MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

“Palestinian rockets struck two cities deep in Israel on Wednesday, wounding a resident and prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to threaten lengthy “exchanges of blows” with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Islamic Jihad, a smaller Gaza faction and occasional Hamas ally, claimed responsibility for the attacks on Beersheba and Ashdod.

They followed Israeli air strikes and shelling in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday that killed four Palestinian civilians, including three children playing football, and five militants, medical officials said.

Netanyahu, who voiced regret for Tuesday’s civilian deaths and said Israel sought no escalation, took a tougher tone after some members of his cabinet mooted a wider offensive on Gaza.

Israel’s three-week war in the impoverished coastal enclave in 2009 killed about 1,400 Palestinians, drawing heavy international censure. Hamas had mostly held fire since.

‘No country would be prepared to absorb protracted missile fire on its cities and civilians, and of course the State of Israel is not prepared to,’ Netanyahu said in parliament.” Read more.

This is only the beginning, and I believe John tells us how this ultimately ends:

Revelation 17:16-17, “And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.”

“The Iranian leaders, furious over the Saudi intervention in Bahrain and what they call crimes against the Shiites of that country, have openly created centers to recruit volunteers for suicide bombings against Saudi Arabia’s interests worldwide:

Several grand ayatollahs in Iran have issued a fatwa for Muslims to come to the aid of their Shiite brothers in Bahrain, who they claim are suffering horrific crimes from their government in collaboration with the Saudi armed forces. They further emphasized that the people of Bahrain have every right to demand freedom and their fair share from the state.

Shia-News, a site associated with Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi (a hard-line Shiite Twelver and an influential figure in the suppression of Iranians during their uprising to protest the fraudulent presidential election of 2009), is registering volunteers to participate in suicide bombings against Saudi interests around the world. Hundreds have already registered. Reports from inside Iran indicate that an alert has gone out to the Revolutionary Guards Quds forces throughout the world to prepare for attacks on Saudi establishments. Read more…

“Radical Muslim groups are thought to be behind mail bombs recently delivered to prominent figures and security officials, including Christians, in various places in Indonesia. Human rights activists and ordinary Indonesians are sounding the alarm, warning the country is slowing turning into a Pakistan-style ‘Islamised’ state in which extremist movements sow terror to gain power.

Although the authorities have not made any public statement on the matter, many believe that extremist groups are behind a recent spate of attacks involving books containing explosive sent by mail. Inspector Ansyaas Mbai, head of the anti-terror department, blames radical Islamic movements, like Jemaah Islamiyah, the Islamic State of Indonesia and the Mujahedeen Kompak.”  Read more.

“Uprisings in the Arab world escalated at a fever pitch Sunday and threatened two key US allies, Bahrain and Yemen, where a top Yemini general and two other commanders joined the anti-government rebellion against President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Saleh, who has held power in the terror-ridden country for 32 years, is a key ally with the United States whose fall from power could have immense ramifications in the American war against al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorists.

Saleh fired his cabinet Sunday after two senior officials quit in protest of his attempts to suppress demonstrators with brute force. More than 50 people were killed last week. Tanks were roaming the streets of the capital of Sana’a Monday.

The three army officers who turned against Saleh are members of his own tribe, which also has called on him to resign.

In Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, Sunni Muslim King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa said his forces have foiled a foreign plot against his rule.

Saudi Arabia, which like Bahrain is ruled by the Sunni Muslim despite a majority of Shi’ite Muslims, has sent 1,000 troops to help the government suppress the uprising on fears that the fall of Bahraini kingdom could spell trouble for the Saudi King, Abdullah.”  Source.

“THE persecution of Christians world­wide has worsened dramat­ically in the past few years, a new report by a Roman Catholic aid agency suggests.

Persecuted and Forgotten?, from Aid to the Church in Need, says that Christians are facing increased suf­fer­ing in 22 countries around the world, and that Iraq, Egypt, Leb­anon, Pakistan, and Nigeria are some of the worst countries in which to be a Christian today.

The rise of militant Islam poses a particular threat to Christians, the report suggests. It also highlights a rise in nationalism in India, Sri Lanka, and Burma, and the intimidation of Christian groups in communist states such as Venezuela.

A spokesman for Aid to the Church in Need, John Pontifex, said: ‘Extremists increasingly link local Christians in their countries to the West. As they are in most cases unable to attack Western countries direct, many extremists turn their fire on local Christians.’

Three years ago, the charity was concerned that Christianity in the Middle East was sliding into ob­scurity; now, it fears that it is in danger of being extinguished al­to­gether.”  Read more.

“Israel struck Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, after a barrage of over 50 rockets were fired into southern Israel earlier in the day.

The Israeli air strikes on Gaza wounded five Hamas security officers and a boy, Gaza medics said.

Two Israelis were wounded and a home was damaged by the rockets fired from Gaza earlier in the day. Saturday morning’s bombardment was the heaviest one launched by Gaza militants for months.

Hamas which rules the Gaza Strip, claimed responsibility for firing 10 of Saturday’s mortars, an unusual move after a long period in which it had let other smaller militant groups do its bidding.”  Read more.