Friends,
Gold, Silver and the U.S. dollar have had a key reversal. Watch the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqtv9-Pw8rI
Gold, Silver and the U.S. dollar have had a key reversal. Watch the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqtv9-Pw8rI
It has been a while since both Ukraine, and
the ongoing Russian response to western sanctions have made headlines in the
western press. It is still not clear just why the western media dropped Ukraine
coverage like a hot potato, especially since the civil war in Ukraine's Donbas
continues to rage and claim dozens of casualties on both sides. Perhaps the
audience has simply gotten tired of hearing about mixed chess/checkers game
between Putin vs Obama, and instead has reverted to reading the propaganda
surrounding just as deadly events in the third war in Iraq in as many
decades.
However, "out of sight" may be just what Russia's political elite wants. While the great US spin and distraction machine is focused elsewhere, Russia is already preparing for the next steps.
However, "out of sight" may be just what Russia's political elite wants. While the great US spin and distraction machine is focused elsewhere, Russia is already preparing for the next steps.
Which brings us to Putin advisor Sergey
Glazyev, the same person who in early March was the first to suggest Russia
dump US bonds and abandon the dollar in retaliation to US sanctions, a strategy
which worked because even as the Kremlin has retained control over Crimea,
western sanctions have magically halted (and not only that, but as the Russian
central bank just reported, the country's 2014 current account surplus may be
as high as $35 billion, up from $33 billion in 2013, and a far cry from some
fabricated "$200+ billion" in Russian capital outflows which Mario
Draghi was warning about recently).
Glazyev was also the person instrumental in
pushing the Kremlin to approach China and force the nat gas deal with Beijing
which took place not necessarily at the most beneficial terms for Russia.
It is this same Glazyev who published an article in Russian Argumenty Nedeli, in which he outlined a plan for "undermining the economic strength of the US" in order to force Washington to stop the civil war in Ukraine. Glazyev believes that the only way of making the US give up its plans on starting a new cold war is to crash the dollar system.
It is this same Glazyev who published an article in Russian Argumenty Nedeli, in which he outlined a plan for "undermining the economic strength of the US" in order to force Washington to stop the civil war in Ukraine. Glazyev believes that the only way of making the US give up its plans on starting a new cold war is to crash the dollar system.
 |
| Eurasian Economic Union flag |
Putin's economic aide and the mastermind behind the Eurasian Economic Union, argues that Washington is trying to provoke a Russian military intervention in Ukraine, using the junta in Kiev as bait. If fulfilled, the plan will give Washington a number of important benefits. Firstly, it will allow the US to introduce new sanctions against Russia, writing off Moscow's portfolio of US Treasury bills. More important is that a new wave of sanctions will create a situation in which Russian companies won't be able to service their debts to European banks.
According to Glazyev, the so-called "third phase" of sanctions against Russia will be a tremendous cost for the European Union. The total estimated losses will be higher than 1 trillion euros. Such losses will severely hurt the European economy, making the US the sole "safe haven" in the world. Harsh sanctions against Russia will also displace Gazprom from the European energy market, leaving it wide open for the much more expensive LNG from the US.
Co-opting European countries in a new arms race and military operations against Russia will increase American political influence in Europe and will help the US force the European Union to accept the American version of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, a trade agreement that will basically transform the EU into a big economic colony of the US. Glazyev believes that igniting a new war in Europe will only bring benefits for America and only problems for the European Union. Washington has repeatedly used global and regional wars for the benefit of the American economy and now the White House is trying to use the civil war in Ukraine as a pretext to repeat the old trick.
Glazyev's set of countermeasures specifically targets the core strength of the US war machine, i.e. the Fed's printing press. Putin's advisor proposes the creation of a "broad anti-dollar alliance" of countries willing and able to drop the dollar from their international trade. Members of the alliance would also refrain from keeping the currency reserves in dollar-denominated instruments. Glazyev advocates treating positions in dollar-denominated instruments like holdings of junk securities and believes that regulators should require full collateralization of such holdings. An anti-dollar coalition would be the first step for the creation of an anti-war coalition that can help stop the US' aggression.
Unsurprisingly, Sergey Glazyev believes that the main role in the creation of such a political coalition is to be played by the European business community because America's attempts to ignite a war in Europe and a cold war against Russia are threatening the interests of big European business. Judging by the recent efforts to stop the sanctions against Russia, made by the German, French, Italian and Austrian business leaders, Putin's aide is right in his assessment. Somewhat surprisingly for Washington, the war for Ukraine may soon become the war for Europe's independence from the US and a war against the dollar.
U.S. and European elites have reportedly been calling for a
centralization of economic power under the control of the International
Monetary Fund, as a well as a new global currency. globalists such as Zbigniew
Brzezinski and Henry Kissinger (both members of the Council on Foreign
Relations (CFR) and Trilateral Commission proponents) are working towards
influencing the most powerful heads of state, including Obama and Putin,
towards a new global currency.
Brzezinski is quoted to have expressed favor towards the gradually yielding of American national sovereignty and “greater American sacrifices”. Kissinger, on the other hand is said to favor the creation of “an international political regulatory system with the same reach as that of the economic world” or “shrinking the economic units to a size manageable by existing political structures”, with his ideal outcome being “a new Bretton Woods kind of global agreement”.
Brandon Smith, in his article ‘The New World Order and the Rise of the East’ states that both Kissinger and Brzezinski refer to this harmonized global economic and political structure as the “New World Order.” According to Smith, the fact that the political leaders of Russia and the United States are clearly being directed by such men should not be taken lightly, and suggests that the rise of the East and the crippling of Western elements is actually advantageous to global bankers in the long term.
Smith cites the historic 30-year Russia/China gas deal, the exclusion by both countries of the dollar as the reserve currency in their mutual transactions, and China’s build-up of gold reserves, as some examples of Eastern governments swiftly establishing alliances decoupling from U.S. influence. Smith’s assertion is that in the bigger picture, the New World Order players have positioned the East and West for a scenario that would “cut the legs out from under the dollar completely”.
This would then pave the way for the Bank of International Settlements and the IMF to prepare the financial world for a new global monetary system, brought into existence by a second Bretton Woods conference. Smith argues: “…the debasement of the dollar and the rise of the East are NOT obstacles to this plan. Rather, they are required factors. There can be no truly global economic system without “harmonization”, the demise of the dollar’s world reserve status, and the end of sovereign economic governance”.
In support of this argument, Smith cites Paul Volcker, “the same man who was directly involved in the destruction of the first Bretton Woods agreement and the final death rattle of the gold standard”. Volcker is now reportedly promoting a new Bretton Woods-style agreement in which currencies are pegged to a controlled market system — in essence, a centralized international monetary system, in the name of overall fiscal health.
Smith in conclusion suggests that the rivalries between East and West are but smokescreens, hiding the fact that “both sides are merely puppet pieces in a grand game of global chess, and any conflict will ultimately benefit the small group of men standing over the board. They include the international financiers who have influenced the very policy fabric of each government toward a climactic crisis which they hope will finally give them the “New World Order” they have always dreamed of”.
So is this just age-old conspiracy theory or is there recent evidence that points to the active establishment of a new world order? Recent news seems to suggest that, at the very least, new world order talk is still in vogue. On May 29th, Breitbart.com reported: “both President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden referred to a coming new world order with regard to the United States and its role abroad. Wednesday while giving the commencement speech at the Air Force Academy, Biden told the cadets: I believe we, and particularly you — your class — has an incredible window of opportunity to lead and shaping a new world order for the 21st century in a way consistent with American interests and a common interest.
Similarly, on Thursday President Barack Obama made a similar pitch, Obama warned of a changing world order, stating that: “…we have a world order that is changing very rapidly and that can generate diffuse threats, all of which we have to deal with.”
Among other reportedly globalist groups, the CFR, Bilderberger and Trilateral Commission spokespersons and proponents ( such as Brzezinski and Kissinger) seem to be much clearer and elaborate: they would like to see a one world government, global currency and a unified socio-economic order. Obviously led and controlled by the globalist elite, with the rest of humanity at their mercy.
Will this “new world order” dream ever become reality? The answer is yes: the Bible tells us that there will in fact be two “new world orders” – the first will be engineered by Satan in his quest to get the whole world to worship him by taking a mark on their right hand or forehead, without which no man would be able to buy or sell (Revelation 13: 13-18).
After a dystopian period of great suffering and turbulence on the earth (referred to in the Bible as the Great Tribulation) presided over by Satan’s rule and God’s judgments , Jesus Christ will return to earth to destroy Satan’s reign and establish a new heaven and a new earth. This will be the ultimate “new world order”: a utopian one world government built by God and founded on righteousness, which will never end (Isaiah 9:6-7).
Any talk or action towards a new world order can currently be viewed as working towards the prophetic fulfillment of the first phase, which will be Satan’s new world order. This is being rapidly set up in a multi-faceted approach centered on biometric identification and surveillance technologies, unifying cashless financial systems, and global political re-alignments. It will be interesting to see how the pieces of the puzzle continue to rapidly fall into place in these last days, based on the ancient prophecies from God through His prophets.
Brzezinski is quoted to have expressed favor towards the gradually yielding of American national sovereignty and “greater American sacrifices”. Kissinger, on the other hand is said to favor the creation of “an international political regulatory system with the same reach as that of the economic world” or “shrinking the economic units to a size manageable by existing political structures”, with his ideal outcome being “a new Bretton Woods kind of global agreement”.
Brandon Smith, in his article ‘The New World Order and the Rise of the East’ states that both Kissinger and Brzezinski refer to this harmonized global economic and political structure as the “New World Order.” According to Smith, the fact that the political leaders of Russia and the United States are clearly being directed by such men should not be taken lightly, and suggests that the rise of the East and the crippling of Western elements is actually advantageous to global bankers in the long term.
Smith cites the historic 30-year Russia/China gas deal, the exclusion by both countries of the dollar as the reserve currency in their mutual transactions, and China’s build-up of gold reserves, as some examples of Eastern governments swiftly establishing alliances decoupling from U.S. influence. Smith’s assertion is that in the bigger picture, the New World Order players have positioned the East and West for a scenario that would “cut the legs out from under the dollar completely”.
This would then pave the way for the Bank of International Settlements and the IMF to prepare the financial world for a new global monetary system, brought into existence by a second Bretton Woods conference. Smith argues: “…the debasement of the dollar and the rise of the East are NOT obstacles to this plan. Rather, they are required factors. There can be no truly global economic system without “harmonization”, the demise of the dollar’s world reserve status, and the end of sovereign economic governance”.
In support of this argument, Smith cites Paul Volcker, “the same man who was directly involved in the destruction of the first Bretton Woods agreement and the final death rattle of the gold standard”. Volcker is now reportedly promoting a new Bretton Woods-style agreement in which currencies are pegged to a controlled market system — in essence, a centralized international monetary system, in the name of overall fiscal health.
Smith in conclusion suggests that the rivalries between East and West are but smokescreens, hiding the fact that “both sides are merely puppet pieces in a grand game of global chess, and any conflict will ultimately benefit the small group of men standing over the board. They include the international financiers who have influenced the very policy fabric of each government toward a climactic crisis which they hope will finally give them the “New World Order” they have always dreamed of”.
So is this just age-old conspiracy theory or is there recent evidence that points to the active establishment of a new world order? Recent news seems to suggest that, at the very least, new world order talk is still in vogue. On May 29th, Breitbart.com reported: “both President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden referred to a coming new world order with regard to the United States and its role abroad. Wednesday while giving the commencement speech at the Air Force Academy, Biden told the cadets: I believe we, and particularly you — your class — has an incredible window of opportunity to lead and shaping a new world order for the 21st century in a way consistent with American interests and a common interest.
Similarly, on Thursday President Barack Obama made a similar pitch, Obama warned of a changing world order, stating that: “…we have a world order that is changing very rapidly and that can generate diffuse threats, all of which we have to deal with.”
Among other reportedly globalist groups, the CFR, Bilderberger and Trilateral Commission spokespersons and proponents ( such as Brzezinski and Kissinger) seem to be much clearer and elaborate: they would like to see a one world government, global currency and a unified socio-economic order. Obviously led and controlled by the globalist elite, with the rest of humanity at their mercy.
Will this “new world order” dream ever become reality? The answer is yes: the Bible tells us that there will in fact be two “new world orders” – the first will be engineered by Satan in his quest to get the whole world to worship him by taking a mark on their right hand or forehead, without which no man would be able to buy or sell (Revelation 13: 13-18).
After a dystopian period of great suffering and turbulence on the earth (referred to in the Bible as the Great Tribulation) presided over by Satan’s rule and God’s judgments , Jesus Christ will return to earth to destroy Satan’s reign and establish a new heaven and a new earth. This will be the ultimate “new world order”: a utopian one world government built by God and founded on righteousness, which will never end (Isaiah 9:6-7).
Any talk or action towards a new world order can currently be viewed as working towards the prophetic fulfillment of the first phase, which will be Satan’s new world order. This is being rapidly set up in a multi-faceted approach centered on biometric identification and surveillance technologies, unifying cashless financial systems, and global political re-alignments. It will be interesting to see how the pieces of the puzzle continue to rapidly fall into place in these last days, based on the ancient prophecies from God through His prophets.
Friends,
I have
reported on this in the past, the Euphrates River continues to dry up fulfilling
Bible prophecy and paving the way for the King of the East to move on Jerusalem. Watch Paul Begley's video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS7m_fPvj6k
“After that, the priest must wash his
clothes and bathe himself with water. He may then come into the camp, but he
will be ceremonially unclean till evening.” — Numbers 19:7
King Solomon is
said to be the wisest man who ever lived. God had offered to grant him any
request, and Solomon — wisely — asked for wisdom. With his divinely given
intelligence, Solomon was able to understand the reasons behind every one of
God’s laws written in the Bible.
Or so he
thought. The Sages teach that when Solomon came to this week’s Torah reading,
where the laws concerning the red heifer are given, Solomon was finally
stumped. He then concluded that if he could not discern the reason for this one
law, perhaps he didn’t really understand any of God’s laws.
These specific laws were based on
godly levels of wisdom that Solomon obviously did not possess since he could
not figure out why the ashes of a red heifer made the pure impure and the
impure pure. That is what Solomon was referring to in the book of Ecclesiastes
when he wrote, “All
this I tested by wisdom and I said, ‘I am determined to be wise’– but this was
beyond me” (Ecclesiastes
7:23).
As Solomon
finally understood, God’s wisdom is beyond us – both when it comes to His laws
and also when it comes to our lives.
As human beings,
we want so much to understand everything that is going on in our lives. We’d
like to see everything that has happened and everything that will happen in a
neat box all tied up with a pretty ribbon. However, God doesn’t work that way.
You can’t place God in a box. Our God is way too big and far too great to be
contained. He works in ways that we can’t possibly comprehend. As it says in
Proverbs 20:24, “A person’s steps are directed by the LORD. How
then can anyone understand their own way?” No, we can’t understand how God works
– and that’s a good thing.
If we could
understand God’s ways, then His actions would be limited to our intellectual
capabilities. I don’t know about you, but I want a God who is limited by
nothing! A colleague of mine once put it this way: “I don’t want to pray to a
God who I can understand!” I want God to have ways to make things happen in my
life when I don’t see a way. I want a God who can make sense out of my messy
life when I can’t see a way to clean it up myself. I want a God who is bigger
and smarter than me!
Friends, let’s
remember that when we go through things in life that we can’t understand, it’s
OK. We don’t have to understand. God understands and that’s all that matters.
As it says in Proverb 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD … lean not on your own
understanding … and he will make your paths straight.”
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on Friday became
the most prominent religious group in the United States to endorse divestment
as a protest against Israeli policies toward Palestinians, voting to sell
church stock in three companies whose products Israel uses in the occupied
territories.
Once
again, I must protest the Biblical ignorance of anyone who uses the term,
"Occupied Territories" to refer to that portion of Biblical Israel
where the Palestinians are currently residing. God gave the land to Israel
about 5,000 years ago "forever" and ever and ever. When Jesus
returns, He shall rule the nations of the world from Jerusalem.
Therefore,
all Christians need to categorically reject this idea that the Palestinians
have any right to this land. This vote by the Presbyterian USA church simply is
a reflection of the continued liberalization of genuine Biblical values in a
once-great denomination. Why are Christians traditionally such strong
supporters of Israel? Some people have theorized that Christians support Israel
so strongly because of God's promise in Genesis 12:2-3, where God said:
"And
I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name
great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and
curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be
blessed."
I agree
that this verse is important in understanding why genuine Christians support
Israel so strongly, but I do not believe this verse is the primary reason. I
believe that the most important reason Christians love Israel so instinctively
is that we are filled with the Holy Spirit and this infilling prompts us to
love Israel. We recognize Biblical truth that God has not abandoned Israel and,
after the final punishment of the 7-Year Tribulation, Jesus will return as the
Jewish Messiah, for whom they have long been awaiting, and then God will cause
Israel to be the most important nation during the Millennial Reign!
On Thursday, researchers with Northwestern University and the University of New Mexico announced the discovery of a vast underground ocean several miles beneath the Earth’s surface. Though the scientists cannot immediately verify their claims, they remain confident about their conclusions.
“Northwestern geophysicist Steve Jacobsen and University of New Mexico seismologist Brandon Schmandt have found deep pockets of magma located about 400 miles beneath North America, a likely signature of the presence of water at these depths,” explains a press release from Northwestern University.
“Geological processes on the Earth’s surface, such as earthquakes or erupting volcanoes, are an expression of what is going on inside the Earth, out of our sight,” Jacobsen said in the release. “I think we are finally seeing evidence for a whole-Earth water cycle, which may help explain the vast amount of liquid water on the surface of our habitable planet. Scientists have been looking for this missing deep water for decades.”
If the scientists’ calculations are accurate, the amount of water beneath the Earth’s surface could dwarf the amount of water in our planet’s surface oceans.
“If just one percent of the weight of mantle rock located in the transition zone is H2O, that would be equivalent to nearly three times the amount of water in our oceans,” the press release states.
These underwater ocean findings were published this month in the journal Science. In the journal article, the researchers say the underground reservoir is located between 255 and 410 miles below the Earth’s surface.
According to Genesis 7:11, “the fountains of the great deep” were broken during the Great Flood, leading some Christians to believe that the underground ocean discovery sheds light on the biblical account. Brian Thomas, science writer for the Institute for Creation Research, told Christian News Network that the findings could potentially be related to the scriptural reference.
“It is of course possible that water found below Earth’s crust could be what remains from the waters ‘of the great deep’ that burst as fountains to Earth’s surface to initiate Noah’s year-long Flood according to Genesis 7:11,” Thomas said. “I would not refer to this news as a ‘significant verification’ of the Genesis Flood since some may suggest other explanations for the water, but it is consistent with Scripture’s general reference to waters deep beneath the earth.”
However, Thomas added, the very existence of water on Earth presents a problem for secular scientists.
“Secularists faced a tough enough challenge in trying to explain how Earth’s ocean waters came from rock,” he noted. “They imagine hydrated minerals from space rocks collided to form Earth. But the heat from those collisions would have pushed out the water. Now they have to explain this newly discovered deep water, too.”
The biblical account, Thomas continued, is much more consistent with the scientific evidence, since the Bible says God initially created the world as a watery sphere.
“Unlike secular thinkers,” he stated, “biblical scientists do not arbitrarily discount miracles, being open to the possibility that God built Earth with water like He said.”
 |
| Joel C. Hunter |
A Christian delegation recently
visited Iran, led by Pastor Joel C. Hunter, a spiritual advisor to President
Obama and a mega-church leader. The Iranian regime hopes that the prospect of
better relations will silence concerned Christians. When asked about the
oppression of Christians, Hunter replied, “We didn’t go over there to confront people on
certain issues.”
The Iranian regime’s new strategy is to project its power through careful calculation. It has learned from Ahmadinejad’s counter-productive abrasiveness. The "moderate" reputation of President Rouhani will advance Iran’s nuclear weapons program over the long-term, enticing Western businesses to invest in Iran along the way. This will stabilize the regime and spark strategic shifts in its favor.
The American-Christian community is well-organized, politically active and is one of the most powerful voices against the Iranian regime. Rouhani and his cohorts recognize that starting a new relationship with the U.S. necessitates a new relationship with religious leaders.
That is why the red carpet was rolled out for a delegation of 30 Christian leaders last month, led by Pastor Joel C. Hunter of the 15,000-strong Northland Church. Hunter is on President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships and is also on the boards of the National Association of Evangelicals and the World Evangelical Alliance.
Hunter previously fought legislation meant to stop foreign laws, including sharia, from taking precedent in court over American constitutional rights. He did so alongside a former official of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a U.S. Muslim Brotherhood entity. Hunter therefore has a history of ignoring radical ideologies and track records in the name of interfaith engagement.
The Iranian regime’s new strategy is to project its power through careful calculation. It has learned from Ahmadinejad’s counter-productive abrasiveness. The "moderate" reputation of President Rouhani will advance Iran’s nuclear weapons program over the long-term, enticing Western businesses to invest in Iran along the way. This will stabilize the regime and spark strategic shifts in its favor.
The American-Christian community is well-organized, politically active and is one of the most powerful voices against the Iranian regime. Rouhani and his cohorts recognize that starting a new relationship with the U.S. necessitates a new relationship with religious leaders.
That is why the red carpet was rolled out for a delegation of 30 Christian leaders last month, led by Pastor Joel C. Hunter of the 15,000-strong Northland Church. Hunter is on President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships and is also on the boards of the National Association of Evangelicals and the World Evangelical Alliance.
Hunter previously fought legislation meant to stop foreign laws, including sharia, from taking precedent in court over American constitutional rights. He did so alongside a former official of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a U.S. Muslim Brotherhood entity. Hunter therefore has a history of ignoring radical ideologies and track records in the name of interfaith engagement.
He has also positioned himself as a counterforce to, in his words,
“Christian Zionists.”
It’s to be expected that Hunter did not allow thorny issues like Iran’s oppression of Christians, support for terrorism and support of extremist propaganda to get in the way. When asked about his talks with Iranian officials about religious persecution, he said there were “sidebar conversations,” but, “We didn’t go over there to confront people on certain issues.”
Another attendee was Pastor Bob Roberts of NorthWood Church in Texas, who held an Islamist-filled “Global Faith Forum” last year and spoke at an Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) conference. The Justice Department confirms that ISNA is a U.S. Muslim Brotherhood entity and labeled it as an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terrorism-financing trial in U.S. history. Its leadership’s radicalism betrays its moderate presentation.
After the trip, Roberts blogged about his optimism about a new start with Iran, falsely equating the pro-Western population with the anti-Western regime. He came to accept — even respect — its ideology. Four quotes stand out:
“I’m writing in broad strokes so no doubt there are exceptions to everything I’m writing, and I met with people that were more open minded in their thinking – not as much with hardliners. But, the thing is, those open minded people are the ones in power now.”
“In their form of Islam, they have found a way to hold on to their faith and at the same time modernize it.”
“You thought they were a bunch of uneducated religious zealots – think again! They hate terrorism, Al-Qaeda, Taliban, and they do not like being classified with religious extremist like that” [emphasis in original].
“Iran has never showed aggression in trying to take over the nations surrounding her – that in itself should be pause to evaluate.”
Granted, Roberts does acknowledge that the U.S. shouldn’t alter its foreign policy based on his observations because he is not an expert. Still, he has a large audience that will be influenced by his views. That’s why the Iranian regime hosted him in the first place.
Other delegates included Dr. Alex Roy Medley of the National Council of U.S. Churches, Professor Anthony Destro of Washington Catholic University and Dr. Barbara Skinner of the National Network of U.S.-African Priests. They attended a May 25 conference titled, “World Free of Violence and Extremism from the Perspective of Abrahamic Religions.”
I would agree that the capital of the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism is Saudi Arabia, not Iran and the two nations are headed for a show down in the Sunni Shia war.
The United Nations said in March that Christian persecution in Iran is at unprecedented levels; meaning that it has actually increased under Rouhani. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom agrees, stating that Rouhani “has not delivered on his campaign promises of strengthening civil liberties for religious minorities.”
Pastor Saeed Abedini, an American citizen who was arrested in Iran while setting up an orphanage, was recently brutally beaten when he was in a hospital and moved back to the notorious torture-house named Evin Prison.
The delegation discussed a “faith-based path to peace” with the speaker of parliament, advisors to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, Christian and Jewish leaders and Grand Ayatollahs in Qom that form the theological spine of the regime and its Islamist oppression.
Yet, Hunter says they “didn’t go over there to confront people on certain issues.” To sum it up, the Christian delegation went to Iran to discuss peace and tolerance— with the officials driving extremism and intolerance — and without confronting their actions.
In other words, the trip was not only meaningless, it was damaging. The religious leaders came back to America and by talking about the wonderful progress they made with Iranian officials, the American public gets the impression that the regime would be a reasonable partner if only we were kinder.
A similar trip took place on March 11-17 when a small delegation from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops traveled to Iran to meet with the Iranian religious leaders of Qom. The trip was sponsored by the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has allied with American Islamist groups in the past so, like Hunter, it has a history of looking past radical ideological track records.
Bishop Pates, chairman of the organization’s International Justice and Peace Committee, came back from the trip attributing the tension with Iran to “misunderstanding.” He said:
“We had a productive religious and moral dialogue that we hope will promote understanding between the peoples of Iran and the United States. We are committed to continuing and deepening these discussions in the future in order to contribute to a more just and peaceful world. As Pope Francis has said, dialogue is the key to discovering truth and avoiding misunderstanding.”
The fundamental message behind Iran’s outreach is that the tension is a “misunderstanding.” If the American public can be convinced that the differences with Iran are “misunderstandings,” then the U.S. will be less of a barrier to Iran’s ambitions.
The regime’s public expressions of extremism won’t be seen as a genuine declaration of belief and intent, but as a sign of frustration over its treatment. The nuclear program will be seen less as a threat. Sanctions and pressure will be seen as antithetical to correcting these so-called misunderstandings through dialogue.
The Iranian regime’s new face and softer voice is appealing to interfaith leaders, especially American Christians, just as it is to Western officials and businesses.
It’s to be expected that Hunter did not allow thorny issues like Iran’s oppression of Christians, support for terrorism and support of extremist propaganda to get in the way. When asked about his talks with Iranian officials about religious persecution, he said there were “sidebar conversations,” but, “We didn’t go over there to confront people on certain issues.”
Another attendee was Pastor Bob Roberts of NorthWood Church in Texas, who held an Islamist-filled “Global Faith Forum” last year and spoke at an Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) conference. The Justice Department confirms that ISNA is a U.S. Muslim Brotherhood entity and labeled it as an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terrorism-financing trial in U.S. history. Its leadership’s radicalism betrays its moderate presentation.
After the trip, Roberts blogged about his optimism about a new start with Iran, falsely equating the pro-Western population with the anti-Western regime. He came to accept — even respect — its ideology. Four quotes stand out:
“I’m writing in broad strokes so no doubt there are exceptions to everything I’m writing, and I met with people that were more open minded in their thinking – not as much with hardliners. But, the thing is, those open minded people are the ones in power now.”
“In their form of Islam, they have found a way to hold on to their faith and at the same time modernize it.”
“You thought they were a bunch of uneducated religious zealots – think again! They hate terrorism, Al-Qaeda, Taliban, and they do not like being classified with religious extremist like that” [emphasis in original].
“Iran has never showed aggression in trying to take over the nations surrounding her – that in itself should be pause to evaluate.”
Granted, Roberts does acknowledge that the U.S. shouldn’t alter its foreign policy based on his observations because he is not an expert. Still, he has a large audience that will be influenced by his views. That’s why the Iranian regime hosted him in the first place.
Other delegates included Dr. Alex Roy Medley of the National Council of U.S. Churches, Professor Anthony Destro of Washington Catholic University and Dr. Barbara Skinner of the National Network of U.S.-African Priests. They attended a May 25 conference titled, “World Free of Violence and Extremism from the Perspective of Abrahamic Religions.”
I would agree that the capital of the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism is Saudi Arabia, not Iran and the two nations are headed for a show down in the Sunni Shia war.
The United Nations said in March that Christian persecution in Iran is at unprecedented levels; meaning that it has actually increased under Rouhani. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom agrees, stating that Rouhani “has not delivered on his campaign promises of strengthening civil liberties for religious minorities.”
Pastor Saeed Abedini, an American citizen who was arrested in Iran while setting up an orphanage, was recently brutally beaten when he was in a hospital and moved back to the notorious torture-house named Evin Prison.
The delegation discussed a “faith-based path to peace” with the speaker of parliament, advisors to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, Christian and Jewish leaders and Grand Ayatollahs in Qom that form the theological spine of the regime and its Islamist oppression.
Yet, Hunter says they “didn’t go over there to confront people on certain issues.” To sum it up, the Christian delegation went to Iran to discuss peace and tolerance— with the officials driving extremism and intolerance — and without confronting their actions.
In other words, the trip was not only meaningless, it was damaging. The religious leaders came back to America and by talking about the wonderful progress they made with Iranian officials, the American public gets the impression that the regime would be a reasonable partner if only we were kinder.
A similar trip took place on March 11-17 when a small delegation from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops traveled to Iran to meet with the Iranian religious leaders of Qom. The trip was sponsored by the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has allied with American Islamist groups in the past so, like Hunter, it has a history of looking past radical ideological track records.
Bishop Pates, chairman of the organization’s International Justice and Peace Committee, came back from the trip attributing the tension with Iran to “misunderstanding.” He said:
“We had a productive religious and moral dialogue that we hope will promote understanding between the peoples of Iran and the United States. We are committed to continuing and deepening these discussions in the future in order to contribute to a more just and peaceful world. As Pope Francis has said, dialogue is the key to discovering truth and avoiding misunderstanding.”
The fundamental message behind Iran’s outreach is that the tension is a “misunderstanding.” If the American public can be convinced that the differences with Iran are “misunderstandings,” then the U.S. will be less of a barrier to Iran’s ambitions.
The regime’s public expressions of extremism won’t be seen as a genuine declaration of belief and intent, but as a sign of frustration over its treatment. The nuclear program will be seen less as a threat. Sanctions and pressure will be seen as antithetical to correcting these so-called misunderstandings through dialogue.
The Iranian regime’s new face and softer voice is appealing to interfaith leaders, especially American Christians, just as it is to Western officials and businesses.
The American-Christian community
has been a thorn in Iran’s side, supporting sanctions and protesting the
regime’s extremism. The regime hopes that Christians will choose
“understanding” over confrontation.
To travel beyond the town of Bartilla is to risk running into the ISIS. The jihadist group controls the mountains not far from the town. A few kilometers down the road, there's an ISIS checkpoint.
About 25,000 Christians have fled to Bartilla, but reporters couldn't find one who would talk on camera out of fear of retribution.
The conditions in Bartilla are abysmal. There's no water because ISIS turned it off. And there's no electricity because Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki's government turned that off.
People here are protected by the Peshmerga, who have set up a perimeter around the town and a few other towns in the area.
These people know that ISIS could come in and kill most of the people here. They're asking for prayer from Christians around the world. One Christian leader said they're asking for prayer just as the Apostle Paul did, praying that God will protect the town and the region.
Bartilla lies just a few miles from Nineveh or Mosul, the first major conquest for ISIS just a few days ago. The town was nearly deserted.
While Christians refused to talk on camera, a reporter talked to one of the house church leaders.
On our way back to the Kurdish capital, Erbil, Pastor Majeed told us when ISIS captured Nineveh, it gave Christian residents three choices: obey, pay or leave.
"That they are not allowed to open their churches. And even if they open them they will burn the churches," Majeed explained. "And also the Christians have been requested -- been asked to pay the tax [dhimmi, the tax for non-Muslims under Islamic rule]."
"If not, they can leave Nineveh," he continued. "And if they don't leave and don't pay the tax, they should give their heads." He was talking about beheading.
In the midst of this cauldron surrounding Iraq's Christians, Majeed sent out a prayer S.O.S.
"So please raise up prayer for us. This is what we need," he said. "We do believe that prayer is very important because we hear when man is working, man is working. But when man is praying, God is working."
"So it is important for the churches outside Iraq to raise up prayers and also to fast for the sake of the people of Iraq," he continued.
"It's important for the other churches to pray for them to be protected," he admonished. "Please pray for us -- this is the only thing for the right time. We have nothing to do. People outside can do nothing for us except praying."
Throughout its Iraq campaign, ISIS
(Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) has targeted Christians. Many fled to the
relative safety of Kurdish Iraq, but most still fear the wrath of the world's
most brutal jihadist group.
Pastor Majeed drove to Nineveh where most of the country's besieged Christians have fled. It wasn't long until we went as far as the Kurdish army, called the Peshmerga, would allow us to go.
"So this is the end line. We cannot go any more," Majeed explained.
Pastor Majeed drove to Nineveh where most of the country's besieged Christians have fled. It wasn't long until we went as far as the Kurdish army, called the Peshmerga, would allow us to go.
"So this is the end line. We cannot go any more," Majeed explained.
To travel beyond the town of Bartilla is to risk running into the ISIS. The jihadist group controls the mountains not far from the town. A few kilometers down the road, there's an ISIS checkpoint.
About 25,000 Christians have fled to Bartilla, but reporters couldn't find one who would talk on camera out of fear of retribution.
The conditions in Bartilla are abysmal. There's no water because ISIS turned it off. And there's no electricity because Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki's government turned that off.
People here are protected by the Peshmerga, who have set up a perimeter around the town and a few other towns in the area.
These people know that ISIS could come in and kill most of the people here. They're asking for prayer from Christians around the world. One Christian leader said they're asking for prayer just as the Apostle Paul did, praying that God will protect the town and the region.
Bartilla lies just a few miles from Nineveh or Mosul, the first major conquest for ISIS just a few days ago. The town was nearly deserted.
While Christians refused to talk on camera, a reporter talked to one of the house church leaders.
On our way back to the Kurdish capital, Erbil, Pastor Majeed told us when ISIS captured Nineveh, it gave Christian residents three choices: obey, pay or leave.
"That they are not allowed to open their churches. And even if they open them they will burn the churches," Majeed explained. "And also the Christians have been requested -- been asked to pay the tax [dhimmi, the tax for non-Muslims under Islamic rule]."
"If not, they can leave Nineveh," he continued. "And if they don't leave and don't pay the tax, they should give their heads." He was talking about beheading.
In the midst of this cauldron surrounding Iraq's Christians, Majeed sent out a prayer S.O.S.
"So please raise up prayer for us. This is what we need," he said. "We do believe that prayer is very important because we hear when man is working, man is working. But when man is praying, God is working."
"So it is important for the churches outside Iraq to raise up prayers and also to fast for the sake of the people of Iraq," he continued.
"It's important for the other churches to pray for them to be protected," he admonished. "Please pray for us -- this is the only thing for the right time. We have nothing to do. People outside can do nothing for us except praying."
Many verses in the Bible point to a final re-gathering of the
Jewish people to their ancient homeland, from the many nations where they had
been scattered. After this, they would enjoy a spiritual restoration and
renewed relationship with their God. What a privilege to be a part of this
miraculous ingathering of the Jewish people to their land today!
Israelis adopted a biblical Hebrew word to
describe this process of returning to the Land. They chose Aliyah, which means
"to ascend." It was used in ancient times in reference to Jewish
pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem for the great biblical Feasts of Passover,
Pentecost, and Tabernacles.
Thus, the process of making Aliyah is seen by many Jews as having
spiritual meaning as well, beyond just the physical act of returning to their
homeland. Many also view it as an act of teshuva (repentance) and return to
God. They truly believe He is drawing them back to the land and to Himself.
While some Aliyah has occurred in peaceful times, often it is
precipitated by difficult events including not just economic and national
crisis, but anti-Semitic pogroms and persecutions.
Islamist terrorists in Iraq and Syria have
begun creeping toward neighboring countries, sources close to the Islamic
fundamentalists revealed this week.
The terrorists, who belong to The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS -- known as DAESH in Arabic) and are said to be an offshoot of al-Qaeda, are planning to take their jihad to Jordan, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula, after having already captured large parts of Syria and Iraq, their sources said.
The capture this week by ISIS of the cities of Mosul and Tikrit in Iraq has left many Arabs and Muslims in the region worried that their countries soon may be targeted by the terrorists, who seek to create a radical Islamist emirate in the Middle East.
ISIS leader Abu Baker al-Baghdadi recently discussed with his lieutenants the possibility of extending the group's control beyond Syria and Iraq.
One of the ideas discussed envisages focusing ISIS's efforts on Jordan, where Islamist movements already have a significant presence. Jordan was also chosen because it has shared borders with Iraq and Syria, making it easier for the terrorists to infiltrate the kingdom.
Jordanian political analyst Oraib al-Rantawi sounded alarm bells by noting that the ISIS threat to move its fight to the kingdom was real and imminent. "We in Jordan cannot afford the luxury of just waiting and monitoring," he cautioned. "The danger is getting closer to our bedrooms. It has become a strategic danger; it is no longer a security threat from groups or cells. We must start thinking outside the box. The time has come to increase coordination and cooperation with the regimes in Baghdad and Damascus to contain the crawling of extremism and terrorism."
The ISIS terrorists see Jordan's Western-backed King Abdullah as an enemy of Islam and an infidel, and have publicly called for his execution. ISIS terrorists recently posted a video on YouTube in which they threatened to "slaughter" Abdullah, whom they denounced as a "tyrant." Some of the terrorists who appeared in the video were Jordanian citizens who tore up their passports in front of the camera and vowed to launch suicide attacks inside the kingdom.
Security sources in Amman expressed deep concern over ISIS's threats and plans to "invade" the kingdom. The sources said that King Abdullah has requested urgent military aid from the U.S. and other Western countries so that he could foil any attempt to turn Jordan into an Islamist-controlled state.
Marwan Shehadeh, an expert on Islamist groups, said he did not rule out the possibility that ISIS would target Jordan because it views the Arab regimes, including Jordan's Hashemites, as "infidels" and "apostates" who should be fought.
The recent victories by ISIS terrorists in Iraq and Syria have emboldened the group and its followers throughout the Middle East. Now the terrorists are planning to move their jihad not only to Jordan, but also to the Gaza Strip, Sinai and Lebanon.
This is all happening under the watching eyes of the U.S. Administration and Western countries, who do not know what needs to be done to stop the Islamist terrorists from invading neighboring countries. After all, the U.S., Turkey, the Persian Gulf states and Saudi Arabia spawned this monster.
ISIS is a threat not only to moderate Arabs and Muslims, but also to Israel, which the terrorists say is their ultimate destination. The U.S. and its Western allies need to wake up quickly and take the necessary measures to prevent the Islamist terrorists from achieving their goal.
Failure to act will result in the establishment in the Middle East of a dangerous extremist Islamist caliphate that will pose a threat to American, Western interests and world interests.
The terrorists, who belong to The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS -- known as DAESH in Arabic) and are said to be an offshoot of al-Qaeda, are planning to take their jihad to Jordan, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula, after having already captured large parts of Syria and Iraq, their sources said.
The capture this week by ISIS of the cities of Mosul and Tikrit in Iraq has left many Arabs and Muslims in the region worried that their countries soon may be targeted by the terrorists, who seek to create a radical Islamist emirate in the Middle East.
ISIS leader Abu Baker al-Baghdadi recently discussed with his lieutenants the possibility of extending the group's control beyond Syria and Iraq.
One of the ideas discussed envisages focusing ISIS's efforts on Jordan, where Islamist movements already have a significant presence. Jordan was also chosen because it has shared borders with Iraq and Syria, making it easier for the terrorists to infiltrate the kingdom.
Jordanian political analyst Oraib al-Rantawi sounded alarm bells by noting that the ISIS threat to move its fight to the kingdom was real and imminent. "We in Jordan cannot afford the luxury of just waiting and monitoring," he cautioned. "The danger is getting closer to our bedrooms. It has become a strategic danger; it is no longer a security threat from groups or cells. We must start thinking outside the box. The time has come to increase coordination and cooperation with the regimes in Baghdad and Damascus to contain the crawling of extremism and terrorism."
The ISIS terrorists see Jordan's Western-backed King Abdullah as an enemy of Islam and an infidel, and have publicly called for his execution. ISIS terrorists recently posted a video on YouTube in which they threatened to "slaughter" Abdullah, whom they denounced as a "tyrant." Some of the terrorists who appeared in the video were Jordanian citizens who tore up their passports in front of the camera and vowed to launch suicide attacks inside the kingdom.
Security sources in Amman expressed deep concern over ISIS's threats and plans to "invade" the kingdom. The sources said that King Abdullah has requested urgent military aid from the U.S. and other Western countries so that he could foil any attempt to turn Jordan into an Islamist-controlled state.
Marwan Shehadeh, an expert on Islamist groups, said he did not rule out the possibility that ISIS would target Jordan because it views the Arab regimes, including Jordan's Hashemites, as "infidels" and "apostates" who should be fought.
The recent victories by ISIS terrorists in Iraq and Syria have emboldened the group and its followers throughout the Middle East. Now the terrorists are planning to move their jihad not only to Jordan, but also to the Gaza Strip, Sinai and Lebanon.
This is all happening under the watching eyes of the U.S. Administration and Western countries, who do not know what needs to be done to stop the Islamist terrorists from invading neighboring countries. After all, the U.S., Turkey, the Persian Gulf states and Saudi Arabia spawned this monster.
ISIS is a threat not only to moderate Arabs and Muslims, but also to Israel, which the terrorists say is their ultimate destination. The U.S. and its Western allies need to wake up quickly and take the necessary measures to prevent the Islamist terrorists from achieving their goal.
Failure to act will result in the establishment in the Middle East of a dangerous extremist Islamist caliphate that will pose a threat to American, Western interests and world interests.
Sunni tribes took control of the
Turaibil border crossing, the only legal crossing point between Iraq and
Jordan, after Iraqi security forces fled, Iraqi and Jordanian security sources
said.
The tribes were negotiating handing
the post over to insurgents from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant who
took control of two main crossings with Syria over the weekend. Kurdish forces
control a third border post with Syria in the north.
Jordanian army sources said
Jordan's troops had been put in a state of alert in recent days along the
181-km (112-mile) border with Iraq, redeploying in some areas as part of steps
to ward off "any potential or perceived security threats".
The militants' control of the
Western frontier extends two weeks of swift territorial gains and boosts ISIL's
goal of a caliphate straddling Syria and Iraq.
The Jordan border was in the hands
of Sunni tribesmen. An Iraqi tribal figure said there was a chance it would
soon be passed to control of the militants, who seized the nearby crossing to
Syria on the Damascus-Baghdad highway on Sunday.
He said he was negotiating with
ISIL in a "bid to spare blood and make things safer for the employees of
the crossing. We are receiving positive messages from the militants."
The need to battle the Sunni
insurgency has put the United States on the same side as its enemy of 35 years,
Iran, which has close ties to the Shi'ite parties that came to power in Baghdad
after U.S. forces toppled Saddam.
However, Iran's Supreme Leader
Khamenei made clear on Sunday that a rapprochement would not be easy.
"We are strongly opposed to
U.S. and other intervention in Iraq," Khamenei said. "We don't
approve of it as we believe the Iraqi government, nation and religious
authorities are capable of ending the sedition."
Some Iraqi observers in Baghdad
interpreted Khamenei's comments as a warning to the United States to stay out
of the process of selecting any successor to Maliki.
Baghdad is Kerry's third stop in a
tour of Middle East capitals to emphasize the threat the insurgency poses to
the region and call on Iraq's allies to use their influence to press Baghdad to
govern more inclusively. He has also been warning Iraq's neighbors they need to
step up efforts to cut off cross-border funding to the militants.
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