I Saw a Great White Throne…..
“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them” [Revelation 20;11].
The last judgment is a challenging court drama. . It will not be like an earthly assize. There will be no debate about guilt, no objections. A prosecution, but no defence. There will be a judge, but no jury. There will be a sentence, but no appeal. There will be punishment, but no parole.
God’s judgment will be universal, and it will be fair. When you read, “to convict all who are ungodly” (Jude 15), think of the word convince. God will convince those He is about to judge of the fairness of it. “That’s not fair” will not be heard on judgment day.
When God judges, the anthem of Heaven will be this: “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments” (Revelation 16:7). They’ll be fair because God is presiding over them.
God has attributes that no human judge has. God is omnipresent. He witnesses every sin ever committed by every person. He’s also omniscient. He knows everything—not just what happened, but also our motive.
When God judges at the great white throne, Revelation says “the books [are] opened” (20:12). In other words, God has a complete, detailed record of each person’s life.
And His judgment will be eternal: “for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever” (Jude 13). That’s not easy to hear. But when Jesus discussed hell and heaven, punishment and glory, in Matthew 25, He used the same word—everlasting, eternal (v. 46).
Tempting as it is to be comforted when one of the perpetrators of the current crimes against humanity [and they are many and known to us] close their eyes and draw their last breath, we should pray that God Himself would break through their evil hearts and give them the ability to repent and so avoid an eternity of such horror as clearly promised in the Biblical scriptures.
Some Bad News for the WEF………
The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.
The earth mourns and fades away, the world languishes and fades away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.
The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
Therefore has the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.
Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth.
The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.
[Isaiah 24]
Plan for establishment of an Arab Palestinian State 'Within Weeks'.....
Washington, together with a small group of Arab countries, is formulating a comprehensive plan for long-term peace between Israel and the Arab Palestinians.
The Washington Post reported on Thursday morning a plan for the establishment of an Arab Palestinian state which the United States is formulating with a small group of Arab countries.
This would include the completion of "a detailed, comprehensive plan for long-term peace between Israel and Palestinians, including a firm timeline for the establishment of a Palestinian state."
The U.S. newspaper reported that, according to the plan, the state to be established is expected to be announced "as early as the next several weeks."
The efforts to complete the plan are linked to the proposed deal, which includes a ceasefire in exchange for the release of the hostages.
This truce, which will last six weeks, will allow the plan to be announced publicly, gain support, and to take further steps to implement it, including the establishment of a temporary Palestinian government.
An American source said that a deal to release the hostages is the key to the plan.
However, while Washington and the Arab countries are working to promote it, there is concern that an IDF incursion in Rafah, which is opposed by the American administration in its current format, will harm efforts for releasing the hostages and future efforts for peace.
The U.S. newspaper also wrote that Israel is the obstacle to such a plan, the question being whether its government will agree to a large portion of the details discussed in it.
These include, among other things, a withdrawal from settlements in Judea and Samaria, the establishment of a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem, the rehabilitation of Gaza, and integrated security arrangements for the administration of Judea and Samaria and Gaza.
The countries hope that Israel will also be offered targeted security guarantees and normalization vis-à-vis Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, which Israel will have a hard time refusing.
After the publication of the report, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded: "We will not in any way agree to this plan, which, in effect, states that the Palestinians deserve a reward for the terrible massacre they committed against us: A Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. I will demand today at the meeting of the State Security Cabinet to make an unequivocal decision, stating that Israel opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state and the imposition of sanctions on over half a million settlers."
American sources said that relations between U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reached a boiling point in recent days, against the backdrop of the planned IDF operation in Rafah.
In a call on Thursday, Biden “reiterated his view that a military operation should not proceed without a credible and executable plan for ensuring the safety of and support for the civilians in Rafah,” the White House said in a statement.
The US as well as nations from Europe and the Mideast to Australia have expressed concern about the pending operation, warning that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled Israel’s bombardment in the northern Gaza Strip earlier in the conflict would be trapped.
Netanyahu has pledged to allow civilians out of Rafah beforehand.
Egyptian authorities, fearful that an Israeli military push further into southern Gaza will set off a flood of refugees, are building an 8-square-mile walled enclosure in the Sinai Desert near the border, according to Egyptian officials and security analysts.
According to this morning's Wall Street Journal report, officials in the administration have tried to find ways to pressure Netanyahu not to take military action in Rafah until a comprehensive plan to allow for the maximum protection of civilians is presented.
Australia's Socialist dim bulb foreign minister Penny Wong [pictured below] took it upon herself to school the IDF on how a war should be conducted..in her opinion it could be possible to infiltrate a city without killing or wounding anyone.
However, Biden refused to use sanctions in the context of military aid as a means of doing so. He asked Netanyahu to "be careful" when invading Rafah.
In a conversation that took place between the two leaders around Christmas time, American and Israeli sources said Biden was furious about the discussion with Israel about the need to minimize harm to civilians and asked for a shift to targeted actions, before announcing the conversation was over and hung up.
According to the report, U.S. officials said that last month, the administration considered sending a message of dissatisfaction to Israel, which included a change in policy from the Trump era.
For example, this would mean cancelling the approval to mark goods produced in the settlements as "Made in Israel," as well as moving from the long-standing American policy that the settlements violate international law.
In addition, Washington considered imposing sanctions on Israeli ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Betzalel Smotrich. Finally, it was decided to impose sanctions only on four settlers, as a "softening" of the administration's response.
No matter how you cut it - American support for Israel and the desire to pressure into a peace agreement of some sort is now front and centre of geopolitics in this day.
A grievous day for America, and the western world, as they band together with the Islamic nations in their condemnation and hatred of the Jews.
This is not a shock to the God of Israel and His response in the days ahead is not going to be what they all expected.
ISRAEL - GAZA
Hamas is returning to power in northern Gaza, according to an Israeli military official
An IDF colonel warned in an interview earlier this week that Hamas is in the process of returning to power in northern Gaza, despite the elimination of most Hamas operatives in the area.
IDF Colonel (res.) Hezi Nachman urged the Israeli government to complete the task of destroying Hamas while simultaneously securing the release of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza, the Jerusalem Post reported.
“A directive was received to evacuate northern Gaza at the beginning of the war, and we demand that this evacuation be completed, and clearly state that no one be allowed to return home until the hostages are returned and Hamas is completely destroyed,” Nachman told Israel's 103FM radio.
The Israeli military ground operation, which began in late October, initially focused on neutralizing the terrorist group’s military and political assets in northern Gaza, including in the enclave’s largest urban centre – Gaza City.
In late December, Israel Defense Forces announced it was close to securing “full operational control” in northern Gaza. In military terms, this would mean that the IDF had dismantled Hamas as an organized military opponent.
However, smaller remaining terror cells have acted independently and have continued to attack Israeli forces in the area.
Weeks ago, Israel began dramatically reducing its military presence in Gaza, with tens of thousands of IDF reservists returning home to their families and civilian life.
This led to a power vacuum that Hamas was quick to exploit.
In early February, Hamas reportedly began reasserting its presence in northern Gaza, enabled by the dramatic reduction of IDF troops in the area.
However, the IDF’s Southern Command Major-General. Yaron Finkelman [pictured above] denied that the IDF was abandoning northern Gaza.
“Our ability to operate here, in the heart of Gaza City again, after we left to attack in other areas, our ability to return here and operate powerfully against the important targets, while striking many dozens of terrorists in recent days, is an important ability, and we will continue to do it,” he said.
While northern Gaza is officially a closed military zone, Nachman stressed that several hundred thousand Gazans remain in the area and that Hamas terrorists are hiding among them.
“Today, there are between 300,000 to 500,000 people in northern Gaza, the IDF doesn't have enough troops to operate there effectively, Hamas is returning to power there, armed gunmen are roaming the streets, and life in Gaza is going back to the old routine, while residents of Be'eri and Netiv Ha'Asara can't go home,” the IDF official assessed in his recent interview.
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ISRAEL -HEZBOLLAH
Israel announced Thursday that a senior commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force was killed in an airstrike the night before, as the terror group continued its attacks on Israeli towns, especially targeting Kiryat Shmona.
The killed commander was identified as Ali Muhammad al-Debes, [pictured above] senior officer in the elite Radwan Force. Alongside him, his deputy and another Hezbollah terrorist were also killed.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Thursday that the IDF had stepped up by “one level out of 10,” warning that “the IDF possesses very significant further strength” and “Air Force jets currently flying in the skies of Lebanon have heavier bombs for more distant targets.”
“We can attack not only at 20 kilometres [from the border], but also at 50 kilometres, and in Beirut and anywhere else,” Gallant added.
Over the past week, Israel has demonstrated a willingness to assassinate Hezbollah commanders. Some of these attempts have succeeded, others haven’t. But the attempts themselves demonstrate a growing Israeli exasperation with continued attacks on the north.
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Hostage Deal Fails;
The Israeli delegation sent to negotiate a hostage release deal in Cairo, Egypt, returned late mid-week without any breakthrough in the stalled talks.
Low-level talks continue, though the number of prisoners exchanged for hostages remains a point of disagreement
In addition to Israel, the negotiations reportedly involved representatives from the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, which is acting as a mediator for the Hamas terror organization.
There were conflicting reports about the negotiations..
The Israeli team allegedly suggested terms that were different from the Paris outline, according to reports from Israel’s Channel 13 news and Lebanese news site Al-Akhbar, affiliated with the Hezbollah terror group.
The Paris plan framework envisions a six-week initial humanitarian pause with three phases.
Around 35 to 40 Israeli hostages, primarily women, men older than 60, and those with serious medical needs would be released released during the first phase.
In the second phase, Israeli soldiers would be released, and the bodies of deceased hostages released in the third phase
Reports from American news sites indicate that the Biden administration hopes to turn the long humanitarian pause into a final ceasefire, which Israel is unwilling to accept.
Hamas has demanded an immediate, permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the entire Gaza Strip, and the release of around 1,500 Arab Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the 132 remaining Israeli hostages; at least 30 of whom are presumed dead.
IRAN
Iran Tests Ballistic Missiles in Preparation for Strike on Israel......
Tehran simulates attack on Israeli hangar housing American-made F-35s
Iran test fired advanced ballistic missiles on Tuesday in a series of war drills meant to prepare the Islamic Republic for a strike on Israeli military sites that house American-made F-35 fighter jets, according to the country’s state-controlled media.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is behind a series of recent strikes on American and Israeli positions across the Middle East, "simulated destroying hangars housing the Israeli regime's United States-procured F-35 warplanes by using ballistic missiles," according to information about the drills published in Tehran’s official media outlets.
During the war simulation, the IRGC fired "enhanced versions of its Emad and Qadr ballistic missiles against the F-35 hangars located inside a mock-up of the Tel Aviv regime's Palmachim Airbase," located just outside of the major Israeli city.
Iran claims its missiles are capable of striking deep into Israel and are capable of traveling more than 1,000 miles.
An attack on Israel’s store of F-35s would deal a devastating blow to the Jewish state as it faces down a conflict with Hamas on its southern border and an increasingly dangerous threat from Hezbollah on its northern border.
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A large explosion was observed near the Iranian city of Shahriar, near the capital Tehran, on Thursday evening, according to local media and footage shared on social media.
Iranian media reported that a large fire broke out at a chemical solvent production factory. According to reports, the blast was so large it was seen from several cities across central Iran.
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US carries out cyberattack on Iranian warship in Red Sea - NBC News report
The US operation was meant to inhibit the Iranian ship’s ability to share intelligence with Houthi militants in Yemen.
The United States conducted a cyberattack recently against an Iranian military ship in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden that had been collecting intelligence on cargo vessels, NBC News reported on Thursday, citing three US officials.
The cyberattack took place a week ago as part of a government response to a drone attack by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq that killed three US service members in Jordan late last month and wounded dozens of others, the report said.
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UAE restricts US ability to launch retaliatory airstrikes against Iran proxies......
Other Arab countries are restricting operations as well, according to people familiar with the matter.
Some Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates, are increasingly restricting the U.S. from using military facilities on their soil to launch retaliatory airstrikes on Iranian proxies.
The U.S. has long deployed thousands of troops at facilities in the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and elsewhere in the Middle East, and the Arab countries’ role in supporting U.S. military activities has come under intensified scrutiny since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October.
The conflict has pitted Arab governments’ interests in assuaging their citizens’ anger toward Israel against their desire to help Washington fend off Iranian-backed attacks.
The restrictions on U.S. activities on their soil reflect Arab calculations on how supportive they can be — without angering Iran.
The news that some countries are restricting access is based on information from a U.S. official, a congressional aide and two Western officials, all of whom were granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive security issue.
Amid a rising civilian death toll in Gaza, several Arab countries, particularly those “attempting a detente with Iran,” are “increasingly restricting” the U.S. and partners from conducting self-defence operations from their soil, according to the U.S. official.
This includes limits on retaliatory strikes against attacks in Iraq, Syria, and the Red Sea, the official said.
Iran’s use of surrogates, whose personnel and equipment are expendable, makes it difficult for opponents to strike at the core of the problem in Tehran.
The United States thus tends to conceive of Iran’s threat as too costly to confront and so has failed to contain it adequately.
Iran has also used its nuclear weapons program to cut deals: it offers to slow its nuclear progress at the price of the United States and its allies turning a blind eye to its other destabilizing regional activities.
YEMEN
After months taking on Houthi missiles, US carrier squadrons faces a new maritime menace
The USS Eisenhower, deployed to the Red Sea amid Iran-backed attacks on shipping, is now encountering unmanned surface vessels, ‘one of the most scary scenarios’
Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and its accompanying warships have spent four months straight at sea defending against ballistic missiles and flying attack drones fired by Iranian-backed Houthis, and are now more regularly also defending against a new threat — fast unmanned vessels that are fired at them through the water.
While the Houthis have launched unmanned surface vessels, or USVs, in the past against Saudi coalition forces that have intervened in Yemen’s civil war, they were used for the first time against US military and commercial in the Red Sea on January 4.
In the weeks since, the Navy has had to intercept multiple USVs, including one on Wednesday.
It’s “more of an unknown threat that we don’t have a lot of intel on, that could be extremely lethal — an unmanned surface vessel,” or USV, said Rear Admiral Marc Miguez, [pictured above] commander of Carrier Strike Group Two, of which the Eisenhower is the flagship.
The Houthis “have ways of obviously controlling them just like they do the (unmanned aerial vehicles), and we have very little little fidelity as to all the stockpiles of what they have USV-wise,” Miguez said.
America now finds herself at war with WWII technology and materiel, whilst the Houthis can cause immense damage with the cheap underwater drones which are simply undetectable.
SYRIA
Iranian-backed groups this week launched missile attacks on a US base on the west bank of the Euphrates River in Syria.
Local sources reported yesterday that Iranian-backed groups in the city of Al-Mayadeen in the Deir Ez-Zor Governorate, eastern Syria, launched at least three missile attacks on the base located in the Al-Omar oil field, where American forces have been deployed, in an area controlled by the Kurdish YPG group, a US ally.
The sources said that American forces responded to the attack with surface-to-surface weapons, targeting the sites of the Iranian-backed groups about 25 kilometres away.
Syria recently witnessed attacks on bases where the US army is deployed, including the Al-Tanf area and the Al-Malikiyah district, both of which border Iraq, and in Al-Hasakah and Al-Shaddadi, with unidentified drones and surface-to-surface missiles in response to America’s now waning support for Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza.
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US House of Representatives passes anti-normalization bill with Assad..
The US House of Representatives passed a bill mid-week which outlaws the normalization of ties between Washington and Syria in protest of the brutal regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
“This bill prohibits federal officials or employees from taking any action to recognize a Syrian government led by Bashar al-Assad. The bill also expands existing sanctions related to the Syrian conflict to cover additional activities and persons,” the Congress announced.
The American Coalition for Syria (ACS) announced the US House of Representatives’ approval of the anti-normalization with Assad bill, on the evening of Wednesday, February 14.
The ACS stated in a statement on its official website that 389 members (the overwhelming majority) in the House of Representatives, from both parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, voted in favour of the bill, against 32 others who opposed the bill.
The bill stipulates that the United States will not recognize or normalize relations with any Syrian government under the leadership of Bashar al-Assad, in addition to enhancing the sanctions stipulated by the Caesar Act of 2019, by extending its provisions, which were set to expire in 2024, before the extension to 2032, and it requires developing a joint strategy between agencies, and an annual report to counter normalization with al-Assad.
US congressman and member of the Republican Party, French Hill, said via “X,” “I applaud the House’s passage of the Assad Regime Anti-Normalization Act.”
During the House of Representatives session, Hill said that the United States must make clear that any normalization with al-Assad must end.
This action coincided with Arab attempts to reintegrate al-Assad into the Arab milieu, which became clear when Saudi Arabia welcomed al-Assad on its territory to participate in the Arab summit held in Jeddah, on May 19, 2023, after the return of Syria’s seat in the Arab League to the regime.
TURKEY
The Gaza conflict has given Erdogan an opportunity to increase criticism of Israel and the US in the Global South and to increase pressure on Arab leaders to take a tougher stance on Israel.
Thus, Turkey has declared its claim to the role of a significant actor in the newest phase of the Middle East conflict, in which its voice was not so obvious before.
Moreover, Erdogan has managed to convince a large segment of the Turkish political establishment and society that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is central to Turkey's global position and its regional ambitions.
Ankara also hopes for the greater involvement of non-Western powers such as China and Russia, and for international institutions (the International Criminal Court, etc.) to investigate supposed war crimes in the Gaza Strip, all of which will counterbalance the West's rather fickle support for Israel.
Turkey’s growing ambitions to strengthen its role in the region, on the one hand, and limited resources and capabilities coupled with vulnerability to growing regional instability, on the other, have formed a bizarre picture of Ankara’s foreign policy.
Turkey is becoming yet another player that amplifies, rather than softens, the competitive nature of multi-polarity in the Middle East, while making the most of the turmoil in the region in which regional coalitions have replaced each other with amazing speed.
Being a key player in the coming invasion of Israel [Ezekiel 38/9] it is no surprise to see her now maneuvering rapidly into a position of regional strength.
RUSSIA - UKRAINE
Russia fired Putin's 'invincible' hypersonic Zircon missile for the first time in Ukraine, so- called experts say.
Oleksandr Ruvin, director of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, said in a Telegram post on Monday that staff at the institute had found identifying markings among the missiles launched in an attack last Wednesday.
"This is evidenced by the markings on parts and fragments, the identification of components and parts, and the features of the relevant type of weapon," Ruvin wrote, per a translation by the Kyiv Independent.
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NATO Wants To Give Kyiv A Million Drones In 2024
Following on from Ukrainian plans to build one million drones this year, NATO officials have announced they want to match that figure.
Ukraine was high on the agenda as NATO defence ministers met in Brussels on 15 February to discuss defence investments and present a consolidated front for the alliance.
For Kyiv, a highlight of the day was the announcement that NATO allies are planning to jointly supply Ukraine with a million drones this year.
“A group of allies is coming together with the goal of delivering one million drones to Ukraine,” said Jens Stoltenberg, the alliance’s secretary-general.
More details of the drone plans were provided by Latvia and the United Kingdom, the two countries that are heading up the coalition.
Grant Shapps, [pictured below] the British defence secretary, announced the drone capability coalition with the following statement:
“I’m proud to announce that the U.K. and Latvia will co-lead an international coalition to build Ukraine’s vital drone capabilities.”
“Together, we will give Ukraine the capabilities it needs to defend itself and win this war, to ensure that Putin fails in his illegal and barbaric ambitions.”
Problem; Putin has already won this war many months ago.
It is by now no secret that drones are playing a vitally important role in the war, for both sides and across all domains.
It presently takes the U.S. a million or so dollars to down one of these drones unleashed by the Houthis - produced en masse for less than a few thousand dollars.
As well as repeatedly emphasizing the importance of drones to its operations, Ukrainian officials have also warned that Russia possesses far greater numbers of these systems than it does, with a notable disparity when it comes to the widely used types.
To address that imbalance, Ukraine had already said that it aimed to produce one million drones domestically in 2024.
For now, there remain questions as to whether Ukraine, let alone a NATO coalition, can produce so many drones in such a relatively short time-frame.
What is clear, however, is that the importance of drones of all kinds on the battlefields of Ukraine is showing no sign of diminishing.
The description of the weapons involved in the coming world war are being revealed each day now.
Significantly, the NATO chief said that in 2024, for the first time, European NATO allies will invest the equivalent of two percent of their total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in defence. This amounts to $380 billion.
“I’m confident,” WEF’er Stoltenberg [pictured above] added, “that NATO [the European Army of the revived Roman Empire of the last days] will remain the strongest and most successful alliance in history.”
Russian Space-Based Nuclear Weapon………….
The United States has informed Congress and its allies in Europe about Russian advances on a new, space-based nuclear weapon designed to threaten America’s extensive satellite network, The New York Times reported earlier today, citing anonymous sources.
"Such a satellite-killing weapon, if deployed, could destroy civilian communications, surveillance from space and military command-and control operations by the United States and its allies."
WORLD NEWS BRIEFING……with; Tom Hughes & Dennis Swick - 16 February 2024
Israel Report
Thanks for the encouragement Arthur!! City councils have moved on from garbage removal and road care into politics and WOKE politics at that!! Margaret Thatcher rid the UK of most of them - and that should be done everywhere!! They are mostly anti-Semitic too.
Amen!!!