WATCH!
Unquestionably, the Middle East with a particular focus on Iraq and Jerusalem, as well as the land of Israel, continues to boil over in one violent outbreak after another. World news is now geared to reporting events that occur there with dozens of reporters stationed in the area. It is something we can and should watch as a part of Biblical, end-time prophetic fulfillment.
Now, a startling new emergence is rapidly taking form in Europe. A long-ago “newscaster”–the prophet Daniel–spoke very precisely of events we now can see unfolding before us. In Daniel 2:41-43, note this somber announcement:
“‘Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. ‘And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. ‘As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.'”
These statements show the formation of a powerful European kingdom that will come about through alliances and confederacies–yet, there will be problems. Other prophecies show that continental Europe, led by ten core nations or goups of nations, will be at odds with the United States and Great Britain. They also show more details of an emerging political leader and a religious leader who will dominate events in this world! These are things we are to now watch! Our booklets can greatly help you understand these events. Europe in Prophecy and The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord, along with our new STANDING WATCH weekly webcast and our weekly Updates, deal with prophetic events for our day.
It is vital that we understand the times we are living in, and to do that, it is of the utmost importance to do as the Bible clearly warns–WATCH!
IRAQ — A THORN IN THE FLESH?
On May 1, 2003, official combat between the allied forces and Iraq ended. Since that time, more than 50 American soldiers have been killed — 16 of them through Iraqi attacks, and 36 through accidents. Der Spiegel Online reported on June 19 that “within the last 24 hours, four U.S. soldiers and one Iraqi were killed by three attacks.” At the same time, U.S. forces were able to capture Abid Hamud Mahmud al-Tikriti, the No. 4 on the U.S. most-wanted list of Iraqi leaders, behind only Saddam and sons Qusai and Odai, according to USA Today of June 19. However, an Arab newspaper, published in England, stated that they received a fourth letter from Saddam Hussein, at least two of which are considered to be genuine. This would prove that Saddam is still alive. In the last letter, the author announced a new round of attacks if the allied forces don’t leave Iraq by June 17. Some newspapers speculated that the date was meant to be July 17 — the official date when Saddam’s party came to power 35 years ago.
USA Today reported on June 10 that Ahmed Chalabi, head of the Iraqi National Congress, is convinced that Saddam is still alive. He “has been seen north of Baghdad and is paying a bounty for every American soldier killed,” he said. “Saddam has $1.3 billion in cash taken from the Central Bank on March 18, is bent on revenge and believes he can sit it out and get the Americans going,” he said.
In a poll conducted by the “Iraqi Center for Research and Strategic Studies,” 51% of Iraqis approved the American occupation in Iraq at this time, according to Der Spiegel Online of June 19. 85% uttered serious concerns about the present Iraqi political parties, stating that they could not fill the new political vacuum in the country. At the same time, a majority of Iraqis was dissatisfied with the allies’ accomplishment in Iraq regarding security, reconstruction, the economy and the healthcare system. Only 6 percent believed that the allies occupied the country because they had in mind the welfare of Iraq.
Joseph Collins, “Pentagon’s top policy advisor,” said on June 10 that “the task of stabilizing postwar Iraq has proven ‘tougher and more complex’ than the Bush administration originally foresaw,” according to USA Today of June 10. In addition, the Guardian, a paper in Great Britain, published on June 11 a damaging interview with Hans Blix, the UN chief weapons inspector, claiming that he was “smeared by the Pentagon.” Due to ongoing criticism as to the official reason given for the war with Iraq, both the Blair and the Bush administrations are being investigated by the British Parliament and the American Congress.
Bild Online reported on June 19 that Donald Rumsfeld “downplayed the chaos in Iraq.” He spoke in Washington “of small elements” of only 10 or 20 percent that are responsible for the attacks on American soldiers. He compared the figures with the number of killings in American big cities and said, “We will always have violence in big cities.” Bild Online continued: “The allies are far from being able to control the situation. The British have begun to admit mistakes, which could lead to a separation between the allied forces.”
EUROPE’S ASCENT TO POWER
On Friday, June 13, a draft constitution covering 450 million inhabitants of the future European Union was unveiled. The audience gave a standing ovation to Valery Giscard d’Estaing, former French president, who chaired the convention. Giscard d’Estaing had recently received the “Karlspreis” (“Charlemagne prize”) for his “outstanding efforts to unite Europe.” As AFB reported, “some big battles remain, notably over demands for the EU to extend qualified majority voting into sensitive areas such as foreign and tax policy…” German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is hopeful that by the end of the year, the inter-governmental conference (IGC) of current and future EU countries will approve the text, and that Europe will ratify it in 2006, according to Der Spiegel Online of June 19. The text would create the establishment of a European Foreign Minister. The German press has been speculating for months, whether Joschka Fischer will occupy that post. Der Spiegel Online also stated, under the sub-heading, “Fortress Europe begins to emerge,” that a new European immigration and asylum policy is under discussion.
The Catholic Church uttered dissatisfaction with the proposed text, as it does not mention the Christian heritage of Europe. Joschka Fischer had promised the pope that he would see to it that the final European constitution would include a reference to Europe’s Christian heritage.
EUROPEAN / U.S RELATIONSHIP DETERIORATES
According to Der Spiegel Online of June 11, Donald Rumsfeld stirred up old wounds last week, when he spoke again, during a visit in Germany, of “old Europe” and “new Europe.” He also confirmed that the United States are contemplating the withdrawal of 75 % of their American troops from Germany. It was emphasized that these plans “have nothing to do with Germany’s stance regarding the Iraq question.”
MSNBC News reported on June 12 that the “U.N. Security Council on Thursday approved another one-year exemption for American peacemakers from prosecution by the new international war crimes tribunal, but it faced opposition from France, Germany and Syria.” The United States had made it very clear that the failure to grant immunity to the U.S. would have serious consequences, as the criticism “was putting more strains on trans-Atlantic relations.” Originally, the United States had sought to obtain permanent immunity. The Washington Post had run an article on June 10, titled, “U.S. Confronts EU On War Crimes Court.” The Independent in the U.K. wrote on June 11, “US clashes with Europe over war crimes.” The Guardian Unlimited in the U.K. titled its headline on June 11, “War crime vote fuels US anger at Europe.” France, Germany and Syria decided to abstain, rather than to vote against the exemption. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 12-0, with three abstentions.
MISCELLANEOUS NEWS FROM EUROPE
In other European news, Britain delayed adopting the European currency, the “euro,” at least for the time being. At this point, 12 European countries have adopted the euro as their only currency. The Washington Post of June 10 commented that, while Britain’s finance minister Gordon Brown emphasized the economic risks of adopting the euro, “many analyists said they believe the government’s principal concern is political.”
Telegraph News reported on June 19 that “a Paris court last night halted publication of a book by a former investigating magistrate that claims France is institutionally corrupt.” This is the first time that a French court blocked the publication of a book in recent times, according to the article. The official reason was that the publication might prejudice a pending trial, stating that the book could be published once the trial is over.
ISRAEL BEGINS TO DISMANTLE INHABITED OUTPOSTS
In an attempt to fulfill Israel’s agreement with President Bush, Israel began to take down unauthorized outposts set up by settlers in the West Bank over the last two years. There are 62 such outposts and a total of more than 100 set up since 1996. As USA Today reported on June 19, “about 200 people from nearby Jewish settlements converged on the hilltop Thursday morning, blocking the road leading to Mitzpeh Yitzhar (the first inhabited outpost being removed under the new U.S.-backed “road map” peace plan) with cars and burning tires to prevent the authorities from dismantling the outpost.” The peace plan envisions the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005.
HIV — TRANSMITTED THROUGH CHIMPANZEES
As Stern Online of June 13 reported, the HIV virus was apparently transmitted to chimpanzees which ate the flesh of other chimpanzees infected with the virus. It is still unclear how the chimpanzees were originally infected. It has been established that the HIV virus was transmitted from infected chimpanzees to humans. Three cases of such transmissions of the virus HIV1 which occurred prior to 1930, have been proven, according to the article. Another HIV virus, HIV2, was transmitted more recently to humans in West Africa. The article pointed out that humans were infected when they ate the infected chimpanzees.
