Seismic Monitor

As usual, the signs are everywhere. In fact, we have to guard against being desensitized as we are now immersed in signs on a daily basis, and we can indeed become immune to the significance and the prophetic fulfillment of the various signs.

It helps to occasionally take a step back and look at the overall picture in the context of prophecies that were written thousands of years ago. We are approaching the latter stages of birth pains, as the signs are appearing daily now and in greater frequency and severity as we approach the Tribulation.

The remaining prophecies will also be fulfilled - that is a guarantee. Such prophecies include the Rapture of the Church - another guarantee - and this prophecy will be fulfilled just as the ones we have been watching every day.

We need to be ready - spiritually - to meet Christ face-to-face. It promises to be a glorious moment and it is coming soon. Such thoughts aren't based on wishes or desires but on the guarantee that God's prophecies will be fulfilled literally and specifically, just as written.

Maranatha!