Two IDF soldiers were killed and seven injured during clashes in Gaza on Monday afternoon, the military cleared for publication overnight Monday-Tuesday, bringing the death toll of military personnel since Israel launched a ground incursion into the Strip last Thursday to 27.
The toll is greater than the number of soldiers who died in the two previous major Israeli efforts to thwart Hamas terrorism in 2008-2009 and 2012.
The IDF said one of the soldiers, Sgt. First Class Oded Ben-Sira, 22, from Nir Etzion in northern Israel, who served in the Nahal Brigade, will be laid to rest at 5 pm on Tuesday at the military cemetery in the moshav.
He was killed by sniper fire in Gaza. The name of the second soldier was not immediately released.
Troops from the Nahal Brigade converged and killed 10 of the Hamas gunmen. Two of the gunmen may have escaped back into Gaza.
Part of the incident was filmed in footage later released by the IDF.
“We paid a heavy price, but we averted a grave disaster,” said Sami Turgeman, the general in charge of the IDF’s Southern Command. “There is no Iron Dome protection against tunnel infiltration.”
The three other Israeli soldiers were killed in Shejaiya. Two were hit by an anti-tank missile fired into a building. Like the 13 IDF soldiers killed there overnight Saturday-Sunday, they were members of the Golani Brigade. The third may have been killed by IDF forces in error.
Military sources said Monday night that Hamas was trying to utilize the “attack tunnels” it had spent years building before the IDF discovered them and blew them up. They said some 18 of the sophisticated tunnels had been discovered since the ground offensive began on Thursday.
Number of Palestinians killed in Gaza passes 600
The number of Palestinians killed in Israel’s operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip has passed 600, a spokesman for Gaza’s health ministry says.
According to Ashraf al-Qudra, 604 people have died in the 14 days since Operation Protective Edge began, with 46 killed today.
He adds that 3,700 have been injured.
UN chief to land in Israel at 2 p.m.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is currently in Cairo trying to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, is scheduled to land in Tel Aviv today at 2 p.m. He will drive directly to the Defense Ministry’s headquarters for a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon.
In the afternoon, Ban will travel to Ramallah for meetings with the leadership of the Palestinian Authority.
Tomorrow morning, he is scheduled to visit outgoing President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem, followed by meetings with Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and opposition leader Isaac Herzog.
The Israeli army should be given the Nobel Peace Prize for its “unimaginable restraint” in Gaza, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer, said Tuesday.
During an address at the Christians United for Israel Summit in Washington, Dermer was interrupted several times by hecklers, but delivered a passionate and warmly received speech in defense of Operation Protective Edge, calling Iran the “Great Evil” and accusing the United Nations and human rights groups of inadvertently aiding Hamas in its war against Israel.
During World War II, the British army responded to German attacks with the “carpet bombing of German cities,” Dermer said. While he was unwilling to criticize the United Kingdom for doing so, he continued, “at the same time, I will not accept, and no one should accept, criticism of Israel for acting with restraint that has not been shown and would not be shown by any nation on earth. I especially will not tolerate criticism of my country at a time when Israeli soldiers are dying so that innocent Palestinians can live.”
At that point in Dermer’s speech, given to a packed auditorium of Christian Israel supporters, he was interrupted by hecklers. “There is a section for moral idiots at the back of the room,” he responded, according to a transcript of the speech posted to his Facebook page.
“Israel did not have to send its soldiers into many of the places they are fighting today. We could have given people time to evacuate these areas — which we did anyway — and then bombed from the air all the buildings that were being used by fighters to store and fire weapons. But we didn’t. As we have done time after time, we are sending our soldiers into this hornet’s nest of Palestinian terror that is booby-trapped with mines and riddled with subterranean tunnels.”
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he has stopped talking to US President Barack Obama on the phone, amid growing strains between Ankara and Washington over Syria and the Gaza conflict.
Turkey, a fierce opponent of Syrian President Bashar Assad and an open supporter of armed rebel fighters, felt betrayed when the United States backed away from military action against Damascus in September.
“I expect justice in this process. I couldn’t imagine something like this from those who are championing justice,” Erdogan added without elaborating, in an apparent jibe at Washington.
The last phone conversation between the two leaders took place on February 20 after which the White House released a statement accusing Erdogan of misrepresenting the content of the conversation.
A staunch advocate of the Palestinian cause, Erdogan has recently been at loggerheads with Washington over Israel’s campaign in the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 580 Palestinians in two weeks. Israel launched Operation Protective Edge on July 8 in an effort to halt the rocket fire from Gaza that threatened the country’s south and center, and find and destroy cross-border tunnels used by Hamas fighters to infiltrate and attack Israeli communities.
Erdogan accused the Jewish state of carrying out “state terrorism” and a “genocide” of Palestinians and criticized the United States for defending Israel’s “disproportionate” tactics.
The US State Department branded his comments on Israel “offensive and wrong” but the prime minister hit back by saying the United States needed to engage in “self-criticism.”
The situation for Iraq’s Christians has been steadily deteriorating ever since the 2003 invasion, in part because the U.S. never acknowledged that Christians were being targeted by Islamists and did not prioritize protection of Christians or other minorities.
But with the recent sweep through Mosul and other Iraqi cities by the jihadi group ISIS, Iraq’s Christians look to be on the verge of genocide.
On June 16th it was reported that ISIS had marked the doors of Christians in red. Patriarch Sako’s letter confirms that rumor. While no one yet knows what this ominous sign foretells, Sako and other Christian leaders are pleading with the world to intervene before the meaning of the sign is made clear.
Earlier this week, Iraqi human rights activist Pascale Warda came to Washington from Baghdad to raise the alarm with the State Department and members of Congress. She was accompanied by Bishop Yousif Habash, who now resides in Elizabeth, New Jersey, but who is originally from Qaraqosh, a city 15 miles from Mosul which was also recently overrun by ISIS, where the Christians still speak Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus.
Bishop Habash said, “Christians throughout the Middle East have been targeted, and we are on the verge of being exterminated. The West stepped in to stop the ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Muslims and Kosovar Muslims, so we know it can be done. The West must step in now and save the Middle East’s Christians, or we will be wiped out.”
The torching of the church comes on the heels of the destruction of a number of other Christian monuments in Iraq in recent months including the tomb of biblical prophet Jonah, which was dug up by ISIL militants in the east of Mosul.
Many Christians still in Mosul also hurried to leave the city before Saturday when an ISIS ultimatum that Christians convert to Islam, pay a tax or leave came into effect.
"We left Mosul as we saw that [we] were close to being butchered, and under the threat of armed militants. It was serious and firm," a Christian named Mukhalis Yeshua told Shoebat.
"…But the issue that sparked the pain and sorrow was the checkpoints exiting Mosul as the armed men searched the families, and robbed all their money as search parties from the IS (Islamic Caliphate) searched all the women and robbed their jewelry and money, telling them that such money is Islamic property," added the Christian.
Patriarch Sako told AFP Friday that: "Christian families are on their way to Dohuk and Arbil," in the neighboring autonomous region of Kurdistan. "For the first time in the history of Iraq, Mosul is now empty of Christians," he said.
New World Disorder: Emerging Division Between East And West Threatens To Plunge The Globe Into Chaos
The civil war in Ukraine and the crash of MH17 have created an enormous amount of tension between the United States and Russia, and many analysts believe that relations between the two superpowers are now even worse than they were during the end of the Cold War era. In addition, the indictment of five PLA officers for cyber espionage and sharp disagreements over China's territorial claims in the South China Sea (among other issues) have caused U.S. relations with China to dip to their lowest point since at least 1989. So could the emerging division between the east and the west ultimately plunge us into a period of global chaos? And what would that mean for the world economy?
For as long as most Americans can remember, the U.S. dollar and the U.S. financial system have been overwhelmingly dominant. But now the powers of the east appear to be determined to break this monopoly. Four of the BRICS nations (China, Russia, India and Brazil) are on the list of the top ten biggest economies on the planet, and they are starting to make moves to become much less dependent on the U.S.-centered financial system of the western world. For example, just last week the BRICS nations established two new institutions which are intended to be alternatives to the World Bank and the IMF...
This comes at a time when both China and Russia are seeking to emphasize their own currencies and move away from using the U.S. dollar so much.
Even in the western media, it is being admitted that China's yuan is "a growing force in global finance", and according to CNBC the use of Chinese currency in international trade is growing very rapidly...
At this point, it seems clear that Russia plans to permanently decouple from the U.S. economy and the U.S. financial system. Just today we learned that Vladimir Putin plans to make Russia less dependent on U.S. companies such as IBM and Microsoft, and any future rounds of sanctions are likely to cause even more damage to U.S. firms that do business in Russia.
But potentially much more troubling for the U.S. economy is the startling deterioration in the relationship between the Obama administration and China. Some analysts are even describing this as "a tipping point"...
In fact, the Chinese military has grown so powerful that we are now seeing headlines such as this one in The Week: "China thinks it can defeat America in battle".
And the Russian military has made tremendous strides as well. Putin has been working hard to modernize the Russian nuclear arsenal, the Russians now have a "fifth generation" fighter jet that is supposedly far superior to the F-22 Raptor, and they have nuclear submarines that are so incredibly quiet that the U.S. Navy refers to them as "black holes".
If Russia and China stay united, they are more than capable of providing a counterbalance to U.S. power around the globe.
But even if military conflict is not in our immediate future, the breakdown in relations between east and west could still have a dramatic impact on the global economy.
Also see:
27 comments:
Sometimes I wonder...Okay, I think about it all of the time...Is this it? Are we in the last days? Or will The Lord come 100-1,000 years from now? With all that is happening, from what it says in the Bible, discerning
people would believe that we are.
Or are we?
Of course we are. The generation started in the ww1 era when the first birth pains appeared. The main prophecies from dan 12 are in place. Thr technology for the MOTB is her the ability to fulfill prophecies of revelation are all here. The roman empire is back. Israel has been regathered as a nation. Persecution at an all time high. Israel"s land restored. Israel surrounded by her enemies. Rise of russia and china ( " kings of the east " ). Psalm 83 alliances are together. Gog magog coalition united. Prophetic scrolls opened. All prophecies of matt 24 in place. Nothing is lacking from the prophetic picture. Nothing
I look at all those things and it still seems like we're moving at a snail's pace. Things are moving fast but, it feels like they're moving so slow.
I guess I am just impatient with wanting badly to go Home and be with the Lord. This world is just too much. It feels like I'm on a hamster wheel running as fast as I can but going nowhere.
I can understand where Gary is coming from but, I do also see what is going on in the world like Scott pointed out. It's just hard.
I know that. Being a prophecy watcher it taxing. Being soo close yet so far away at the same time makes it difficult. I believe this is one of the many reasons we are rewarded. But im very very sympathetic to the difficulty in waiting. Im around 30 years at this point. BUT. It will all be worth it when we enter into the presence of Jesus
Gary, two big ones for me are "all the nations turning on Israel" including America. That seemed impossible just a few short years ago.
Also, who would have ever believed we would live to see the fall of America. It has not occurred yet but all the pieces to the puzzle are in place and it is only a matter of time.
This opens the door to a one world government and economy. The open borders is part of this global strategy in taking down the US.
The world is a powder keg and we are out of here while it is still business as usual (Days of Noah) and while Jesus can still come back for the bride as a thief in the night.
Scott we appreciate the great job with all the updates as things have certainly increased with frequency and intensity as birth pains are showing. The "baby" is almost here and once it starts to come there is no stopping it!
Maranatha!
Amen and thanks. If nothing else we can just do the math. The generation clearly started around ww1. Fruchtenbaum makes that case. If a generation is 110-120 years (subtract 7 for trib). We are very close on that alone
It would seem as though we are right at the door, but as we all know things can stop on a dime and then proceed for years very slowly. Saints of the past thought they were the ones and we all speak of why they couldn't have been from things we read in Daniel, so how do we know in another 100 yrs new secrets in the bible will have been unlocked and that generation will be discussing why it is we weren't the generation...bottom line is God is in control and we just don't know for sure. I know of more than one prophecy teacher who says we have another 20-30 years, and gives good reasons...yikes I hope they are wrong...only God knows...
Glad you brought this up. Raises a good point i will address. First of all, whoever thinks we have 20-30 years is clearly wrong and doesnt understand prophecy. Let me know what those reasons are please. I will dissect and reveal how and why its wrong. But i want to address a common misperception you raised
Scoffers LOVE to state that "every gen of christians thought they were in last generation". Simply isnt true. First of all as we know
Frm daniel 12 that the end times prophetic scrolls wouldnt be opened until the end and quick research reveals that. So what information would they have been working with? People confuse those who were appropriately looking for the RAPTURE such as the apostle Paul, with those who believe we are in end times. These are two different topics
The rapture could have happened at any moment since pentecost. Those looking for that were correct in doing so. That is VERY different than believing we are in the generation described in Matt 24. Very different. But scoffers confuse the two and then make a silly argument that co
That concludes with "so im not going to be wrong too". Which is a ridiculous conclusion to a false premis
False premise. Im having keyboard trouble
Hi scott,
just sharing this video about the opening of the Seals of the scrolls.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOgK9OPjnqI
Caver here on Mrs C's box.
There is some legitimate discussion on just when this generation started but on one thing I know of no real discussion. That's the birth pains. They have always been present but never, ever have they all been at the same time like now....and growing. This time, they also include the scoffers.
I think Fructie has it right though. For those who believe that Matt 24 is ONLY intended for the nation of Israel, or the Jews, and therefore all of Matt 24 has to be a reference to the Trib is wrong on many levels. (to me this the most robust argument against Matt 24 including the entire generation AND the rapture. )
BTW as a footnote, John McCarther (sp?) is doing a series on the Rapture and I was heartened to see that he also believes that Matt 24 includes the Rapture, including v37-42...Putting him in company with Hal Lindsey and Perry Stone, just to name a couple)
Anyway, we know that the generation would see signs that are like Birth Pains, ie, they increase in frequency and severity.
So according to Jesus , "Nation against Nation, Kingdom against Kingdom"....Based on the two (and only two) previous uses of this idiom, it meant warfare throughout the region in context. We know from 4-5 separate examples, the comtext of Matt 24 is "The World"...Therefore, using the usual literal interpretation rules, that means World War..So that alone points to the first world war. But what else did Jesus say:
"There will be famines, and earthquakes (and Luke added 'pestilence') -
"All these are the BEGINNING of birth pains" (v8)
So if you look at the data, in terms of raw numbers (and I have all of this on power point when I present this material) - it was an unprecedented time of pestilence. Remember all the talk of the Spanish Flu? 1918....Killed as many or more people than the war. There were also 2-3 other major pandemics during that era. It was a horrible, horrible time of pestilence. ANd because of the war:
There was widespread famine from the refugees (who were also spreading disease) There was also a huge famine in China (unrelated to the war) and in many areas beyond Europe in the post-war era.
And interestingly, earthquakes spiked a LOT during that era...
The next spike in birthpains?
WWII. The graphs on all of the above "birth pains" look very similar to the WWI era.
Between WWI and WWII things were relatively quiet...The first two birth pains...
Now this is where it gets even more interesting IMO
scott, I agree with you that we are so very close but with that being said don Koenig of thepropheticyears.com/wordpress/ does give his reasons for another 20-30 yrs...on right side page scroll down to # 54-55 and 65 along with some more for his reasoning...then there is the cuttingedge.org, he seems to think all the 10 grouping of nations have to be in place, which could take some time yet..also believes there will be no financial crash in US before rapture b/c the illuminati wants ppl to feel like things are aok so they will not go back to church and God like after 911, even though that didn't last long...not saying either guy is right but just diff opinions I do like to read and consider...
He then discusses the persecution (v9) and clearly He transitioned to the Tribulation a by at least v14 (Gospel preached around the world - which is a Tribulation event) and when he discusses the AOD in v15, so clearly by this point He has transitioned into the Tribulation (where the birth pains continue)
But the most compelling argument that Matt 24 includes the entire generation (not just the Trib) comes in the verses about the Rapture (v36-42)...
He begins and ends this section by saying that no one knows the day or the hour. That HAS to be a rapture reference, because when you see the AOD, you have exactly 3.5 years before the second coming and you WOULD know the day that He is coming. So the references to the person taken at the hand mill and the field, are taken up in the rapture.
Additionally, the verb was Paralambo which means to "take with" - which also has to point to the rapture. And of course, Jesus said that the Tribulation is like no other period on earth ("unequaled from the beginning of the world"...)...So how can it be like the days of Noah, when He just said it would be unlike any other time on earth? Thats another glaring inconsistency for those who believe Matt 24 is only Tribulation.
One more thing (this is one of my pet topics needless to say :).....At the end of the tribulation, the unsaved won't disappear (as suggested) - because Revelation tells us that (19:17-18) that the birds will feast on the flesh of "all people" after the Second COming....So if they all disappeared, how can the birds feast on their "flesh"?
Of course, this is just my humble opinion :)
Sunny= I don't see the case for another 20-30 years (?)...The ten kings (I assume this is what he is referring to) - could come in weeks. Plus, we don't even know what the ten kings are..There is no scripture that dictates that it has to be 10 regions, 10 countries etc...We have no idea. So how can one speculate on the length of time for an 'event' when we don't even know what it is? I agree that it could be a grouping as such - but then again, to speculate on the a delay of that length of time, is to ignore the scriptures in Matt 24...A generation isn't 140-150 years anywhere.
So its speculation on top of speculation - even where speculation isn't required.
(as a footnote, your post got buried above in my summary of matt 24. )
Heck - two weeks ago I never imagined that 75,000 troops would be called up in Israel to go into Gaza...Things can happen pretty quickly when God dictates
yes he says all the things that will happen and how long it would take, I think as you do that God can super speed things up and something that seems yrs away could be months or days if he so wills it...exciting times huh lol
Hiding...lol...great post Brother...but I have to, with great respect :), disagree.
Matthew 24 serves a duality. It is for the observation of the Church, and His warning to those Jewish People during the Trib. Jesus is Jewish, and those He is speaking to, and of, are also Jewish. It is for we the Church to observe, just as Paul said, we would know the Season, and not be caught unaware. Jesus is clearly speaking of the second half of the Trib, that He described. The Rapture has already happened, the Feast of the Trumpets fulfilled. The next Feast is the Day of Atonement. This will happen at His Second Coming, the Coming of the Son of Man.
In context He prefaces the Verses you mentioned, with the Coming of the Son of Man. Clearly that reference is the Second Coming. The next Verse, He references Noah. He is continuing with the “no one knows the day or hour” warning, just as swift Judgment came to those in Noah’s day, no one will know the Day of His Coming. He lists the signs, the events during the Trib that build towards His Coming. So too, those during Noah’s day, saw the rain falling, and chose to ignore it. During the Trib, the signs, the events are as the rain falling. Judgment will then come from the Return of the Son of Man, just as it did when the flood came. He references those who rebelled against God and were caught in the flood. He refers to Genesis, the days of Noah were so vile that God was repulsed , they continued in their sin regardless of the warnings. God finally said thats it, and the flood came.
The next Verses 36-42, that is Jesus continuing to emphasize Judgment. Jesus is referencing two examples of Judgment for the non-Believing Jewish People, one from the past, and one in the future.
As Zola taught so well in the Hebrew and English, he explained this Chapter, these Verses very clearly.
He taught regarding the Verses 36-42, that those were the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement for the non-believing Jews of the Trib. Zola stated that any Jewish person Jesus was speaking would understand exactly what He meant with these Verses. Zola taught what would occur during the Day of Atonement Feasts. Jesus knew this of course, as well as His Disciples and any other Jewish person of the times. Zola explained that during those days of the Temple, Trumpeters for the Temple were placed all around the top of the Temple. They would sound these trumpets at the order of the Priests , and they could clearly be heard across the entire land. For the Day of Atonement, there would be a Jewish person working next to a gentile Arab for example, in the fields. The moment the Trumpets were sounded from the Temple indicating the beginning of the Feast, the Jewish person would immediately stop working, where as the gentile Arab would continue. The Jewish people all across the land, would walk away from any work (as required by the Feast) and head up to the Temple for the Atonement to God for their sins. At the Coming of the Lord, all non-believing Jewish People will be called for their Atonement to God.
God Bless!
But we never apply that concept elsewhere...Does this mean that every time Jesus was talking to his apostles, that the message was only intended for the Jews/NOI? What about the Last Supper? That was only with the apostles, yet this is only observed by the church, so it doesn't apply there. And there are many other similar examples where He was talking with the apostles, yet we don't say in those instances that the message is only intended for the Jews.
SO - the question is - who is taken in verses 40-41?
It can't be non-believers at the end of the Trib, because we know from Revelation that they don't get taken...We also know it can't be believers - because they inherit the 1,000 year reign
So who is taken in those verses?
These verses are the key to the whole thing (of course, to me, it makes no sense that it would be 'coincidental' that the first birth pains for the generation would appear in the WWI and WWII eras.
If you believe Matt 24 is only the Trib, then we would expect world war at the very beginning of the Trib (based on verse 8) but we know that the very beginning of the Trib will be a peaceful time, so that is another inconsistency I can't get around/
But more key, again, is who is taken in v40/41 and it simply has to be the church saints. There is no other explanation that adds up. And if thats the case, Matt 24 includes the generation in its entirety, not just the trib.
Additionally, I have never seen (biblically) a generation's meaning as a 7 year period. Jesus said a generation would see these signs, so that has to be recognized as well.
Forgive me, but we do apply this to other Scripture. How bout the Jewish Wedding, and Prophecies of the Messiah to come, dye for us etc. Forgive me, but I said at the beginning, that this Chapter has a duality. It is for both the future Tribulation Jewish People, AND for the Church's observation of the times we are in, we will know the season, AND an example of what the Rapture will be like. The future non-believing Jews to Judgment, we the Rapture soon to come before the Trib. The Last Supper was also Passover which Jesus and the Disciples “kept” as He said. There again, the duality, it was both. It will be non-believing JEWISH people that will be taken into Atonement before God at the coming of His Son. He considers His people completely separately from any other non-believers. Jesus even told His Disciples that they will Judge the “twelve tribs of Israel”, separately from everyone else. Jesus makes these examples, in the field etc. in conjunction with Gods Judgment of those during the days of Noah. He is emphasizing with two examples of swift Judgment. The Feast of the Day of Atonement will be fulfilled, God is focusing on His People during the Trib, not the Church, we are already gone. He separates His People, holds them to a completely different standard than other nonbelievers.
To me, the preponderance of evidence points to the rapture. What he is saying seems so convoluted and it still doesn't (for me anyway, answer all of the questions raised - and I have to have these questions answered - and to me, with a rapture in focus, everything fits like a glove. Just as they do with a pre-trib rapture.
1. The verses at the beginning and end which state no one knows the day or the hour - or the timing - is consistent with the imminence of the Rapture. This is also consistent with the parallels to the Jewish wedding, in that the Son didn't know the time, only the father...This is a very very strongly consistent with the Rapture
2. The days of Noah...To me - we are given the context - we don't have to find more meaning than given...It was life as normal - eating, drinking etc. Just as the days of Noah. At the end of the Tribulation, it won't be the days of Noah.
3. Jesus said a generation would see all of these things (from first birth pains to the second coming).. This has never been a 7 year period. Then consistent with the days of Noah - we know from Genesis that the time was 120 years. exactly what we have now - with people living between 110-120. That has to be dealt with.
4. The use of verb "Take with" ...Even Showers admits in "Maranatha..." that this is a big problem with that POV (the POV that believes that this passage is any time other than the Rapture)
5. At the end of the Trib, there will only be Sheep and Goats - believers and non-believers (even Tribulation Christians and Jews will receive their glorified bodies at the same time - why would they be separated out in a "taking"? - if Jews are taken separately from that, wouldn't there be a third group mentioned? (Sheep, Goats and ___)
6. If the Trib is in view, How can it be like the "Days of Noah" - when Jesus said it (Trib) would be like no other time in history? It can't be like the Days of Noah AND be like no other time (?) Thats another inconsistency that I need resolved
Btw - I'm not going to be able to get back to this till late tomorrow due to the work thing :)
1 No one will know the day or the hour. Even during the Tribulation, they wont know.
2 That wasnt His point, it was that they werent prepared for the Judgment that came. The Son of Man Coming will be the same.
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
That is the Second Coming...
Post a Comment