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Thomas Becket: Murder in the Cathedral

Peter Abelard (1079 – 1142) was a freethinker by twelfth-century standards, not bound by the wisdom of archbishops or saints. He challenged philosophers and theologians, including Anselm and his theory of the atonement. Christ’s death, he insisted, revealed his infinite love more than anything else. Abelard’s views on the atonement are as controversial today as they were in his day.

An archbishop of Canterbury and the most popular saint of the High Middle Ages, Thomas Becket (1118 - 1170)  is the reason for which People make pilgrimages to Canterbury - “the holy blisful martir for to seke.” Without this saint, who from the tomb heals all varieties of diseases, the wonderfully earthy poetry of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales would not have been written. Thomas Becket, murdered in the cathedral, is loved and hated as both saint and traitor.

Through family wealth, good connections and street smarts, Becket easily climbs the ladder of success. He begins his career as an aide to the archbishop of Canterbury. Later appointed archdeacon of Canterbury and eventually Lord Chancellor in service of King Henry II, he helps to maximize royal power over church office and land. But his tenure is not without tension. Taxing church property is unpopular among clerics whose incomes are diminished. As the king’s right-hand man, Becket is perceived as the archenemy of the church.

In 1162, to secure absolute authority over the church, Henry appoints Becket archbishop of Canterbury, a brilliant strategic stroke, he imagines. Becket is ordained a priest on Saturday and an archbishop on Sunday. However, unlike previous advancements, the promotion has a dramatic effect on Becket. Henry is no longer his superior - only God is. Suddenly, he becomes a servant leader. In championing the church rather than the state, he takes a page from desert asceticism. He sets aside his ornate clerical wardrobe, dons a hair shirt and rags, and takes on the diet of a beggar. He daily washes the feet of lepers, and to atone for his sins he lashes his back until his flesh is raw.

The king is not impressed. But there is more at stake than an archbishop flaunting his asceticism. Devoted to God and the church, Becket now opposes the king in matters of church property taxes and challenges church authority in general. He refuses to accede to the Constitutions of Clarendon that favor royal power. The tensions escalate to the point that Becket fears for his life. Though he flees to France in 1164, still his motives and activities are questioned by friend and foe alike. He is at odds with his own bishops, whom King Henry II manages to ingratiate, and his dealings with both papal and state authorities are tangled.

He attempts to convince the pope to excommunicate Henry and to place an interdict on England - suspending all worship services and sacraments. Under this threat, Henry seems to back down, promising Becket safe passage to England and restoration of his post as head of the English church.

On December 1, 1170, Becket, having spent some six years in exile, returns to a Palm-Sunday style entry: people line the roads, throwing their cloaks before him and hailing him. But Becket’s enemies among clerics and court officials are numerous - and for good reason. He adamantly refuses to back down on his demand for independent power for the church. And more than that, he excommunicates all those who sided with the king. Henry is enraged. From his sickbed he moans a message, which his closest aides understood as, Who will rid me of that troublesome priest?

Before dawn on his fatal last day, Becket arises, officiates at the Mass, and confesses his sins. There is a sense of foreboding as he warns those close to him to flee. In the late, cold afternoon of December 29, 1170, four knights enter the cathedral during the vesper service and attack Becket as he is proceeding to the high altar. It is a grisly scene. According to an eyewitness, “The crown of his head was separated from the head in such a way that the blood, white with brain, and the brain no less red from the blood, dyed the floor of the cathedral.”

Within minutes Becket has become the greatest martyr the English church had ever known. Nearly four hundred years after his death, during the reign of Henry VIII, Becket is charged with treason. His tomb is plundered and pilgrimages and festivals are outlawed. But not even Henry VIII could erase the devotion in the people’s hearts. Even today he is revered as a martyred saint by both Catholics and Anglicans.

- Bible Gateway.Com

How to Be a Good Steward

Malachi 3:8-12 “Bring the full tithes…. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing ( v. 10).

Stewardship, the wise use of our resources to glorify God, is the final means of grace that we will discuss in our study of five basic practices of Christian piety. The way we allocate our time, effort, and money speaks volumes about our heart’s priorities, giving us a clear window into our own spiritual maturity.

Our Creator instituted the principle of stewardship in creation when He gave humanity the task of exercising dominion over the earth He created ( Gen. 1:27-28). Ever since then, all people have been tasked with managing their natural resources for the purpose of advancing God’s kingdom. This is a principle that is easy to forget because we like to think of our paychecks, properties, investments, energy, and time as our own. Yet “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” (Ps. 24:1 ), and everything to which we attach our name and regard as our “own” belongs ultimately to the Almighty. Our possessions are just temporarily “on loan,” as it were, from God.

Wise stewardship is vital to living coram Deo, before the face of God in a manner pleasing to God. Every dollar we spend in one place is a dollar we cannot spend somewhere else, and if our priorities with our time, money, and talents are not the same as the Lord’s, we are guilty of sin. We can waste our resources like the prodigal son did (Luke 15:11-13 ), or we can put them to good use in the church.

In today’s passage, God chastises His people for robbing Him and failing to bring their tithes to the storehouse (Mal. 3:8). Unfortunately, this problem continues in the covenant community even today. Routine surveys tell us that more than ninety percent of professing evangelicals fail to tithe. Our priorities rarely conform to the Lord’s. Worship and education are among God’s chief concerns for His people (Lev. 10:3; Deut. 6:6-7), but pastors and teachers consistently rank as the lowest paid professionals in the United States.

Christ’s coming did not abrogate the command to bring our tithes into the storehouse, though we often live contrariwise. Where our treasure is, there our heart will be also (Matt. 6:21), and our checkbooks are one of the best objective guides to the deepest desires of our hearts.

Coram deo: Living before the face of God

Dr. R.C. Sproul notes that we are free today to give to a variety of Christian causes because in the new covenant there is no longer just one storehouse as under the old covenant. The lion’s share of the tithe should go to one’s local church, he says, but we may also contribute to Christian schools and seminaries, parachurch ministries, and mission organizations as part of our giving. Are you giving to the Lord’s work according to His demands?

For further study:

Leviticus 27:32

The Bible in a year:

Leviticus 21-23

For the weekend:

Leviticus 24-26

- Bible Gateway.Com

From American Thinker.Com

February 10, 2012

By Jonathan F. Keiler

Last week, Germany agreed to sell Israel a sixth Dolphin-class submarine.  Israel already has three of these capable submarines in service.  Two others were either quietly delivered last year, or soon will be — sources differ.

While the Dolphins have numerous conventional military applications, in reality, Israel appears to be in the process of creating the world’s first nuclear counter-strike force based on small, conventionally powered submarines armed with long range-cruise missiles.  While Israel has never officially admitted to possessing nuclear weapons and seems inclined to maintain its long-held posture of nuclear ambiguity, there is little doubt that she does indeed posses nuclear weapons and most likely has had weapon assembly capabilities since at least the late 1960s.

Iran has clearly emerged as Israel’s chief regional antagonist.  Iran’s single-minded drive to acquire nuclear weapons — and its threats to use them once deployed — arguably presents the most serious strategic threat to Israel since the state’s founding struggles in 1948.

This threat has led to almost endless conjecture regarding an Israeli strike against Iranian nuclear installations.  Israel’s successful attack on a Syrian nuclear facility in 2007, the failure of international sanctions to stem the Iranian program, and elaborate Israeli maneuvers that appear directed toward Iran have ratcheted up this speculation to a near-fever pitch.  Yet to this day, as Iran inches ever closer to becoming a nuclear power, Israel has kept its sword sheathed.

Over the past decades, Israel has acquired conventional weapons systems with Iran in mind.  The four most significant are F-15I and F-16I long-range strike fighters, the Arrow anti-ballistic missile system, and the Dolphin submarine.

The Dolphin is a German-manufactured diesel electric submarine.  It has impressive submerged mission capability, sophisticated sensors, and advanced torpedoes.  Upon the initial Dolphin sale, some observers focused on the installation of extra large 650mm torpedo tubes, in addition to standard 533mm tubes.  While the larger tubes can be used for swimmer delivery vehicles, there is much speculation that their purpose is to deploy a new type of Israeli-made cruise missile.

The Israelis have long been interested in missiles of this type, having unsuccessfully sought to purchase the American Tomahawk (which could also be launched from a 533mm tube).  The top candidate for making use of the 650mm tube is an extended-range version of the Israeli-designed Popeye Turbo missile.  It would be a modification of the long-serving Popeye air-launched cruise missile, a weapon used by both the U.S. and Israel.

In 2000, Israel reportedly carried out tests in the Indian Ocean with cruise missiles of 1,500-km range.  Whether the Popeye Turbo variant or another secret missile, this would give Israel a long-range cruise missile capability, similar to a Tomahawk, capable of taking out large above-ground targets, like cooling towers, transformers, generators, hardened buildings, and communication facilities.  However, it is unlikely to be capable against deeply buried targets (as are much of Iran’s nuclear facilities).  Also, given the limited size and storage capacity of the Dolphin, each sub would be able to launch only a small number of missiles, thus greatly limiting these missiles’ conventional utility against Iran.

The Dolphin is the most expensive single weapons system in the Israeli arsenal (even with German gifts and contributions to the costs) and cannot be risked absent clear necessity.  Given the peril, and the relatively limited power of the Dolphins in conventional land attack, it seems unlikely that any Dolphins would be used for this purpose against Iran.  Deployment to the Arabian Sea/Persian Gulf during a surprise conventional strike on Iran would be very hazardous.  So Dolphins in such an event would most likely be used to gather intelligence, deploy commandos, or strike at Iranian naval vessels — not hit Iranian nuclear facilities or land defenses.

Furthermore, while speculation regarding the Dolphins has persistently focused on Iran, historically, Israel’s primary naval focus has been on the Mediterranean.  Israel has never fought a major sea engagement in its southern waters, and its naval deployments have historically been heavily weighted toward the Mediterranean.  Israel’s primary trading partner is Europe, and the country’s major ports, industry, and population centers are located on its long, vulnerable Mediterranean coastline.  Although the causus belli of both the 1956 and 1967 Arab-Israeli wars was, at least in part, Egyptian blockades of the Gulf of Aqaba, Israel relied on ground and air forces in both conflicts to break the blockades.

Until the peace treaty with Egypt (1979) and the reopening of the Suez Canal to international and Israeli shipping, Israel was unable to deploy major warships to the Red Sea other than by sailing around Africa.  Shortly after the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, Israel deployed two Saar-class missile boats to Sharm el-Sheikh (then still in Israeli hands) by sending them around Africa, presumably to ward off another blockade at Bab el Mandeb [i].  But since the Suez Canal’s reopening, Israel has been reluctant to deploy naval assets through the Canal, or maintain them in the Red Sea [ii].  Israel in 2009, evidently with Egyptian blessing, ostentatiously deployed a Dolphin through Suez and back, for maneuvers and presumably as a warning to Iran.  But there appears to be no permanent basing for the Dolphins in Eilat.

Thus, the Dolphins are likely part of the Israeli arsenal for two reasons, and a conventional preemptive strike against Iran is simply not one of them.  First, the Dolphins offer important conventional operational capabilities against Israel’s enemies and rivals in the Mediterranean.  At present, Syria, Hezb’allah, and Hamas present the only immediate hostile naval threats to Israel, but things can change rapidly in the Middle East.  Israel faces two dangerous and powerful naval rivals in the form of Egypt and Turkey.

The second reason Israel has Dolphins is almost certainly on account of nuclear deterrence.  If there was much doubt about the Dolphin’s nuclear capabilities, the recent announcement that candidates for service in the IDF sub force must renounce dual citizenship indicates the highly sensitive nature of this assignment.  Israel is a very small country with no defensive interior to speak of, and it would be particularly vulnerable to a nuclear first strike against a relatively short list of targets.  Therefore, a failsafe nuclear deterrent has become an existential aspect of Israeli defense policy.

Dolphins equipped with the nuclear-armed extended-range Popeye Turbo or another similarly capable cruise missile could maintain deterrence from deep in the Mediterranean.  The distance from the Israeli port of Haifa to Tehran is 1,573 km, about the purported range of the long-range Popeye Turbo.  Haifa to Isfahan (site of one of Iran’s critical nuclear facilities) is about the same distance.  Dolphins sailing off the coast of northern Syria, or southern Turkey (in the vicinity of Cyprus), could launch from somewhat closer range.  Thus, for purposes of nuclear deterrence, there is no need to risk Dolphins in the Arabian Sea or Persian Gulf.

So why do the Israelis send an occasional Dolphin through Suez?  Deception is one likely reason, as well as concern for Israeli shipping in the Red Sea at Bab el Mandeb, where history shows that Israel is vulnerable to blockade.

The Iranian regime has threatened Israel with nuclear attack and suggested that the tiny state could not survive a single successful nuclear strike, which might be true.  As the United States appears to be plotting a course that tolerates and seeks to manage a nuclear-capable Iran, this is tremendously worrisome.  It suggests that very soon, an Iranian regime well-equipped with nuclear weapons might speculate that a successful first strike against Israel’s clustered and exposed land-based nuclear facilities is feasible.  The Dolphins, by providing a secure last leg of an Israeli nuclear triad, will help ensure that that never happens.

---

[i] Moshe Tzalel,  From Icebreaker to Missile Boat the Evolution of Israel’s Naval Strategy (Westport, CT:  Greenwood Press, 2000), p. 63.

[ii] Ibid.

February 10

Morning

“I know how to abound.”
Philippians 4:12

There are many who know “how to be abased” who have not learned “how to abound.” When they are set upon the top of a pinnacle their heads grow dizzy, and they are ready to fall. The Christian far oftener disgraces his profession in prosperity than in adversity. It is a dangerous thing to be prosperous. The crucible of adversity is a less severe trial to the Christian than the refining pot of prosperity. Oh, what leanness of soul and neglect of spiritual things have been brought on through the very mercies and bounties of God! Yet this is not a matter of necessity, for the apostle tells us that he knew how to abound. When he had much he knew how to use it. Abundant grace enabled him to bear abundant prosperity. When he had a full sail he was loaded with much ballast, and so floated safely. It needs more than human skill to carry the brimming cup of mortal joy with a steady hand, yet Paul had learned that skill, for he declares, “In all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry.” It is a divine lesson to know how to be full, for the Israelites were full once, but while the flesh was yet in their mouth, the wrath of God came upon them. Many have asked for mercies that they might satisfy their own hearts’ lust. Fulness of bread has often made fulness of blood, and that has brought on wantonness of spirit. When we have much of God’s providential mercies, it often happens that we have but little of God’s grace, and little gratitude for the bounties we have received. We are full and we forget God: satisfied with earth, we are content to do without heaven. Rest assured it is harder to know how to be full than it is to know how to be hungry–so desperate is the tendency of human nature to pride and forgetfulness of God. Take care that you ask in your prayers that God would teach you “how to be full.”

“Let not the gifts thy love bestows

Estrange our hearts from thee.”

Evening

“I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.”
Isaiah 44:22

Attentively observe the instructive similitude: our sins are like a cloud. As clouds are of many shapes and shades, so are our transgressions. As clouds obscure the light of the sun, and darken the landscape beneath, so do our sins hide from us the light of Jehovah’s face, and cause us to sit in the shadow of death. They are earth-born things, and rise from the miry places of our nature; and when so collected that their measure is full, they threaten us with storm and tempest. Alas! that, unlike clouds, our sins yield us no genial showers, but rather threaten to deluge us with a fiery flood of destruction. O ye black clouds of sin, how can it be fair weather with our souls while ye remain?

Let our joyful eye dwell upon the notable act of divine mercy–”blotting out.” God himself appears upon the scene, and in divine benignity, instead of manifesting his anger, reveals his grace: he at once and forever effectually removes the mischief, not by blowing away the cloud, but by blotting it out from existence once for all. Against the justified man no sin remains, the great transaction of the cross has eternally removed his transgressions from him. On Calvary’s summit the great deed, by which the sin of all the chosen was forever put away, was completely and effectually performed.

Practically let us obey the gracious command, “return unto me.” Why should pardoned sinners live at a distance from their God? If we have been forgiven all our sins, let no legal fear withhold us from the boldest access to our Lord. Let backslidings be bemoaned, but let us not persevere in them. To the greatest possible nearness of communion with the Lord, let us, in the power of the Holy Spirit, strive mightily to return. O Lord, this night restore us!

- Bible Gateway.Com

Eli [Ē'lī]—jehovah is high or my god. The high priest and judge of Israel of the family of Ithamar (1 Sam. 1-4; 14:3).

The Man Who Lacked Parental Authority

There are few Bible men in whose character we cannot find some great and glaring fault. There is usually a dead fly in the ointment, a rent in the garment, a spot on the whitest sheet. Eli was a good man whose life was pure. He loved and delighted in God’s service, but was faulty in one point. He failed to exercise the proper authority of a parent over his children.

Eli belonged to the tribe of Levi, and for years acted as a judge and as High Priest in Israel. He lived at Shiloh in a dwelling adjoining the Temple for the greater portion of his life. We know little about him until he was well advanced in age. The first mention of him is when Hannah came to pour out her heart.

Eli’s fault which brought sorrow upon his declining years was the conduct of his own two sons, Phinehas and Hophni, who, although lacking their father’s character and qualities, were yet put into the priest’s office. Their conduct disgraced their high calling and shocked the people so much that they “abhorred the offering of the Lord.” While Eli warned them of their shameful ways, he did not rebuke them with the severity their evil deeds merited. He should have exercised the stern authority of a father and rebuked them as a judge. Instead Eli only mildly reasoned with his sons saying: “Why do ye such things?” But the sons disregarded such a weak and useless protest for their hearts were cold and callous and so they no longer heeded their father’s feelings.

Although Eli had no power to change the hearts of his sons, he could have prevented their ministry before the Lord, but he “restrained them not.” He wanted to be kind to them but it was a false and mistaken kindness. A seasonable correction would have saved them from ruin. Eli had no need to be harsh and severe, only firm and decided in the matter of obedience. Eli was twice warned that judgment would overtake him and his sons, but such warning was lost upon him. He dearly loved his sons and could not take action against them.

What a pitiable spectacle Eli presents! An old man of ninety, almost blind, waited to hear the result of the grim battle between the Israelites and the Philistines. How he trembled for his nation, his sons and also for the Ark of God which would be dishonored if it fell into enemy hands! Then the messenger came with news of the slaughter of his sinful sons and of the taking of the Ark. As Eli heard mention of the latter he fell off his seat by the side of a gate and died of a broken neck, yes, and of a broken heart! As is often the case, children bring down their father’s gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

- Bible Gateway.Com

From Global Christian Post.Com

The Mississippi State Legislature is considering a bill that could see parents who “spank” their children face either 10 years in jail or life imprisonment depending on the intention and bodily harm caused to the child, but critics of the bill say its intentions are not clearly defined.

Senate Bill 2180, an act to amend a section of the Mississippi Code of 1972, aims to revise the “offense of felonious abuse or battery of a child; and for related purposes.” The bill is sponsored by Senator Brice Wiggins of District 52.

Dewitt Black, Senior Counsel for the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), believes that there are problems with the bill’s language. Black told The Christian Post that the words “bodily harm” and “reasonable discipline” are not properly defined.

He pointed out that these actions are left to the court’s interpretation on what constitutes as a crime. According to SB 2180, a person is guilty of felonious child abuse if the act was intentional and caused bodily harm – including burn, torture, strangle or choke, disfigure, whip or strike – except as “a result of reasonable discipline, in self-defense, or in order to prevent bodily harm to a third party.”

“A lot of people have different ideas about what [bodily harm] is,” Black said. “Does inflicting pain constitute bodily harm? How about if the parent leaves red marks on the child from a spanking?”

The HSLDA attorney shared that many people do not believe spanking should be legal and that “any striking or whipping of a child should be a crime.” However, he countered that there are also those who believe that spanking would be appropriate under certain circumstances – just not with an object.

Pastor David Wright, CEO of DOersTV, says regardless, there is a difference between child abuse and discipline.

“I would hope that the real motive of this bill is to protect children from abuse and not correction,” he told CP. “With the decay of Christian values in this nation I doubt that is the real motive. We are to never sacrifice discipline, chastisement and correction of our children and call it abuse if it is not abuse. ”

Black shared similar sentiments, saying that historically in America and other cultures parents have been able to administer reasonable corporal punishment – not to abuse a child – but to discipline.

“[This] includes spanking and we believe that right should be preserved,” he stated. “As a Christian organization we believe that it is a biblical means of disciplining a child.”

Wright agreed that Christians should look to God’s Word – offering Proverbs 13 [show/hide]Proverbs 13 [13:1]A wise son hears his father's instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. [2]From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence. [3]Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. [4]The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. [5]The righteous hates falsehood, but the wicked brings shame and disgrace. [6]Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, but sin overthrows the wicked. [7]One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. [8]The ransom of a man's life is his wealth, but a poor man hears no threat. [9]The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked will be put out. [10]By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom. [11]Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. [12]Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. [13]Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded. [14]The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. [15]Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous is their ruin. [16]In everything the prudent acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly. [17]A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a faithful envoy brings healing. [18]Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored. [19]A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools. [20]Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. [21]Disaster pursues sinners, but the righteous are rewarded with good. [22]A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous. [23]The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food, but it is swept away through injustice. [24]Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him. [25]The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want.
and 23 in support.

“He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes,” Pastor Wright said, quoting the King James Version of the passages. “Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.”

According to Black, the Bill would be a very dangerous law to “have on the books because parents would not know what’s illegal and what’s legal under state law.” He pointed out that this was due largely to the terms “bodily harm” and “reasonable discipline.”

He told CP that HSLDA is currently working with state home-school leaders to get the bill amended and “alleviate concerns about [the wording].” SB 2180 as it is currently written is the way it was filed, and Black says he is hoping to see this changed. If passed, the bill will be effective from July 1, 2012.

Meanwhile, Pastor Wright says if parents love their children they will spank, without abusing them.

“To all Christian parents, believe what God said regarding spanking your child as a form of discipline. And if you do not believe it works, just look at society, and all the parents who live disciplining their children to the government and ask yourself which one works the best,” he argued.

- Prophecy News Watch

From End of the American Dream.Com

Is 2012 the year when we will see a major war in the Middle East? For years we have heard about rising tensions in the Middle East, and for years we have heard politicians express concerns about Iran’s nuclear program, but now things really do seem to be reaching a boiling point. In just the past few days, the U.S. government has imposed tough new sanctions on Iran and has totally shut down the U.S. embassy in Syria. The truth is that we are getting dangerously close to a major war in the Middle East.

So will Israel strike Iran at some point in the next few months? Will the U.S. military intervene in the rapidly escalating conflict inside of Syria? If a major war does erupt, it could send the price of oil skyrocketing and there is the potential that the war could broaden very quickly.

Hezbollah has already indicated that it will side with Syria, and there is always the potential that Hamas could as well. Russia and China have both stated that they are completely opposed to military action by the United States against Iran and Syria, and they have even hinted that they would possibly even help defend those countries. As the nations of the world take sides, there is even the potential that we could see World War III develop. Let us hope that it never comes to that, but with the world as unstable as it is right now, you never know what may happen.

What makes war so much more likely now is that nobody has shown any signs of backing down.

Syrian President Bashar Assad has sworn that he will never step down.

U.S. President Barack Obama says that it is only a matter of time until he is forced to step down and that no other outcome is acceptable.

Iran has sworn that it will never end its nuclear program.

The United States believes that if Iran is allowed to develop a nuclear weapon it would be a fundamental threat to world security.

Israel believes that if Iran is allowed to develop a nuclear weapon it would be a fundamental threat to the very existence of the nation of Israel.

So if nobody backs down, what is going to happen?

I think we all know what is going to happen.

The following are 25 signs that we are getting dangerously close to a major war in the Middle East….

#1 The United States has just imposed tough new sanctions on Iran. Some of the new sanctions are specifically targeted at the central bank of Iran. Stronger sanctions have been a prelude to war in the past, and the Obama administration surely wants to argue that “all other alternatives have been exhausted” before going to war.

#2 The EU has announced that all imports of crude oil from Iran will be banned starting in July.

#3 The U.S. embassy in Syria has been shut down and the Obama administration has once again called for Syrian President Bashar Assad to resign.

#4 The U.S. has also removed all diplomats from Syria.

#5 In speaking of the removal of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Barack Obama is making it very clear what he believes the final result will be….

“This is not going to be a matter of if, it’s going to be a matter of when.”
This is very reminiscent of the language that Obama used to describe the removal of Gadhafi before the U.S. launched airstrikes in Libya.

#6 U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is calling for “an international coalition” to support the opposition fighters in Syria.

#7 Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak says that Iran is moving their uranium enrichment facilities into recently constructed underground bunkers and that the point of no return is rapidly approaching….

“The world has no doubt that Iran’s nuclear program is steadily nearing readiness and is about to enter an immunity zone”
#8 There are indications that Israel may consider launching an attack against Iran without even notifying the United States. Aaron David Miller, a Mideast peace negotiator during the Clinton administration, recently made the following statement….

“There’s a growing concern — more than a concern — that the Israelis, in order to protect themselves, might launch a strike without approval, warning or even foreknowledge”
#9 The Washington Post is reporting that U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta believes that Israel will strike Iran at some point during the months of April, May or June.

#10 Former IDF chief of staff Moshe Yaalon insists that an attack on Iran could be successful….

“It’s possible to strike all Iran’s facilities, and I say that out of my experience as IDF chief of staff”
#11 U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner says that the Obama administration “is absolutely committed to preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons”.

#12 Barack Obama underscored his policy toward Iran in a speech just the other day….

“I’ve been very clear — we’re going to do everything we can to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and creating a nuclear arms race in a volatile region”
#13 According to Debka, thousands of U.S. troops have been heading to “two strategic islands within reach of Iran”.

#14 Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei is speaking as if the coming war is a foregone conclusion….

“The war itself will be 10 times as detrimental to the U.S.”
#15 Khamenei also seems to think that the outcome of the coming war is a foregone conclusion as well….

“In light of the realization of the divine promise by almighty God, the Zionists and the Great Satan (America) will soon be defeated”
#16 Khamenei also has declared that Israel is a “cancerous tumor that should be cut and will be cut”.

#17 According to one estimate, there are currently 200,000 missiles aimed at the nation of Israel.

#18 Some Israeli officials claim that Iran is trying to develop a long-range missile capable of reaching the United States.

#19 The death toll from the conflict inside of Syria continues to rise. According to Debka, “a continuous Syrian bombardment beginning early Saturday, Feb. 4, is estimated to have left a record 350 dead and up to 1,300 wounded in the Homs district of Khaldiyeh.”

#20 According to the United Nations, a total of approximately 6,000 people have been killed since the conflict in Syria began.

#21 The city of Homs is one giant war zone at this point. The following comes from a recent article in the Telegraph….

“We can’t count all the bodies from the streets and the collapsed buildings. Anyone who tries to go on the street might be killed - there are snipers,” said Abu Abdu al-Homsi, spokesman for the Syrian Revolutionary Council, an opposition group, in Homs. “An old woman - her son was shot and killed in the street, she went to get his body and was shot dead too.”

#22 The Russians appear to be very serious about supporting the Assad regime in Syria. According to Debka, “the Russians backed their hard line against the West by putting Rapid Reaction Force (aka Spetsnaz) units in Black Sea bases on the ready to set out for Syria and defend Damascus.”

#23 It is being reported that a Hezbollah official has indicated that Hezbollah will attack Israel if Syria is attacked.

#24 There are even signs that Saudi Arabia is busy preparing for a coming war. The following comes from a recent Debka article….

“Our military sources report that the Saudis this week wound up their own intensive preparations for war. Large forces are now deployed around Saudi oil fields, pipelines and export facilities in the eastern provinces opposite the Persian Gulf, backed by anti-missile Patriot PAC-3 batteries. American, British and French fighter-bombers have been landing at Saudi air bases to safeguard the capital, Riyadh.”

If a major war does erupt in the Middle East, what is that going to do to the global economy and the price of oil?

It is being projected that the price of gasoline in the United States could go above 4 dollars a gallon this spring even if there isn’t a war in the Middle East.

So how much higher would it go if there is a conflict with Iran?

Today, Iran is the third largest exporter of oil in the entire world. If those shipments are cut off that would have a huge impact.

But Iran could have an even greater impact by closing the Strait of Hormuz.

Approximately 20 percent of all oil sold in the world goes through the Strait of Hormuz each year. If Iran started raining missiles down on oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz, that would change the global economy overnight.

We live in very unusual times, and it should be apparent to everyone that there is not going to be lasting peace in the Middle East any time soon.

Right now, the world is on a road that is inevitably going to lead to a major war in the Middle East and nobody is showing any signs of backing down.

When the next major war does erupt in the Middle East, it is going to change the world forever.

But what kind of change will that be?

- Prophecy News Watch

From Daily Mail.Co.Uk

Contact lenses which focus 3D screens directly into people’s eyeballs could be on sale as early as 2014, says U.S. company Innovega.

The tiny ’screens’ sit directly on users’ eyeballs and work with a pair of lightweight glasses with a built-in translucent screen.

The experience is equivalent to a 240-inch television viewed at a distance of 10 feet, says Innovega’s CEO Steve Willey.

The lenses sit directly on the eyeball, and have been engineered using nanoscale techniques to work as a focusing device that pairs with a pair of hi-tech glasses.

The devices can ‘pair’ with smartphones and portable game devices to deliver up-close video - or switch to a translucent ‘augmented reality’ view, where computer information is layered over the world we know.

Crucially, the devices can be worn while moving about - previous bulky ‘VR headsets’ have blindfolded their users and can only be used sitting down.

The effect could be similar to the lenses worn by Tom Cruise in Minority Report.

The company is also developing hi-tech lenses for use by American soldiers, feeding battlefield information directly into their eyes.

DARPA - the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, thought of as the American military’s ‘mad scientist’ wing - has been funding research on ’soldier mounted displays’ for some time.

It’s now working on ‘iOptik’ lenses with Innovega.

The lenses, made with nano-scale engineering processes,work as a hi-tech focusing device, which allows Innovega’s glasses to be considerably less bulky than previous devices.

The lenses themselves require no power, and thus can sit safely on the eyeball.

DARPA projects are often oddball technology, but it also has a history of far-sighted technological leaps.

DARPA invented the first virtual reality devices, and one of the precursors of the modern internet.

DARPA Says, ‘Innovega’s iOptiks are contact lenses that enhance normal vision by allowing a wearer to view virtual and augmented reality images without the need for bulky apparatus. ‘

‘Instead of oversized virtual reality helmets, digital images are projected onto tiny full-color displays that are very near the eye.’

These novel contact lenses allow users to focus simultaneously on objects that are close up and far away.’

Innovega claims that the devices could become popular rapidly due to the number of contact lens wearers worldwide.

The program seeks to develop novel computational imaging capabilities and explore joint design of hardware and software that give warfighters access to systems that greatly enhance their awareness, security and survivability.

- Prophecy News Watch

From SeattlePi.Com

In recent weeks, India has decided to buy 126 fighter jets from France, taken delivery of a nuclear-powered submarine from Russia and prepared for its first aircraft carrier — modernizing its military to face a rising China.

India and China have a long history of tension, dating back to a 1962 border war, and New Delhi has watched with dismay in recent years as Beijing has increased its influence in the Indian Ocean.

China has financed the development of ports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar, virtually encircling India. Beijing’s recent efforts to get access to facilities in the Seychelles have prodded New Delhi to renew its own outreach to the Indian Ocean island state off its west coast.

With its recent purchases, running into tens of billions of dollars, India is finally working to counter what it sees as aggressive incursions by neighboring China into a region India has long dominated.

“The Indian military is strengthening its forces in preparation to fight a limited conflict along the disputed border, and is working to balance Chinese power projection in the Indian Ocean,” James Clapper, the U.S. director of national intelligence, told a Senate committee last week.

India has created new infantry mountain divisions and plans to raise a strike corps aimed at countering aggression by China. Their border still has not been agreed upon despite 15 rounds of talks, and patrols from the two sides frequently face off on the ground.

Analysts say that although the probability of a conflict between the two Asian giants is remote, a short, sharp conflict in the disputed Himalayan heights can’t be ruled out.

“Over the last couple of years, the Chinese have been acting more and more aggressively in the political, diplomatic and military arena,” said retired Brig. Gurmeet Kanwal, director of the Indian army-funded Centre for Land Warfare Studies in New Delhi.

Indian leaders and defense strategists have watched with alarm as China modernized its forces and extended its military advantage over India. For some in India, countering China is taking precedence even over checking longtime rival Pakistan.

“Of late, there has been a realization (in India) that China is the real danger of the future,” Kanwal said.

To compete, India has embarked on a long-overdue drive to modernize its forces and replace their obsolescent, Soviet-era weapons.

Its orders for fighter jets, naval frigates, helicopters and armaments have made India the world’s largest importer of arms. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said India accounted for 9 percent of all the world’s weapon imports in 2010, the latest year for which figures were available.

Last week’s order of 126 combat aircraft, won by France’s Dassault, followed a bitter battle by global jet manufacturers hoping to entice India.

The initial cost for the 126 planes is estimated at about $11 billion, but on-board weaponry, technology transfers, maintenance, warranties and other costs are expected to almost double the price.

The Indian navy last week took command of a Russian Nerpa nuclear submarine, renamed INS Chakra-II, at the Russian port of Vladivostok, propelling India into an elite group of countries operating underwater nuclear-powered vessels. Others in the club are the United States, France, Russia, Britain and China.

The Chakra-II, on lease from Russia for the next 10 years at a cost of nearly $1 billion, is expected to be inducted into the navy by March. Later this year, India is expected to take delivery of a retrofitted Soviet-built aircraft carrier.

In addition, six Scorpene subs being built in India under license from France in a $5 billion deal are expected to start going into service in 2015, three years behind schedule, said Defense Minister A.K. Antony. Labor problems and difficulties procuring needed technology have hampered the project, he told the Indian Parliament recently. Critics also blame India’s sluggish bureaucracy for the delays.

“India’s efforts at modernizing its forces have been very slow,” said Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, a defense analyst at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation.

Some Indian military experts complain that the country is not doing enough to upgrade its forces to the level befitting the regional power it aspires to be.

“It’s not only China that is rising. India is on the ascent too, and it’s a trend that will continue for some decades,” said retired Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak at the Centre for Air Power Studies in New Delhi.

India may be watching China’s overtures to its neighbors with alarm, but New Delhi has also embarked on its own effort to reach out to the Southeast Asian and East Asian countries in Beijing’s backyard.

India has struck a strategic partnership with Vietnam, including helping Hanoi beef up its defense capabilities. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been actively pursuing a “Look East” policy, engaging the leaders of South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, among others. The policy has resulted in a troupe of high-level visits to India, bolstering trade and economic cooperation.

Nowhere is the contest between China and India more evident than in Myanmar, where both of the energy-seeking Asian giants are caught in a race to gain access to the country’s natural gas sources.

India has regularly conducted defense exercises with countries in the region. It is scheduled to host the navies of 14 Asian countries in maritime exercises later this week; the Chinese and Pakistani navies have not been invited.

And, while India is increasing its defense capabilities, China is doing the same, but faster, making it difficult for India to catch up. The Chinese government’s military budget is the second largest in the world after the United States.

India has raised two mountain divisions of soldiers to add to its existing high-altitude troops. Around 36,000 soldiers and officers of the divisions have been posted in the remote northeast, not far from India’s Arunachal Pradesh state, which China claims as part of its territory.

A proposal for a mountain strike corps is awaiting clearance by India’s Cabinet, and an independent armored brigade for the mountain region also is in the works. India hopes to show it can strike deep beyond its neighbor’s borders to serve as a deterrent for any Chinese aggression, Kanwal said.

“India is building up its capability for offensive operations in the mountains with a view to taking the fight into Chinese territory,” Kanwal said.

“India’s efforts at modernizing its forces have been very slow,” said Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, a defense analyst at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation.

Some Indian military experts complain that the country is not doing enough to upgrade its forces to the level befitting the regional power it aspires to be.

“It’s not only China that is rising. India is on the ascent too, and it’s a trend that will continue for some decades,” said retired Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak at the Centre for Air Power Studies in New Delhi.

India may be watching China’s overtures to its neighbors with alarm, but New Delhi has also embarked on its own effort to reach out to the Southeast Asian and East Asian countries in Beijing’s backyard.

India has struck a strategic partnership with Vietnam, including helping Hanoi beef up its defense capabilities. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been actively pursuing a “Look East” policy, engaging the leaders of South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, among others. The policy has resulted in a troupe of high-level visits to India, bolstering trade and economic cooperation.

Nowhere is the contest between China and India more evident than in Myanmar, where both of the energy-seeking Asian giants are caught in a race to gain access to the country’s natural gas sources.

India has regularly conducted defense exercises with countries in the region. It is scheduled to host the navies of 14 Asian countries in maritime exercises later this week; the Chinese and Pakistani navies have not been invited.

And, while India is increasing its defense capabilities, China is doing the same, but faster, making it difficult for India to catch up. The Chinese government’s military budget is the second largest in the world after the United States.

India has raised two mountain divisions of soldiers to add to its existing high-altitude troops. Around 36,000 soldiers and officers of the divisions have been posted in the remote northeast, not far from India’s Arunachal Pradesh state, which China claims as part of its territory.

A proposal for a mountain strike corps is awaiting clearance by India’s Cabinet, and an independent armored brigade for the mountain region also is in the works. India hopes to show it can strike deep beyond its neighbor’s borders to serve as a deterrent for any Chinese aggression, Kanwal said.

“India is building up its capability for offensive operations in the mountains with a view to taking the fight into Chinese territory,” Kanwal said.

- Prophecy News Watch