US Devastation of Tropical Storm Irene
BBC News reported on August 29:
“The US east coast has begun clearing up after the devastation of tropical storm Irene, which killed at least 21 people… The small state of Vermont was reeling from the worst flooding in nearly a century, which washed away bridges [including the famous bridge featured in the movie, “Baby Boom,” with Diane Keaton] and swamped the town of Brattleboro…
“The brunt of Irene’s impact was felt by towns and suburbs from New Jersey to Vermont. Driving rains and flood tides damaged homes and cut power to more than three million people in New Jersey, Connecticut and New York alone…”
New York Economy Takes Huge Hit from Hurricane
Mail On Line wrote on Sunday, August 28, 2011:
“New York is deserted today on what should be one of its busiest weekends for tourism of the year, as businesses count the cost of a four-day city shutdown after Hurricane Irene forced people indoors. But it might have been worse for New York City, as a direct hit by the damage-wreaking hurricane could have cost it up to $35billion in damage and increased the chance of a double-dip recession…
“Governor Chris Christie said he expects damages from Hurricane Irene to run into billions of dollars along New Jersey’s Atlantic coast and from inland river flooding… Insurers are expecting to suffer huge losses due to the hurricane, airlines are reeling as thousands of flights have been cancelled and shops cannot open so they [are] losing sales… Big problems include lost hours at work, power outages and a shutdown in sea and air traffic… ‘This is a worst-case scenario,’ said C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America’s Research Group. ‘This was supposed to be a prime weekend for apparel retailers.’”
Even though it would have been much worse if the hurricane had hit New York directly and/or with greater strength, the inflicted damage is nevertheless quite enormous.
“Virginia Quake’s Motion May Have Exceeded Nuclear Plant’s Design”
The Los Angeles Times reported on August 29:
“More federal inspectors are en route to Virginia’s North Anna nuclear power station after early data indicated the plant may have experienced more shaking than it was designed to withstand during last week’s 5.8 earthquake… The plant remains offline. It cannot be restarted until its operator can show… that it remains safe…
“So far… they have found no indication of significant damage, but there are signs of the quake: thermal insulation that shook off pipes within the nuclear containment units, cracks in ceramic insulators on the plant’s transformers and fallen ceiling tiles at a commercial office building just outside the fence that surrounds the power station.”
New Massive Fault Line Found on Mt. Hood
The Associated Press reported on August 30:
“Geologists think Mount Hood is sitting on [shaky] ground… scientists have discovered a previously undetected – and active fault zone on the mountain. Scientists said the faults could also prove dangerous.
“The fault zone stretches about 20 miles from the northern flank of Mt. Hood to the Columbia River. Hidden by trees and dense vegetation, it had gone unnoticed… Teams began preparing to dig a big trench in the next few weeks across the faults to try and determine when the last earthquake [occurred].”
Iran Launches Bible-Burning Campaign
Newsmax reported on August 26:
“Iranian authorities [in northwestern Iran] began to systematically seize and destroy [6,500] Bibles… according to the Iranian Christian news organization Mohabat News… The agency has reported several other recent incidents of Bibles and other Christian literature being seized and sometimes publicly burned.
“Mohabat reports that the government-connected cleric, Ayatollah Hadi Jahangosha, warned of ‘the spread of Christianity among our youth,’ pointing to burgeoning satellite programming, literature, and religious articles promoting the Western tradition. ‘Everyone in society should feel responsibility in this matter and play his or her role in [the] spreading of pure Islam and fight false and distorted cultures,’ the news agency quotes him as saying.”
Throughout the centuries, man, being cut off from the true God and following the lead of Satan the devil, has tried to destroy the Bible, but he could never succeed in eradicating God’s inspired Word, because God promises us that His Word will abide forever. All other religious books and “holy” writings, which are contrary to the inspired teachings of the Bible, will cease to exist in due course, but the words of the Bible will be accessible and remain for all eternity. In addition, Muslim countries such as Iran expect to gain converts in Western nations but any reciprocal approach by Christians in many of those Muslim nations is totally denied. The same can be said, of course, for the nation of Israel as well, where proselytizing is prohibited.
Iran Determined to Eradicate Israel
Haaretz reported on August 25:
“Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran was determined to eradicate Israel… ‘Iran believes that whoever is for humanity should also be for eradicating the Zionist regime (Israel) as symbol of suppression and discrimination,’ Ahmadinejad said in an interview with a Lebanese television network…
“‘Iran follows this issue (the eradication of Israel) with determination and decisiveness and will never ever withdraw from this standpoint and policy,’ the Iranian president added in the interview… The Iranian president provoked international condemnation in 2005 when he said that Israel should be eliminated from the map of the Middle East and transferred to Europe or North America.”
Tony Blair’s Sister-in-Law Incites Muslims to “Liberate” Jerusalem
Israel National News reported on August 29:
“Laura Booth, sister-in-law of Quartet envoy Tony Blair, has called on ‘Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt [to] liberate Al-Quds [Jerusalem].’ The former British prime minister’s family member has previously sailed illegally to Gaza on a flotilla boat. She joined an anti-Israel rally in London Trafalgar’s Square… Booth went on another rant against Israel. ‘We say here today to you, Israel, we see your crimes and we loathe your crimes. And to us your nation does not exist, because it is a criminal injustice against humanity. We want to see Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt go to the borders and stop this now. Liberate Al Quds! March to Al Quds!’
“Another speaker claimed, somewhat myopically as far as historical accuracy goes, that ‘the only time that land has seen peace between Muslim, Christian and Jew living side by side was when sincere Islamic rulers ruled with justice.’ During Ottoman Islamic rule, Jews were second-class citizens, called ‘Dhimmis’. The myth of their ‘peaceful lives’ has been debunked by historians, although they were not subject to pogroms as frequently as European Jews..
“In fact, Jordan, during its occupation of the Old City and other parts of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria between 1949 and 1967, denied Christians and Jews all access to holy sites except for visiting dignitaries. Israel opened up the sites to all religions after it restored the areas under its sovereignty in the Six-Day War in 1967.”
Anti-Jewish sentiments are on the rise…
Europe under U.S. Attack!
The Local wrote on August 29:
“Laurence Parisot, the head of the influential bosses’ organization, Medef, has hit out at what she sees as deliberate attempts by the US to shift their own economic woes to Europe. In an interview published in Monday’s Le Figaro newspaper, Parisot said the problems started when China decided to ‘teach the US a lesson’ about the level of its debt over the summer. ‘The Americans then wanted to pass the buck to Europe,’ she said. ‘We saw a kind of psychological war and an attempt to destabilize the euro zone.’
“Parisot cites as an example the ‘unfounded’ rumours about French banks which were spread by the American media. ‘The front pages of the American media announced the death of such and such a bank and even the end of the eurozone,’ she said. ‘We went from attacks on Spain to attacks on Italy, then on France and as far as rumours that Germany would be downgraded last week!’…
“’When American publications, which are read by investors and analysts, lead with these false and dramatic announcements, there are questions to be asked,’ she said. She said that ultimately Europe was under attack ‘not because it is weak but because it is strong.’”
We have persistently made public the biblical prophecies about a future European military attack on the USA. The Bible does not reveal to us exactly the human reasoning as to why this attack will take place—but it emphasizes that God will inspire a future leader of Europe to launch such an attack, because God wants to punish the USA for its many sins. However, Europe will not attack the USA because it understands God’s plan, but it will strictly act with selfish and “self-preserving” motives. The article, quoted above, might give us a hint as to what rationale Europeans might partially embrace to justify their future “retaliatory” military action.
Europe in Danger of Collapse?
The EUObserver wrote on August 29:
“Polish finance minister Jacek Rostowski has said the EU could ‘collapse’ if leading countries such as Germany mishandle the financial crisis… the minister said: ‘European elites, including German elites, must decide if they want the euro to survive – even at a high price – or not. If not, we should prepare for a controlled dismantling of the currency zone.’
“He added: ‘We have a simple choice: Solidarity or the collapse of Europe.’ Rostowski criticised the German ‘elite’ after German President Christian Wulff last week said the European Central Bank (ECB) should not buy struggling Italian and Spanish bonds… The Polish minister said the long-term solution to the crisis is deeper integration. ‘The fundamental problem of the eurozone is not an economic but a political one,’ he explained. ‘The choice is: much deeper macroeconomic integration in the eurozone or its collapse. There is no third way.’ He attacked Finland for its ‘egoism’ in seeking collateral for a new loan to crisis-struck Greece…
“Rostowski said Poland will not join the euro until it is sure the currency is ‘earthquake proof’. But he added that wealthy northern countries as well as non-eurozone EU members will suffer if the euro falls. ‘It’s hard to imagine anything that would hit the Dutch, German or Finnish economy harder than the collapse of the banking system in any eurozone country,’ he said. ‘The collapse of the eurozone would [also] be catastrophic for Poland.’”
Even though Poland’s recent governmental officials have been known as being controversial and overly dramatic—and at times quite inconsistent—the above-quoted warning should be taken seriously. Europe is indeed called upon to save the euro—and it will do just that. Biblical prophecy simply does not allow for the euro to fall in these last days. We can also expect a “much deeper integration”—or let’s just say bluntly, an autocratic governmental system, under German leadership. In this context, it is interesting to note that the EUObserver reported on August 26 that Finland has abandoned its Greek collateral deal “under German pressure.”
We must also be very careful not to jump with approval on articles in euro-skeptical British papers such as The Telegraph, which are welcoming every opportunity to predict the fall of the euro. In its recent article, dated August 29, The Telegraph pronounces that “Euro bail-out [is] in doubt as ‘hysteria’ sweeps Germany.” It continues that “German Chancellor Angela Merkel no longer has enough coalition votes in the Bundestag to secure backing for Europe’s revamped rescue machinery, threatening a constitutional crisis in Germany and a fresh eruption of the euro debt saga.” It even concludes that Merkel “is facing ‘war on every front’. The next month will decide her future, Germany’s destiny, and the fate of [the] monetary union.”
These are overly dramatic statements, filled with unproven assumptions and exaggerations, and none of this constitutes fair, accurate and factual reporting. Merkel faced opposition before, but in the end, she got her way. In fact, as Reuters reported on August 31, “German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet approved [the] new powers for the euro zone’s bailout fund on Wednesday.”
But if The Telegraph’s predictions were correct, then the month of September would decide the survival of the monetary union and the establishment of Germany’s destiny as the leading nation in continental Europe.
In addition, the Daily Mail reported on August 30 that “A top German business leader [Hans-Olaf Henkel, the well-respected former head of the country’s main business federation] today called for his country to quit the euro and join richer northern neighbours in a currency block instead… He called on Germany, Austria, Finland and the Netherlands to quit the euro – ditching struggling economies such as Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy – and set up a new currency of their own.”
The paper continued that “Such a move – perhaps the closest thing possible to the return of the Deutsche Mark – would be highly controversial as Germany is the area’s powerhouse economy and has so far insisted it will stand behind the euro…”
Henkel’s fanciful ideas will not materialize. Biblical prophecy indicates that countries such as Germany, as well as Catholic countries such as Italy, and most likely Spain and Portugal, will be a part of the final configuration of the unification of ten core European countries or groups of countries, while Protestant countries such as Finland, and perhaps even The Netherlands, might not be in that final constellation. Therefore, a united power bloc of Germany and Protestant Finland, even in the context of a common currency, with the exclusion of Italy and other European Catholic countries, is not to be expected at all.
Europe Will Play Greater Role in Middle East
The EUObserver reported on September 1:
“The EU will in future play a bigger role vis-a-vis the US in providing hard security in north Africa and the Middle East, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said. Speaking to French ambassadors gathered in Paris on Wednesday (31 August), the French leader said the war in Libya is a ‘lesson’ for EU foreign policy: ‘Europeans have shown for the first time that they are capable of intervention in a decisive way, with their allies, in an open conflict on their doorstep.’
“He added that the Libya model – in which France and the UK took the lead with American support – marks a new division of labour between the EU and US: ‘The world is changing. [US] President Obama has presented a new vision of American military engagement which involves the Europeans assuming their responsibilities.’ Sarkozy noted the union should also play a bigger role in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
“‘The role of the US [in the Middle East peace process] is incontrovertible and irreplacable, but everyone can see it is not sufficient. It is necessary to enlarge the circle of negotiators … We must keep in mind that the European Union is the top economic partner of Israel and the top aid donor to the Palestinians’…
“In a reflection of Sarkozy’s new-model EU-US relations, the meeting will be dominated by France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, which are sending their leaders. The US will be represented by secretary of state Hilary Clinton, while China and Russia are sending third- and fourth-tier diplomats…
“For its part, the People’s Daily, a Chinese government newspaper in a prickly op-ed published the same day said: ‘The West has never given up its scheme of dominating the development directions of west Asia and north Africa. The dominance is connected with economic interests, naturally. Though the smoke of gunpowder has not fully dispersed in Libya, Western oil companies’ fights for the oil have already started.’
“US nemesis Iran has also started talks with the TNC [Libya’s National Transitional Council] on future relations. ‘If … arrogant powers and international Zionism, including the tyrannical US regime, succeed to ride the waves [of the Arab Spring] and take the lead, the Muslim world will be faced with big problems for tens of years,’ Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei said in a rare public statement ahead of the Paris summit.”
The Bible predicts that in the not-too-distant future, Europe will invade militarily in the Middle East, but it won’t do so in collaboration with the USA.
Nightmare Scenarios for Libya
Deutsche Welle reported on August 29:
“Libya faces a number of nightmare scenarios, from a new civil war between rival factions to the rise of al Qaeda-affiliated Islamists, should a power vacuum plunge the country into a new phase of lawlessness and chaos. There is a new smell of fear circulating under the sweet scent of victory; a fear that the National Transitional Council (NTC) is incapable of uniting and controlling the diverse elements within the rebellion and that the tribal rivals which are beginning to bicker over the spoils of war may soon start fighting each other over them.
“With the possibility of Libya becoming a nation governed by a NATO-backed, weak and undemocratic central administration led by a compliant president and besieged by Islamist militants, some commentators have likened the unfolding situation as one akin to Afghanistan…
“Just as in Iraq, Libya faces the prospect of elements that supported the ousted Gadhafi regime attempting to fight their newfound marginalization and preserve their power bases… Just like in Afghanistan, a Western-backed NTC government may have to face up to battling an Islamist insurgency fuelled by extremist groups, some of whom have close ties to al Qaeda…
“There have been rumors of an al Qaeda presence ever since the war began but the rebels have been quick to reject claims that they have any links from the outset. However, the leaders of the US, Britain and France have since admitted that they were aware of an Islamist element within the rebel forces before pledging their support…
“As the rebels have advanced through Tripoli, a better picture of which groups actually make up the alliance has materialized. While no hardcore al-Qaeda affiliates have been identified, a number of Islamist groups have set alarm bells ringing in NATO…
“The immediate chaos and lawlessness which follows in the wake of a deposed regime has also given rise to another element which could lead to widespread instability and violence in Libya: the country is now awash with guns… As seen in countries such as Somalia and Yemen, the continued chaos arising from a state of conflict can exacerbate the circulation of military hardware among a fractious tribal society. As a result, Libya’s stability has surely been undermined by the looting of Gadhafi’s stockpiles.
“A recent report in the Los Angeles Times described how only a few of the 523 arms bunkers discovered to date in Libya are being protected by NTC guards. These, according to the report, contain everything from small arms to shoulder-launched Soviet Sam-7 anti-aircraft missiles. There were even alleged to be supplies of napalm in some. Meanwhile, the Guardian reported last week that Gadhafi’s supplies of mustard gas, which were being monitored by NATO, have now disappeared…
“After arming the rebels against Gadhafi, there is a chance – should the situation deteriorate – that NATO may find itself dodging its own bullets.”
In the context of Iraq, USA Today reported on August 30: “Continuing his book tour, former vice president Dick Cheney defended the Iraq War today, saying, ‘I don’t think that it damaged our reputation around the world.’”
This is incredible. Some seem to never learn, or blind their eyes so that they cannot and will not see.
