Seven Major Prophetic Signs Of The Second Coming~Jack Kelley

Seven Major Prophetic Signs Of The Second Coming

Posted in: Ikvot ha'Mashiach

Perspective by Jack Kelley

8th Annual Update January 2009

There are seven major prophetic signs of the Second Coming, and for the first time in history all seven are in some stage of fulfillment. As in years past, I’ll list the seven with their primary biblical references and offer commentary from current events.

1. Israel Will Be In The Land… Ezekiel 36:24, 37:21

For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land .

This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land.

In 1948, when Israel took its place among the nations of the world again for the first time in nearly 2000 years, students of prophecy recognized the fulfillment of the primary sign that the end of the age was upon us. Both Isaiah 11:11-12 and Amos 9:14-15 had also clearly foretold this. Jesus said that some from the generation being born when this happened would still be alive when He returned (Matt. 24:34).

The fulfillment of this prophecy caused another reaction as well. Satan reads prophecy too, and began exerting his influence on world leaders in his continuing effort to thwart the plan of God. As a result, Israel has fought six major wars in the last 60 years, each of them an attempt to erase the Jewish Homeland from the face of the Earth. And it’s clear that this effort will continue, with the biggest battle of all looming on the horizon, foretold by Ezekiel in chapters 38-39. Israel’s enemies, both physical and spiritual, won’t let up until they’ve either succeeded (their view) or been destroyed (God’s view).

For try as these nations might to destroy Israel, God sees a different outcome.

In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth. (Isaiah 11:11-12)

“I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the LORD your God. (Amos 9:14-15)

2. Jerusalem Will Be In Jewish Hands… Luke 21:24

They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Lord prophesied that the reunification of Jerusalem as a Jewish City would be a sign that foreign (gentile) influence over His land, and indeed the world, was about to end. Fulfillment of this prophecy began in 1967, and prophecy experts saw it as another major sign that the End of the Age had begun. The almost world wide effort to take the city apart again is in essence a battle of wills; the Will of God vs. the will of man. Until recently every Israeli politician has stood firmly on a pledge to keep Jerusalem united forever as Israel’s capital.

But then former Prime Minister Sharon said that if re-elected he’d consider abandoning parts of the suburbs to achieve peace. A stroke-induced coma from which he has never recovered ended his political career, but his hand picked successor, Ehud Olmert, hinted at following through on Sharon’s proposals. Olmert’s poor performance in the war against Hezbollah in 2006 and the corruption charges against him have driven him from office and robbed him of the political strength to follow through.

I’ve come to believe that Jerusalem won’t really be free of Gentile “trampling” until the Lord returns. Daniel’s prophecy that Gentile Dominion would not end until the Lord establishes His kingdom (Daniel 2:36-45), Zechariahs’ prophecy of the city being captured just before the Lord’s return (Zech. 14:2), and John’s observations in Rev. 11:1-2 of the gentiles trampling the outer court of the Temple during the Great Tribulation all confirm this.

The ongoing fulfillment of these major prophecies concerning Israel has caused confusion in the minds of some commentators. It centers around an incorrect interpretation of Matt. 24:34, that all end times prophecies would be fulfilled within a generation, nominally 40 years, of Israel’s re-gathering in 1948. That error made 1988 seem like the likely time for the End. But when 1988 came and went scholars focused on the Jerusalem date, 1967, and began adding 40 years to that, advancing their predictions to 2007. The rationale for this is that the timing of the First Coming prophecies in Daniel 9:24-27 keyed off the rebuilt city, not off the return to the Land. but that date proved wrong as well.

Problem is, the Lord didn’t promise that all end times prophecies would be fulfilled within a generation of their beginning, only that the generation being born at the time of the first of the signs would still be alive to see their completion. According to Psalm 90:10 an average Biblical life span is 70 years, so predicting the approximate time of the End requires the addition of 70 years to 1948, not 40.

As it draws nearer, the approximate timing of the 2nd Coming will become more and more obvious. Those people around when a treaty is enforced permitting the Jews to build their Temple in Israel will know that it’s about seven years away. (Daniel 9:27) Those who witness the anti Christ standing in that Temple proclaiming himself to be God will know there are only 1260 days left until the end of the Great Tribulation, and the 2nd Coming happens shortly after that. (Matt. 24:15,21 & 2 Thes. 2:4) But even so, the Lord did state quite clearly that those alive on Earth at the end of the Great Tribulation would not know the exact day or hour of His coming until He actually appeared. (Matt. 24:42 & 44, 25:13)

3. A Moslem Coalition Armed And Led By Russia Will Attack The Holy Land… Ezek. 38:2-6

“Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army–your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops–the many nations with you.”

(For a more detailed explanation of the modern equivalents to these biblical names, read “An In Depth Look At The Modern Equivalent To Biblical Names in Ezek.38)

Over 130 historical references make it plain that Magog stands for modern Russia, and the other countries named here form a coalition based on their common religion, Islam. (Today Russia is 30% Moslem and growing.) Among them are Iran, several North African countries, Eastern European countries along the Danube, and the Turkic nations of Asia Minor. A quick look at a world map will reveal that these areas are home to some of the most radical Islamic groups.

The Russians are already a major supplier of arms for the Moslem coalition, just as Ezekiel prophesied, and will be drawn into joining in this battle by God Himself. Russia’s barely disguised policy of becoming the major outside force in the Middle East is playing right into the Lord’s hands. Iran and Russia are well into the implementation of a $50 billion deal to provide Iran with nuclear power. The 10 reactors called for in the deal are supposedly for electrical power generation, but most western leaders suspect they’ll be used to build bombs, too. Some experts claim that Iran will become a nuclear power this year, but others think a bomb is still a ways off. Israel has again vowed to prevent that ever happening, but don’t be surprised if the US continues to back away from its similar promise.

Russia has also formed commercial and military alliances with Turkey and Syria, and has become Turkey’s 2nd largest trading partner after Germany. Russia has also sold Damascus a state of the art anti-air defense system along with their latest generation missiles and anti-tank rockets and plan to construct a major military seaport in northern Syria, moving components of their Black Sea fleet there. In Lebanon, Russian Military Intelligence has just about taken over the town of Sidon, spying on Israel for Iran and Syria. Iran has taken delivery of a Russian air defense system too, to protect its Bushier reactor site, first it the series Russia has promised to build.

Iran seems to be preparing its people for war with Israel, making the most outlandish claims in an effort to whip their people into a frenzy not seen since the days of the US embassy kidnapping of the 70’s. This inflammatory ranting has included a Holocaust denial seminar attended by 30 countries, and a promise to wipe Israel off the face of the map. Former and likely future Israeli PM Netanyahu has said that for the Jews it’s like 1938 all over again.

The major obstacle to an early fulfillment of this prophecy is the reference to its occurrence at a time when Israel is “a peaceful and unsuspecting people” (Ezekiel 38:11). This certainly is not the case today, but In Psalm 83 there’s a yet-to-be-fulfilled prophecy that appears to involve all of Israel’s next door neighbors in another unsuccessful attempt to wipe the Jewish nation off the map. The psalmist pleads with the Lord to intervene and defeat Israel’s attackers. If this happens, it explains why none of them are named in Ezekiel’s list of antagonists, and how Israel could be living in a perceived state of safety as Ezekiel 38:11 requires. Many of us have been watching to see if the recent Gaza incursion would escalate into a fulfillment of that prophecy, and though it hasn’t yet, it still could.

Two other pre-requisites for Ezekiel’s battle are also in the process of fulfillment. The Gaza war may have strained Israel’s relationship with Turkey to the breaking point, and as I’ve shown Turkey will be on the Moslem side in Ezekiel’s battle. Public support in Turkey for membership in the EU is also declining, another sign that attitudes toward the West are changing. It won’t take much more for Turkey to switch sides. And Israel’s recent natural gas discovery, said to be of “historic” proportions, could create the wealth necessary to make Israel an attractive target for Russian conquest, fulfilling the prophecy of Ezekiel 38:13 that Israel’s enemies will have attacked partly for plunder. Till now Israel really hasn’t had any substantial wealth, but the natural gas discovery is worth billions.

I believe that the removal of the US as Israel’s powerful ally is also necessary to pave the way for Ezekiel’s battle, because I don’t think the Moslem coalition will attack until they’re sure the US won’t retaliate. Any one of several scenarios currently being played out could accomplish this. Our national policy could change. A deepening recession could force us to turn inward and render us unwilling to keep our promise to support Israel. Likewise, the threat or actual occurrence of a major terrorist attack could cause us to stand down. And the Rapture of the Church could deprive the US of both the leadership and manpower to respond. It’s no where near as difficult to see the US abandoning its commitment to Israel as it was just a few years ago.

When the time is right, having recently taken His church to Heaven, the Lord will use this battle to orchestrate His reconciliation with Israel, and on its heels the anti Christ will emerge with a peace plan that includes a Jewish Temple. So once this battle takes place, end times prophecy will go on fast forward.

4. The Ancient Roman Empire Will Re-Emerge As A Political Force… Rev 17:9-10

“This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while.” (This one is a little obscure if you don’t know your history. When John was writing this, about 95AD, there had been five great world powers; Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece. All were conquered and absorbed. The current power was Rome, which was never really conquered and will re-emerge at the end of the age, according to Daniel 9:26.)

Daniel 2:36-45 describes Gentile Dominion from Daniel’s time forward (Egypt and Assyria had already fallen) in the form of a giant statue representing the four remaining Kingdoms, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and the two appearances of Rome. Read it carefully and you’ll find some interesting things in the description of the two feet upon which the statue stands. They’re made of iron mixed with clay. In the first place the two don’t mix. We can imagine sticky clay serving as glue sticking pieces of iron together, but the language describes a clay that’s made of dust and already baked … hard and brittle like shards of pottery. You can’t make random pieces of iron and pottery adhere.

These two feet describe the two divisions of the Roman Empire, Western and Eastern. Today the territory of the Western division is occupied by Europe, while the Eastern territoty holds the Islamic countries of the Middle East. Some experts insist that the combined defeats spoken of in Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38-39 will render the Eastern leg, or Moslem world, incapable of becoming part of the World Empire of the End Times, but Daniel had both feet in view in chapter 2 so both divisions of the Roman Empire have to be present at the End of the Age. His use of iron and pottery in their makeup speaks to the difficulty the Western and Eastern cultures will have in remaining united. And the fact that Daniel only identified four empires means the last one can only be some form of ancient Rome.

5. The World Will Embrace A Single Religion… Rev 13:8

All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast–all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.

Make no mistake about it. Islam is the major religious force in the world today and their goal is nothing less than world domination, by any means necessary. It’s the world’s fastest growing religion and is second only to Christianity in number of adherents. Already nearly one out of every five inhabitants of the world is Moslem, and like most Christians and Jews they don’t really know what they believe or why. I’m no prophet, but as I look into the future, it’s much easier for me to see Islam riding its current wave of momentum to fill the void left by the departure of the Church than it is to imagine some watered down mix of Christianity and New Age Mysticism doing so.

Much has been written recently about al Mahdi, a figure out of Moslem prophecies that are strikingly similar to Christian prophecies of the anti-Christ. Both show a leader coming on the scene during a time of great turmoil on Earth. Both depict him as man of peace who will have a seven year reign, head up a one world religion and one world government, and claim supernatural origins. Both prophecies culminate in a battle between good and evil that brings about Earth’s final judgment. It’s as they’re pointing to the same person. The difference is that in Islam he’s a good guy, but the Bible calls him evil.

Take this charismatic political and religious leader with his supernatural power, add the widely held but incorrect belief that God and Allah are the same, and that Islam is a religion of peace, and then subtract the spirit of discernment found in the Church and you can see how he could be the straw that a world on the brink of disaster grasps for survival.

6. The World Will Accept A Single Government… Rev 13:3

The whole world was astonished and followed the beast.

Recent events in the US have shown how quickly a fearful and disillusioned people will get behind someone who promises to change things. When you look at the shape of the world it doesn’t take much to imagine circumstances getting to a point where the whole world will agree to follow a leader who will promise to bring order out of chaos. With all the things that already threaten world stability getting worse by the day, how much more frantic will people be after millions of their neighbors suddenly disappear without warning or explanation, and there’s been a nuclear exchange that brings destruction from Europe through the Middle East and into Russia?

7. Babylon Will Re-Emerge As A Prominent City In World Affairs… Rev 18:2-3

With a mighty voice he shouted: “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”

Babylon is still a ways away from accepting its destiny as a city of power in the end times. It’s just a ceremonial city right now, but 20 years ago nobody even knew it existed at all. One of the shocks of Gulf War 1 was the discovery of Babylon standing there on the banks of the Euphrates again.

You may think that being little more than a giant museum is a far cry from being a center of world power, but not too long ago, some of Iraq’s new political leaders were calling for their nation’s capital to be moved to Babylon. The logic behind this is that Baghdad was Saddam’s capital, and the new Iraq needs a new capital, more consistent with its heritage. Babylon fills the bill, and becoming the capital of Iraq would be a giant first step toward achieving its transformation into a center of power. Onenewsnow.com recently reported that the US has pledged $700K to help rebuild the ancient city.

Because of Babylon’s current lack of importance in the world, some students of prophecy search for an allegorical fulfillment of its destruction in Rev. 18, and of course many see the USA or some city therein as a logical candidate.

But remember, even though in Revelation 17:9 John describes “mystery Babylon” as seated on seven hills (meaning Rome), a prophecy in Zechariah 5:5-11 shows it being moved “to the plains of Shinar” a reference to ancient Mesopotamia called Iraq today. We can’t switch from literal to allegorical interpretations of Scripture without clear direction, and where Babylon is concerned no such direction exists. In fact the opposite is true.

Other Signs

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matt. 24:6-14)

Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. (Luke 21:10-11)

“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:25-28)

WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS … According to intelligence reports that include all our wars as well as conflicts where a cease fire exists but are still unresolved, 41 wars are currently being fought around the world, with a substantial number of additional disputes threatening to erupt into war at any time.

THE INCREASE OF NATURAL DISASTERS … More frequent and more severe hurricanes, more frequent and more intense earthquakes. Killer storms and quakes continue to dot the news.

SIGNS IN THE SUN, MOON, AND STARS … The Magnetic Polar Reversal, predicted by computer model for 2012 is gaining more attention since its likelihood was first announced. While the effects of a Magnetic Polar Reversal have never been observed by mankind, it has apparently happened in the distant past. What’s unique this time is that the Sun is due for a polar reversal at the same time. What this means is that while the Sun will be experiencing its most intense radioactive storms, Earth’s magnetic field (that protects us from these Sun storms) will be at its weakest and may even be non-existent in some parts of the world. No one knows the extent of the damage this could cause, but based on expert opinion I’ve speculated that the combined effects of the 2 polar reversals could fulfill the 6th Seal judgment of Revelation 6 and if the projected time of 2012 is correct, it fits into the early stages of Daniel’s 70th Week that I believe will begin sometime in 2011.

PESTILENCE… Not only new diseases like HIV and SARS, but also the return of old ones like Whooping cough. But the big news is still the likely spread of Avian Influenza (Bird Flu). A few cases among humans have lead to fears that the virus has mutated to thrive in a human host. Dire predictions are placing possible deaths from this pandemic in the millions

THE LOVE OF MOST WILL GROW COLD … 3500 people die every day in defense of the Christian faith. Run away crime, children being abused and murdered by their parents, children killing children. Murder trials as public entertainment soon to be followed by televised executions. Ethnic cleansing, rape and forced pregnancy, pedophilia, random shootings, the incidence of disrespect is enough to make you sick.

THIS GOSPEL WILL BE PREACHED IN ALL NATIONS … Looking at the state of the world, it’s hard to be encouraged. But as world news gets worse and worse, more people are turning to the Lord for solace. According to some reports as many as 175,000 new believers are born again every day, mostly in Africa, China, and India. Reports of these conversions are accompanied by accounts of miracles, people receiving supernatural healings and even being raised from the dead. Just as He did at the beginning of the church Age the Holy Spirit is moving mightily at its End. I believe the Lord is issuing a giant “last call” before He suddenly takes the church out of here to begin the End Times judgments.

The above are given as indicators in the Olivet Discourse (Matt 24, Mark 13, Luke 21) and we’ll continue to bring you periodic information on these as well.

As you know most of the signs in the Olivet Discourse are progressive and all are described as happening well before the end. Their main interest to us is found in the phrase “beginning of birth pangs.” Natural disasters, the tendency toward war as a tool of diplomacy, famine amidst plenty (35,000 children die each day of starvation and related diseases) and pestilence are described as being common to the era but increasing in frequency and intensity as the end approaches.

It’s true that for over 100 years folks have been saying, “how much worse can it get?” Sadly, the answer now as it was then is, “Much!” It seems man’s depravity knows no limits. But take heart. Though we are in the world, we are not of the world. We don’t belong here, being citizens of heaven. And one day soon our long awaited King will return to take us there. Maranatha!

Intel Reports: Debka 1st Week July

Summary of DEBKA Exclusives in the Week Ending July 9, 2009

Israeli sub, said armed with nuclear-capable torpedoes, navigates Suez Canal DEBKAfile Special Report 3 July : The Dolphin-class attack submarine was the first Israeli naval vessel to transit the Suez Canal in four years on its way from Haifa to Eilat last month. According to DEBKAfile's military sources, the move indicates a strengthening of the informal Israel-Egyptian-Saudi pact forged in recent months against Iran and first revealed by our sources. The Israeli Dolphins are stationed in the Mediterranean, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean opposite Iran's shores. They are said to be armed with torpedo tubes capable of launching nuclear-capable cruise missiles. To transit the Suez Canal, the armed submarine would have required Egyptian permission at the highest level, possibly even President Hosni Mubarak. One official in Cairo told Reuters that its passage would not be problematic as Egypt and Israel are not at war. This noncommittal response indicates that Egypt would have no objection to Israeli military craft passing through the canal on their way to the Red Sea and on to the Persian Gulf in case of a decision to strike Iran. The alternative would be a voyage of weeks around the Horn of Africa. Big gaps in Airbus company disaster statement DEBKAfile Special Report 3 July : The information offered by senior investigator Alan Bouillard on July 2, one month after Air France Rio-Paris flight 447 plunged into the Atlantic killing all 228 people aboard indicates either that the inquiry is stumped or that information is being withheld. He reported that the doomed airliner did not break up in the air but dropped like a stone without any established cause and shattered from the force of its impact with the water. Before hitting the sea, it sent out 24 automatic signals of technical glitches, including a warning of falling air pressure in the cabin. None of them, said Bouillard, should have immobilized the aircraft, but they did indicate that the flight crew who should have switched the plane to manual control had failed to do so. This final admission deepened the mystery, because the French investigators could not explain why this happened. Thursday, July 2, after a second Airbus disaster – A Yemenia Airbus 310 plunged into the Indian Ocean just off the Comoros islands, killing all 153 people aboard except for a lone survivor – the Comoran vice president Idi Nadhoim bitterly accused Paris of failing to warn his government about technical faults. "It would have been easier for us if France had communicated with us their list of Airbus planes that are not good to fly, which is not the case," he complained and asked: "What is this discrimination between French passengers that have to be protected in France and those French people who are left to fly in these kinds of planes?" Submissiveness to North Korea is also the international model for Iran's first nuclear test DEBKAfile Special Report 4 July : Although the US Navy claims to be ready to intercept any North Korean missiles directed at the Sea of Japan, the Obama administration let Pongyang's test-launch of 7 missiles on July 4 go by with a mere verbal reproach: The launches were "not helpful," said a State Department spokesman. "North Korea should refrain from actions that aggravate tensions and focus on de-nuclearization talks and the implementation of its commitments from the September 19, 2005 joint statement," he said. Beijing and Moscow concurred in these sentiments. But North Korea has refused to go back to those talks. Its seven-missile barrage, launched on the Fourth of July, consisted of 6 Scud-type 500-km range missiles, capable of reaching most of South Korea and a seventh, the 1,000 km range Nodong A, which brings Japan within striking distance. Yet no official in Washington came forward to explain why the US Navy failed to intercept it. DEBKAfile's military sources report that the US, Europe - and even the Binyamin Netanyahu government - appear to have adopted the same strategy for North Korea and Iran. It is a combination of harsh oral rebukes coupled with a refusal to address North Korea's violations and Iran's race for a nuclear bomb in any practical way, even though sanctions are clearly have no effect. A blind eye is equally turned to the close collaboration between Pyongyang and Tehran on their missile and nuclear development programs, allowing them to get away with the gross, ongoing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and making a mockery of international law and UN resolutions. July 4 Briefs: • Two US troops killed, several wounded by Taliban rocket-mortar fire at US base in E. Afghanistan. A suicide bomber then drove an explosive truck at the base gates. The two-clash ended after US forces call in airstrikes. • North Korea test-fires seven short-range missiles one by one Saturday. • Sarah Palin resigns as Alaska governor, believed planning to run or US president. • All 26 Pakistani troops killed aboard helicopter which crashed in northwest. Taliban claims to have shot it down. Show trials, possible execution, hang over "US agent" Mousavi DEBKAfile Special Report 4 July : President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is preparing a wave of show trials, public confessions and executions to crush the opposition which ventured to rally against the legitimacy of his election. The West, especially the Obama administration, hoping the bloody crackdown was over, can forget about re-engaging Tehran in talks on the nuclear controversy any time soon when Mir Hossein Mousavi and the reformist ex-president Mohammed Khatami are denounced as a US agent and "acting as America's fifth column." Ahmadinejad is pointing the finger at "US and British instigators" to conceal the widespread popular disaffection and drum up a pretext for sentencing accused ringleaders to death. His pressure on the supreme leader to support harsh punishment seems to be working. Mousavi is under enormous pressure to back down and send his supporters home. His deepest fear is being put on trial and executed on the charge of causing mass deaths, thereby making the opposition rather than the regime responsible for the bloodshed of recent weeks. Biden: If Israel wants to bomb Iran, we can't stop them 5 July: In an interview with ABC's George Stephanoupolos taped Saturday, vice president Joseph Biden said in answer to a question: "Look, Israel can determine for itself — it's a sovereign nation — what's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else." Whether we agree or not? The interviewer asked. "Whether we agree or not," said the vice president. This was the first time a senior Obama administration official left Israel's military option open for Iran's nuclear sites. DEBKAfile's Washington sources note that if this time Biden's statement was coordinated with the president, it would mean that the administration has withdrawn its veto against Israel's resort to military action before diplomacy has been fully tested. Israeli Dolphin sub returns from Red Sea to Haifa base through Suez Canal escorted by missile ship 5 July : DEBKAfile's intelligence sources: The last three days from Friday, June 3, have seen a spate of reports all pointing in one direction: Israel's air and sea capabilities for dealing with Iran and its military nuclear program. US vice president Biden's statement, unless it is withdrawn, looks like the Obama administration's seal on a possible Israeli attack for pre-empting a nuclear-armed Iran. "Israel can determine for itself whether or not to bomb Iran's nuclear program," he said. Until now, administration officials referred to a potential Israeli bombardment of Iran as a disaster with unpredictable consequences. Now the ball is squarely in Binyamin Netanyahu's court, whether because Washington hopes Israel will pull the Iranian chestnut out of the fire or call Israel's bluff. Netanyahu and defense minister Ehud Barak are now free of America restraints for backing up their statements about the need to pre-empt a nuclear-armed Iran before the Islamic Republic poses an existential threat to Israel. July 6 Briefs: • Singapore holds big anti-terror drill simulating last year's Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people. The drill will reconstruct 10 assorted incidents. • Taliban motorbike bombing in Rawalpindi July 2 injured 30 bus passengers employed by Pakistan's nuclear lab. • Saudi king Abdullah will not visit Damascus Monday as widely reported. • Iran threatens "real and decisive" action if Israel attacks its nuclear facilities. Senior Iranian lawmaker said this in response to Biden signal that US would not stop Israel bombing. • Khamenei warns Western "meddling" in Iran's postelection protests will have negative impact on relations. Obama, Medvedev at odds on US missile shield, Iran's nuclear drive, Middle East DEBKAfile Special Analysis 6 July : US president Barack Obama and Russian president Dmitry Medvedev were of one mind in one key sphere, the need to continue the war on al Qaeda and the Taliban. This concurrence produced an accord allowing the United States to fly troops and weapons to Afghanistan through Russian skies. Most other key issues were either left in dispute or as unfinished business for joint teams to fill in the gaps, such as the preliminary memorandum under which the US and Russia aim to cut their nuclear warhead arsenals by 1,500-1,650 items each over seven years. The four issues on which the Washington and Moscow remain divided are: 1. The US missile interceptors and radar station for Poland and the Czech Republic. This remains a Russian sine qua non for cooperation in other fields. 2. Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. 3. While Russian president did not mention Tehran, the US president voiced deep concern about Iran developing nuclear weapons "because this will trigger a nuclear race in the most volatile part of the world, the Middle East." He added: "It is also possible that nuclear weapons will fall into the hands of non-state actors, extremists, posing a danger to both Russia and the US." 4. In Middle East peacemaking, Moscow wants parity with Washington, which the Obama administration is not willing to concede. July 7 Briefs: • Two Canadians, one Briton killed in helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan. • Six US troops die in Afghanistan Monday – 4 when convoy hit roadside bomb in N. Afghan town of Konduz, 2 in blast in the South. • Three British troops killed in South Afghanistan. • Taliban opens Operation Foladi Jal or "Iron Net' in Afghanistan to counter US offensive in Helmand. • Indian court issues arrest warrants for 22 Pakistanis linked to Nov. 28 Mumbai massacre. • Curfew clamped down on Urumqui to quell Uighur protests in West Chinese Xinjiang after 156 killed, 800 injured by riot police. • Mubarak said he believes kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilead Shalit "is fine" and "I hope the issue will end soon." DEBKAfile: In two years Mubarak has never said anything more definite. Obama "absolutely" denies US go-ahead for Israel to bomb Iran. Administration divided DEBKAfile Special Report 7 July: Talking to CNN from Moscow Tuesday, July 7, US President Barack Obama "absolutely" denied a Washington green light for Israel to strike Iran's nuclear facilities, adding: "We can't dictate to other countries what their security interests are" - but it is also true that it is US policy to try and resolve the issue "through diplomatic channels." This statement directly contradicted the words of US vice president Joseph Biden, who two days earlier told ABC television that the US would not stand in the way of Israeli military action against the Iranian nuclear program. While Biden's remarks are sometimes off-the-cuff and subject to "further clarification," this time a genuine difference opinion appears to have developed between President Obama and his VP on the Iranian nuclear question. DEBKAfile's military sources stress that Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has never specifically applied to President Obama on this question and so the inconsistencies in US public positions appear to reflect internal divergences within the administration on the handling of the Iranian nuclear program. US, German intel: Al Qaeda plots multiple attacks on US, Israel-bound airliners DEBKAfile Exclusive Report 7 July : Western anti-terror agencies warn that at a large group of 15-20 al Qaeda terrorists, trained in Pakistan and Algeria in tactics for hijacking and blowing up airliners, deployed secretly in at least six European and Middle East countries in early July. They were on standby for multiple terrorist attacks on July 4, July 7, the fourth anniversary of the 7/7 attacks on the British transport system, and July 8-9, when the G8 summit meets in L'Aquila. Al Qaeda planners, say the Western sources, know it is extremely hard to break through the massive security cordons protecting summit leaders and will alternatively try to hijack passenger planes of airlines belonging to the targeted states and blow them up in mid-air. DEBKAfile's counter-terror sources report the first specific red alert on Saturday, July 4, referred to the possible hijack of Turkish Airways planes taking of from Turkish airports for US destinations or Tel Aviv. The alert is still in force. July 8 Briefs: • British soldier killed by explosion in S. Afghanistan. • Lavrov: US missile-defense shield would throw doubt on nuclear arms cuts. He spoke day after Obama, Medvedev signed nuclear warheads reduction memo. • Lebanese spy fever continues: Colonel suspected of spying for Mossad said escaped to Israel, "shining parachute" object drops on southern villages. • Netanyahu calls inner cabinet to approve four economic projects for Palestinians: New industrial zones for Bethlehem, Jenin, farming projects in Jericho, tourist facilities at Jordan River baptism site. • Mullen warns window is closing for preventing Iranian nuclear threat. He says military strike is an option, but would destabilize region . Russia blocks concrete measures on Iran's nuclear drive at G8 9 July : G8 leaders failed to agree on tough measures, including sanctions, against Iran's drive for nuclear weapons in their three-day deliberations at the Italian town of l'Aquila, Wednesday, July 8. Russian opposition to condemning Iran left only an endorsement of the diplomatic track, which may have been directed more against an Israeli military option than Iran. In any case, the next day, Tehran topped up its refusal to discuss its nuclear program with a sharp response to the mild G8 statement: "We shall not halt our nuclear program or retreat by a single step." Nevertheless, US undersecretary of state William Burns, playing the setback down, praised the statement as a victory for unity, representing "a real sense of urgency." French president Nicolas Sarkozy said Iran had a chance for negotiations until September, when unspecified decisions would have to be made.

Rapture Overview: ~Joseph Chambers

The Rapture: Satan's Final Defeat

Joseph Chambers

The anger of Satan against the Rapture of the saints is because this event will be his final defeat. Calvary, the Resurrection, and all the victory of Jesus' death and life were certainly Satan's greatest defeat. It has been downhill for him since he was cast out of Heaven. The Rapture will seal his doom forever.

From the time that he deceived Adam and Eve in the garden, he has attacked the family of God. When Jesus descended into upper Sheol, Satan lost his hold on the First Testament saints. He could not damn them nor could they escape the prison house of the righteous dead.

Jesus took the keys of death and hell and led this victorious company out of their prison into His resurrected presence. Their spirit and soul is with Him in Heaven, but the majority of them are still awaiting the Rapture and the Resurrection to receive their glorified bodies.

Matthew records that a firstfruits number were resurrected and caught up when He arose from the dead. There are complexities to the Rapture and the Resurrection that must not divide us. I personally believe that not one blood-washed soul (Old or New Testament) will be left in the grave when the Pre-Tribulation Rapture occurs. The earth must be free of the saved dead before the traumas of the seven years of judgment can begin.

The judgments of Jesus Christ will shake this earth to its very core so that nothing of sin will be left to defile or destroy in all of creation. The wicked dead will be in death and hell until the Seven Years of Tribulation and the Millennium are finished. Then they will be resurrected unto damnation to be judged.

Satan has waged war against the saints for six thousand years. His very thought of the dead in Christ being resurrected with glorified bodies forever out of his reach is terrifying to him. Add to that the Rapture and Resurrection of the living saints that he has pursued since the moment they were born again being removed totally beyond his reach. But the Rapture and Resurrection of the righteous is only the beginning of his future troubles.

The saints that he has terrorized will become the Lord's elders during the seven years, and we will be used of the Lord to direct the judgments against him and his false trinity. We will be glorified saints; and the Bible says that we will judge the angels, and Satan is one of them. Let's begin by contemplating the defeat for Satan that will occur in the first heaven as the saints are removed to the presence of the Lord. Satan is called the prince of the power of the air. "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." (Ephesians 2:2)

This is the area of his stronghold, where his kingdom of fallen angels is organized and operates. From this realm, he rules as the god of this world. He is called the god of this world and the prince of this world. He affects everything that constitutes the world system, nature, and especially the weather patterns. God created a perfect world. There was no destruction until the destroyer deceived Adam and Eve. Satan usurped his way into control of the world system.

Nature is berserk today because it is greatly affected by the devil and his princes of destruction. The Bible warns us of the struggle that this horde of evil personalities will create for us we serve the Lord. Apostle Paul stated, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:12) Notice those terms the Holy Ghost inspired Apostle Paul to use, "rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

This is an epic struggle, and natural men and women are absolutely no match for these great and strong spirits of evil. Every spiritual victory we win must be by the Blood, the Word, and the Spirit Understanding these strong, experienced, and wicked angels operating under the leadership of Satan; we can see the battle that is developing to hinder God's Prophetic program. When the Rapture occurs, we must travel right straight up through the middle of Satan's stronghold. Hearing many strange stories about unidentified flying objects is not so strange when you know what is about to occur. The devil will stop at nothing to accomplish his goals and to defeat the saints of God.

Victory is already assured because "For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven." (Ps 119:89). Apostle Paul said, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (I Thessalonians 4:16-17)

We will not need to fight our path through Lucifer's stronghold. The Lord comes down to meet us in the midair, and with His Heavenly Host (multitude) He leads us back right through Satan's horde. The event of the saints being Raptured up out of their graves, joined together with the Raptured living, following the Lord of Hosts back to the Banquet Hall in New Jerusalem is too grand to consider.

There has never been an army marching from some great victory back to the fatherland to match this picture. Satan has got to know that this is soon to happen, and he certainly has a counterattack planned. His great defeat at our victory right through his stronghold will leave him vulnerable to the heavenly host of angels. He will never recover from seeing "ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands." (Revelation 5:11) pass untouched through his hands into the presence of the Heavenly Father.

A multitude of angels led by Michael will then engage Satan to finish his reign as the "prince of the power of the air." Weakened by his losses, the angels of Jesus Christ will cast him down to the earth never to appear in heaven again.

John recorded the future scene of Satan's great heavenly defeat. "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night." (Revelation 12:7-10) His territory will now be restricted to the earth and he will know that he has but a short time. This loss for Satan is incredible.

He has accused us to God throughout human history. The defeat of Adam and Eve gave him legal right to act as an accuser to every saint of God. He has been the world's prosecutor for six thousand years.

The reason for many great defeats in the church has been man's failure to stand solely on truth in their battles with evil powers and dark spiritual authorities. Our only rights against evil are those legal truths of Scripture contained in our blood covenant.

Now, ultimate truth prevails and Satan's reign as prosecutor is over forever. "Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." (Revelation 12:12)

Satan finally understands that he is losing and his last efforts will be efforts of desperation. By the end of the seven years, no creature on earth will doubt that he is a serpent, unquestionably corrupted, and a loser. The victorious saints will be elevated to elders during the coming Great Tribulation. We are never called the church again after Revelation chapter four.

We will be to the Father and the Lamb, elders participating in all the events of righteousness and righteous judgment. Too often we think only of judgment during these dark seven years but more than judgment is redemption. The elders will share the glory of cleansing this earth from every curse of sin until righteousness will be ready to spring forth when we come back with Him to reign on this earth. In Revelation chapter nineteen when the harlot religious systems led by Satan have been gloriously destroyed, worship by the saints will explode. The saints are heard to say, "And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand." (Revelation 19:1-2) The Scripture states that this was the voice of much people in heaven, not angels but "much people."

A voice came from the throne of God to this multitude saying, "Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great." (Revelation 19:5b) Then a voice proclaimed that the Marriage of the Lamb and His Bride had come and the glorious event of the Marriage Supper was in progress. Now, John is so awed by this great vision that he falls on his face to worship at the feet of the messenger that stood before him. Listen to this messenger,

"And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Revelation 19:10) Careful attention to the Book of Revelation will reveal the wonderful presence of His saints acting as elders in all the processes of the seven-sealed book. Redemption is the business of the Lord and His saints; and we will surely judge the Antichrist, the False Prophet, Satan, and his kingdom of fallen angels. Saints Will be as Angels

What a defeat for the devil to be judged by the very saints he persecuted so relentlessly. The Scripture stated, "Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?" (I Corinthians 6:3) All through the great events of judgment in this Book of Revelation are angels or messengers proclaiming, participating, or directing the course of events. Often we cannot know whether they are heavenly angels or glorified saints now as "angels" with the same glorious powers that angels of God already possess.

The Word of God clearly states that when we are resurrected from the dead, we will be "as the angels." "For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven." (Mark 12:25) As we read the Book of Revelation after chapter four we forget we are viewing the scene after the Resurrection. The saints will then be "as the angels" or in the "likeness of angels" from that moment on. The Armies from Heaven

When the Marriage Supper is finished, we will return with Jesus Christ to the earth that we left at the Rapture. It certainly will be a redeemed earth, but the battle will not be finished. There is no record of where Satan is hiding during the Battle of Armageddon. His Antichrist and False Prophet are leading this great army of angry, godless followers.

What a defeat for the Antichrist and False Prophet. The spirit of Antichrist is already at work as they wait somewhere in preparation for the last days of evil. At this time they will be finished and the mopping up operation is the duty of His saints. "And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean." (Revelation 19:14) We descend with the Son of God riding on white horses and fully prepared for battle. There is no need for us to draw our swords because of the "Faithful and True One" that leads this great procession.

It will be our joy to arrest the Antichrist and the False Prophet and to cast them alive into the Lake of Fire. "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone." (Revelation 19:20) How long the Lake of Fire will be visible on the earth is not recorded in Scripture, but it will be visible to all the earth's inhabitants at this time. I think it will probably be visible during the entire thousand years of the reign of Jesus Christ and His saints. Israel, as the most glorious nation on earth, will also reign and be the capitol of the earth during this thousand years of glory.

The Old Testament prophets spoke often of Israel's triumph during this great kingdom of the Messiah. The judgment of the Antichrist and the False Prophet will be evident to the entire earth's population. The world must see the contrast between wickedness and righteousness. In the First Covenant, Isaiah described the Lake of Fire into which the saints of God cast into these two champions of darkness. He spoke these words, "

And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh." (Isaiah 66:23-24) What a defeat to Satan that he is required to watch. The devil will witness the saints, that he has hated, cast his champions alive into the Lake of Fire. The Father created this Lake of Fire for the devil and his angels, not for earth's population.

The Rapture and the Seven Years of Tribulation have been one defeat after the other for Satan. He will know it is over as he watches his last kingdom, the long anticipated "One World Order," go up in smoke. His great army, gathered by his last world conquerors will also be judged and utterly defeated. Then, its leaders will be cast alive in an open Lake of Fire for the entire world to see. Six thousand years of Satan being the prince of the power of the air and the god of this world will have ended. The Glorious Moment of Satan's Arrest

The very Raptured saints that he fought to defeat, the glorious hope of the church that he hated and labored to destroy, and the very Tribulation Period that Satan thought to stop by his influence against Bible truth will now be completed and finished by his arrest. I believe this messenger, called "an angel" in Revelation chapter twenty, is a "great saint" of God. The honor for Satan's arrest could not possibly be given to a heavenly angel. It has already been settled that the saints will judge the angels, and Satan is nothing but a fallen one.

Let's read as a redeemed saint is sent to cast Satan into a bottomless pit. "And I saw an angel (messenger) come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season." (Revelation 20:1-3) This bottomless pit is the depth of hell in the heart of the earth.

The torments in this location could not be worse, and he will fester in this dark place for one thousand years. He will then be given one reprieve before he will be cast into the Lake of Fire for eternity.

Conclusion
It is not hard to understand Satan's hatred for the prophetic truth of Holy Scripture. The hope of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is especially an object of his attacks. It is no wonder that the Catholic Church hated the original text of Scripture.

Once the Catholic Church came to power, it destroyed many of the early copies of the original text and enlisted its own supporters to produce what we now call the Alexandrian Manuscripts.

These corrupt copies have a bent towards post-millennialism and are a part of the reason for the present bias against the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Bible-loving and truth-obeying saints are still dedicated to the great hope of the saints. The Rapture of the believing church is certainly at hand. The road map to the end is visible. The coming of the Lord will soon occur, maybe today, maybe tomorrow. Our duty is to be "Waiting on Ready." Joseph R. Chambers jrc@pawcreek.org


------------------

This is a very good overview of the Rapture/Natsal. Most who hold to Pre Trib keep this in mind, but a interesting warning Jesus also gave in regards to this:

Pray you be counted worthy to be spared.....,

I suspect it is not a "escape clause and some think, but if we are serving the Lord and looking for his return, we are assured if we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will not be left behind.

Michael James Stone

Scam Or Sham or...?Israeli Experts Believe There May Be a Major Oil Source in the Dead Sea Area ~ Bible Prophecy Today

Part of the Problem with Prophecy is prophets.....,

We all like sensationalizing a great story. We re-tell the glory days of the Hail Mary Football pass and it gets longer and bigger the more we tell it.

Blogs are like that...., the more you read, the more you believe, like Television, UNLESS you do your homework.

The Bible Says PROVE ALL THINGS, Hold fast that which is good.

Every few years the Israeli Oil Story comes up and gets bigger each time.

Did you know they have found oil since 1964...., and over and over again, someone gets an urge to run the Israeli Black Gold fever line, which in better times was used to bilk millions to get the first exploration sites going.....Anyone Still have THOSE stocks? LOL

Refineries, the keystone to oil drilling is posted here. Some of the Propaganda from earlier "finds" etc are here, but a simple Google will give you all the sites...., Also look at the age of a Web site when "buying" into the hype of Oil Sell....,

As we get to the end of the age, people will say LOOK here is Messiah, or LOOK there is Messiah, but that can also be rendered, LOOK AT THIS it is ANNOINTED, LOOK AT THAT it is ANNOINTED.

If you aren't willing to LOOK at SOURCES and SCRIPTURES I suppose Making Olive Oil out of Olive Trees in Israel for Synthetic fuel will be a good idea and seem prophetic.....AND I JUST MADE THAT UP.

Be wise, we wary, your adversary the devil roams around seeking whom he can mislead or deceive even just a little....just enough....just to make you take your eyes of Jesus at just the wrong moment.

The Choice is yours, mine I just laughed and deleted it.

God made me go back and research to repost for those who won't at the very least....google it.

Michael James Stone

Israeli Experts Believe There May Be a Major Oil Source in the Dead Sea Area ~ Bible Prophecy Today

Oil in Israel Scam, Take 2

Posted on: September 29, 2005 11:18 AM, by Ed Brayton

Bartholemew has a typically thorough article about Zion Oil and Gas and their investment scam trying to find oil in Israel. The Worldnutdaily has been pimping this company for months, including having their writer Hal Lindsey write articles encouraging people to invest in it without revealing that his family had a major financial stake in the project. And as Bartholemew points out, this is merely the recycling of an old scam. And they're always thisclose to finding the oil, if only they had more money. These are the Ron Wyatt's of the oil industry.

Ocean Oil & Gas Company London Complaints - Scam offer

Review all Ocean Oil & Gas Company London complaints

Ocean Oil & Gas Company London

Posted: 2009-04-01 by israel

Scam offer Complaint Rating: Company information: israel Ghana tetteyis@yahoo.com I had received offer from OCEAN OIL & GAS COMPANY LONDON on dated 27-03-09 pls confirm this offer is corrected or scam/fraud...

Zion Oil & Gas: We may have a discovery (Drilling for oil in Israel)
UPI ^ | March 23 | LEAH KRAUSS

Posted on Sun Mar 26 2006 08:00:58 GMT-0700 (Pacific Daylight Time) by saganite

BINYAMINA, Israel, March 23 (UPI) -- Zion Oil & Gas, a company on a "Biblical Treasure Hunt" for oil in Israel, may have proven wrong everyone who scoffed at the idea of black gold in the Holy Land.

"We have what appears to be a discovery of both oil and gas in a number of different zones," Zion said on its updated Web site.

There are a number of indicators that point to a discovery, Zion said. These include: "Increased penetration rates while drilling ... with natural gas shows on the gas chromatograph, which measures natural gas components; microscopic oil and gas stains on sample rock cuttings during drilling; asphaltic rock cuttings that burn when lit with a match; gas bubbles and oil stains on the mud pit while drilling; pockets of gas that ignited and flared for several minutes at different times when the well was being swabbed; and a skim of oil in sample jars taken from fluids being swabbed," according to the company Web site.

The company has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering, and its application for listing on the American Stock Exchange is being reviewed.

The company plans to sell the common stock for $7 per share, with a minimum of 350,000 shares, for a total worth of $2.45 million. The maximum number of shares, 2 million, would place the company's value at $14 million, according to Zion's updated Web site.

There will be a 100-share minimum purchase per subscriber, the company said, and Zion expects the IPO to commence in late April or early May.

Zion began drilling for oil in April 2005, on a site near Kibbutz Ma'anit that it licensed from the Israeli government. Ma'anit is near the city of Hadera in central Israel, northeast of Tel Aviv.

Drilling stopped on July 14, 2005, Zion said. Continuing the drilling process could have risked "a total loss of the well," the company said.

However, the process began much earlier than 2005 for the company's founder and chief executive officer, John M. Brown. During a visit to Israel in 1985, he became inspired by certain passages in the Bible that spoke of oil from the earth and "the treasures of the deep" to search for oil in Israel.

Brown, a born-again Christian, spent the following years consulting with clergy to check his interpretation of the verses, and geologists and oil experts in the United States and Israel to check the scientific feasibility of the project.

Before his divine inspiration, he had no experience in the oil business.

The company was finally incorporated in April 2000, and later re-incorporated in Delaware in July of 2003.

In 2000, the Israeli government awarded Zion the 28,800-acre "Ma'anit Permit" to begin oil exploration activities, the company said. The company won another "preliminary permit with priority rights" in 2001 for a 137,250-acre area under the name "Joseph Permit" -- so called because one of the guiding Bible verses comes among Joseph's blessings for his sons.

In August 2005, the Israeli government granted the company another permit, adjacent to the Ma'anit and Joseph sites. Spanning 121,100 acres, the new areas of the "Asher Permit" -- the son Joseph blessed by saying he would "dip his foot in oil" -- lie to the immediate north and west of the Ma'anit-Joseph license, along the coastal plain and Mount Carmel range to the outskirts of Haifa, the company said.

The areas of the exploration licenses correspond with the company's map of the ancient biblical tribes' territories, with oil exploration starting just below the foot-shaped region Asher controlled.

The company said the Asher Permit terminates on March 31, 2007, and is "subject to a work program, with an estimated cost of $325,000."

"(It) requires us to perform geological and geophysical work, including the reprocessing and analysis of existing seismic and geologic data, the acquisition and interpretation of new seismic data, preparation of summary reports and maps and submission of a drilling prospect," according to the Zion Web site.

"Over the past seven months, and in connection with the work program requirements for the Asher Permit and continuing exploration of our license area, we reprocessed approximately 200 kilometers of seismic lines and have used the data to begin detailed mapping of a number of prospect leads," the company continued.

The company plans to announce its next steps during Brown's upcoming visit to Israel in early April.

JERUSALEM, July 7 (Reuters) - Standard & Poor's Maalot said on Tuesday it had lowered its outlook for bonds of Israel's Oil Refineries (ORL.TA) to "negative", citing expectations for continued erosion in the refining industry.

The Israeli S&P unit maintained a rating of "A" for Oil Refineries' bonds, which had been on the agency's CreditWatch "negative" list since April.

"As of March 2009, we have been witnessing significant deterioration in refining revenues, which we believe will place pressure on the company's cash flow for the next 12 months at least," analyst Karl Nietvelt wrote in a report to clients.

He cited an aggressive $1.1 billion investment plan that Oil Refineries plans to implement through debt that will increase its leverage.

Oil refineries, Israel's biggest refinery, is a subsidiary of holding company Israel Corp (ILCO.TA). (Reporting by Joseph Nasr; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

Israel backs Georgia in Caspian Oil Pipeline Battle with Russia DEBKAfile Exclusive Report October 25, 2008 Georgian tanks and infantry, aided by Israeli military advisers, captured the capital of breakaway South Ossetia, Tskhinvali, early Friday, Aug. 8, bringing the Georgian-Russian conflict over the province to a military climax. Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin threatened a “military response.” Former Soviet Georgia called up its military reserves after Russian warplanes bombed its new positions in the renegade province. In Moscow’s first response to the fall of Tskhinvali, president Dimitry Medvedev ordered the Russian army to prepare for a national emergency after calling the UN Security Council into emergency session early Friday. Reinforcements were rushed to the Russian “peacekeeping force” present in the region to support the separatists. Georgian tanks entered the capital after heavy overnight heavy aerial strikes, in which dozens of people were killed. Lado Gurgenidze, Georgia's prime minister, said on Friday that Georgia will continue its military operation in South Ossetia until a "durable peace" is reached. "As soon as a durable peace takes hold we need to move forward with dialogue and peaceful negotiations." DEBKAfile’s geopolitical experts note that on the surface level, the Russians are backing the separatists of S. Ossetia and neighboring Abkhazia as payback for the strengthening of American influence in tiny Georgia and its 4.5 million inhabitants. However, more immediately, the conflict has been sparked by the race for control over the pipelines carrying oil and gas out of the Caspian region. The Russians may just bear with the pro-US Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili’s ambition to bring his country into NATO. But they draw a heavy line against his plans and those of Western oil companies, including Israeli firms, to route the oil routes from Azerbaijan and the gas lines from Turkmenistan, which transit Georgia, through Turkey instead of hooking them up to Russian pipelines. Saakashvili need only back away from this plan for Moscow to ditch the two provinces’ revolt against Tbilisi. As long as he sticks to his guns, South Ossetia and Abkhazia will wage separatist wars. DEBKAfile discloses Israel’s interest in the conflict from its exclusive military sources: Jerusalem owns a strong interest in Caspian oil and gas pipelines reach the Turkish terminal port of Ceyhan, rather than the Russian network. Intense negotiations are afoot between Israel Turkey, Georgia, Turkmenistan and Azarbaijan for pipelines to reach Turkey and thence to Israel’s oil terminal at Ashkelon and on to its Red Sea port of Eilat. From there, supertankers can carry the gas and oil to the Far East through the Indian Ocean. Aware of Moscow’s sensitivity on the oil question, Israel offered Russia a stake in the project but was rejected. Last year, the Georgian president commissioned from private Israeli security firms several hundred military advisers, estimated at up to 1,000, to train the Georgian armed forces in commando, air, sea, armored and artillery combat tactics. They also offer instruction on military intelligence and security for the central regime. Tbilisi also purchased weapons, intelligence and electronic warfare systems from Israel. These advisers were undoubtedly deeply involved in the Georgian army’s preparations to conquer the South Ossetian capital Friday. In recent weeks, Moscow has repeatedly demanded that Jerusalem halt its military assistance to Georgia, finally threatening a crisis in bilateral relations. Israel responded by saying that the only assistance rendered Tbilisi was “defensive.” This has not gone down well in the Kremlin. Therefore, as the military crisis intensifies in South Ossetia, Moscow may be expected to punish Israel for its intervention.