Syrian Christians Under Attack - KHouse News

As the world watches for President Obama’s next move to execute a strategic strike on Syria, little media attention has been focused on the plight of the Syrian Christians, until now. Al-Qaida backed rebels have seized control over Maaloula, a small ancient village outside of Damascus. It is one of the three locations in the world where Western Aramaic is still spoken. Scholars believe the Christians living in Maaloula provide them a linguistic bridge to the dialect spoken during the first century. Many of the Christians living in Maaloula are Antiochian Orthodox and Melkite Greek Catholics. The village barely has 2,000 residents set in the Qalamoun Mountains, making this a strategic position for the Syrian rebels between Damascus and the other prominent city of Homs. Maaloula holds many of Sryia’s oldest monasteries and churches, including Mar Thecla that predates the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. The attack began last Wednesday when an al-Nusra suicide bomber blew up a military checkpoint in Maaloula. This attack allowed the rebels to enter the village and take control of a mountain-top hotel and used it as their center of operations for the duration of the battle. The al-Nusra rebels posted a You Tube video stating “Soon we will withdraw from this city not out of fear but to leave its homes to their owners. They were not our target. Our target was mainly military,” according to Reuters. Nearly 1,500 Syrian rebels surrounded the Christian village led by Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaida-affiliated group, and the Qalamon Liberation Front. The latter group has been described as “Moderate Rebels” by Secretary of State John Kerry. A Maaoula resident reported rebels shouting “Allahu Akbar” attacked Christian homes and churches shortly after moving into the village on September 8th. Gunshots were fired and other eye witnesses reported three bodies lying in the middle of the street in the old quarters of the village. Many Christians have fled the village for safety. Another Maaoula resident reported Syrian rebels were forcing some Christians to convert to Islam. “I saw the militants grabbing five villagers and threatening them: ‘Either you convert to Islam or you will be beheaded,” the resident said. The Syrian Army began coordinating attacks against the Syrian rebels on Monday. The Syrian rebels released a video stating they have achieved their objective of taking an army post and will pull out of the village. Other reports confirmed that two nuns were videotaped to assure that they were well-treated by the rebels. “They [rebels] behaved well with us and they did not harm us,” said one of the nuns at the rebels’ prompting. Christians living near the Turkish-Syrian border were reportedly murdered earlier in August by radical German Islamists. Experts have reported an increase of German Islamists entering Syria in the past six months. Reports came from two western intelligence agencies that the number of German Muslims migrating to Syria has increased from 60 to 150 militants. The Sunni Salafist movement in Germany has prompted the Federal Republic’s interior minister Hans-Peter Friedrich to issue a warning last April against German Muslims leaving for Syria to persue jihad. German prosecutors are examining whether German Muslims can be charged with participation in a terrorist organization. A former German rapper, Denis Cuspert (a.k.a. Deso Dogg), is believed to be fighting with the al-Qaida linked al-Nusra front. The German government considers Cuspert as the lead recruiter of German Muslims. He released a video prior to his departure urging Muslims to join the jihad in Syria. Gregorios III, the patriarch of the church of Antioch, reported that 450,000 of Syria’s two million Christians have been displaced since the start of the civil war. Over 1.2 million Syrians have since fled to Lebanon. Sunni Muslim extremists have many Syrian Christians worried that they will become the primary target since they are considered the weakest link that the rebels go after. Senator Rand Paul told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Assad has protected Christians for decades against Sunni Muslim attacks. According to the CIA World Factbook, 74 percent in Syria are Sunni Muslim. Assad is an Alawite, an offshoot of Shiite Islam. The Shiite and the Druze make up 16 percent of the Syrian population. Syrian Christians have every right to be worried if the current authoritative secular regime is overthrown and taken over by radical Islamists. Dozens of churches and Christian buildings were attacked by Islamic extremists in Egypt last month. Coptic Christians were the primary group targeted for revenge for supporting former president Hosni Mubarek. Abu Zakham, a Christian bishop, was displaced from his home in the city of Homs last year along with 85,000 other Christians by extremist rebels. He claims that there is a plan to displace Christians, but does not understand why. Whether Syrian Christians will experience further persecution from rebel forces will hinge upon President Obama’s stance to follow through with a strategic attack against Assad’s regime. The latest news released hours ago reported the Syrian government has accepted Russia’s proposal to turn over all of their chemical weapons under international control. Final plans are underway with the U.N Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Only time will tell if Syria will follow through on their promise. Meanwhile Syrian Christians remaining in Syria are hopeful that they will be able to lead as normal a life as possible until a strike occurs from either side. Related Links: Syrian Christians Flee Homeland as Government Forces, Rebels Infiltrate City — The Christian Post Syrian army launches attack on hills around Christian village — FOX News German jihadis kill Syrian Christians — The Jerusalem Post Syrian Christians Pack Passports Fearing Islamist Onslaught — Bloomberg more from khouse news: www.khouse.org/news/

US Ready for Military Strike on Syria; Russia Warns of 'Catastrophic Consequences' - What this Really Means

US Ready for Military Strike on Syria; Russia Warns of 'Catastrophic Consequences'

The U.S. media is playing coverage of the use of "chemical weapons" to play up the emotions of the American people to justify striking Syria for it's use of Chemical weapons.

"What we saw in Syria last week should shock the conscience of the world," Kerry said. "It defies any code of morality. Let me be clear. The indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, the killing of women and children and innocent bystanders by chemical weapons is a moral obscenity. By any standard, it is inexcusable. And despite the excuses and equivocations that some have manufactured, it is undeniable."
Read more at http://global.christianpost.com/news/us-ready-for-military-strike-on-syria-russia-warns-of-catastrophic-consequences-103125/#D05qdmiLSL0F2cXU.99 

Both Iran and Russia have warned of "catastrophic" results if America strikes Syria.  It seems that this upcoming war has a deeper agenda.  Iran vows to strike Israel if America strikes Syria.  And we should all know by now, that the goal of Islam is the eradication of the Jewish people, at least as they adhere to the religion and God of Israel.  If they bow the knee to Allah, they would be allowed to live.

Russia has threatened catastrophic consequences, while the Muslims also vow to make 9/11 look like a day in the park, in their quest to establish a Global Caliphate.  Even more recently, the Syrians have vowed to burn America's skies and cities in retaliation for a strike, and this was posted to the U.S. President's facebook page!  It has been reported that Russian troops are training with U.S. troops, but that they are also waiting to make a move against the continental U.S. to gain control of territory here.

The deeper agenda here is ushering in the one-world government.  By the U.S. striking Syria for it's use of Chemical weapons killing citizens (as opposed to the use of conventional weapons killing citizens), it allows for Iran to make good on their vow to attack Israel, in their attempt to wipe out the Jewish state.  It is a back-handed way for America to bring about the destruction of the Jewish people.

But as I stated in my last post, this attempt is going to fail.  The Bible declares that from here out, Israel will not be removed from the land that Yahweh promised to father Abraham to give to his descendants for all time.  But this war will result in the seven-year peace treaty being signed, and a Syrian man devising a solution will be hailed by most as the leader for the new world.  And along with this, to lend support, the revealing of alien/demonic/nephilim forces, with the revelation that people are "star seed" descended from these "alien" races.  This is part of the great delusion predicted in 2 Thess. 2:11.  

But as Tom Horn and Cris Putnam lay out in their detailed work Exo-Vaticana, an alien-hybridization program has been underway consistently throughout history, and the genetic crossing has achieved results where there are many "people" among us today, who are genetically Nephilim, or genetic hybrids designed by the "aliens" on the UFOs.  This is a demonic deception to bring about the kingdom of Satan, where every person will be required to take the mark of the one-world leader.

God's word remains true, declaring the end from the beginning.  God so loved humanity, that to rescue us  from our sin problems, and all the evil and wickedness that plague our world, He sent His only begotten Son, to provide forgiveness for all who call on Him and confess Jesus Christ as LORD/Master of their lives!  "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."  Rom. 10:13

Is a Burden Coming to Damascus?- Olive tree views

Is a Burden Coming to Damascus?
By Jack Kinsella
July 17, 2012
 www.olivetreeviews.org  

Isaiah 17:1 - "The burden of Damascus: Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap."

There are reports that Syria has started to move some of its huge stockpile  of chemical weapons out of storage and is deploying its weapons of mass  destruction in various places around the country, including the beleaguered city  of Homs.
The New York Times is reporting that some analysts and  lawmakers said Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, might use chemical weapons in  a last-ditch attack against an increasingly potent rebel force, possibly as part  of a campaign of ethnic cleansing.  Other officials said Syrian security forces  might be moving parts of the arsenal to prevent it from falling into rebel  hands.

"The truth is, we just don't know," said one American official who has been  monitoring intelligence reports since the Syrians began moving the chemical  weapons in recent days. "There's a big gaping hole in what we know."

Over the past four decades, Syria has amassed one of the largest undeclared  stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons in the world, including sarin  nerve agent, mustard gas and cyanide, the officials said. It is unclear which  agents are being moved, how big the transfers have been, and where the weapons  are being taken.

 Andrew J. Tabler, a senior fellow and Syria expert at the Washington  Institute for Near East Policy, said some chemical weapons had been moved in an  area around Homs, where some of the heaviest fighting has taken place in recent  weeks.
"The Assad regime is losing control of its territory," Mr. Tabler said. "You  don't move this stuff unless you have to, and they obviously felt they had to  move it."
The government of Israel is quietly preparing itself for the possibility of a  Syrian missile attack, as are the surrounding states deemed enemies by the Assad  government, including Turkey and Jordan.  There are reports that Syria is  attempting to draw Lebanon into the fray by launching a series of kidnappings  there.

The fear is that Syria will use chemical or biological weapons as part of an  ethnic cleansing campaign aimed at the centers of revolt in places like Homs,  Latakia and Aleppo, which would force international military action against  Syria. Syria would then retaliate with missile strikes against Israel, prompting an  Israeli military response.  Assad hopes that by bringing Israel into the  conflict, he will kick over the first domino. 

Israel hits Syria, Hezbollah counter-strikes Israel, Israel responds against  Hezbollah, Iran comes to Hezbollah's rescue, maybe drawing Turkey and Jordan into  the conflict, and while everybody is fighting everybody else, Assad's  shabiha can finish the job of wiping out his domestic opposition. That is the way that Assad hopes it would play out, basing that opinion on  his actions so far.  And it is a pretty good plan with some strong likelihood of  success, provided everybody responds the way they are expected to.

But IF (and it is still an "if") this is the war described in Psalms 83 and alluded to by the prophets Isaiah and  Obadiah, then that's not how it will play out.

Israel is under pressure from within and without to restrain itself from  being drawn in, for precisely the reasons outlined above.  During the 1991 Gulf  War, the Israelis endured 39 separate Scud missile attacks without responding  directly in order to prevent a similar scenario from playing out.

So it seems probable that Israel will show similar restraint in the face of a  Syrian missile attack, provided it is limited and conventional.  That's  what history and current events tend to dictate as the most likely course of  action.

Except that Assad needs Israel to counter-strike, and should they  show restraint, he will be forced to escalate, which could lead to his first use  of chemical or biological weapons.  And it is at this point, I believe, that the  Bible's scenario will begin to play out, if this is the appointed time  and not another false alarm. 

The prophet Isaiah predicts a quick war between Israel and Damascus,  culminating with the total destruction of the city in a single night.  In the  event of a WMD attack against Israel, the destruction of Damascus would be  Israel's only defense against potential annihilation.

Isaiah's vision mentions all the nations creating a tumult, but God  limits the engagement.

"Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of  the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of  mighty waters!"

"The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: But God shall rebuke  them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the  mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the  whirlwind."
The nations have rushed to the U.N.  The U.N. has made its noise.  The U.N. sent  monitors from many nations.  Assad's forces attacked them.  The U.N. withdrew  monitors and they fled afar off.

While Assad hopes to draw Iran into the conflict, Iran's appointment with  destiny is as part of an anti-Israel alliance led by Russia and consisting  almost entirely of non-Arab Islamic states of the former Persian Empire,  according to the prophet Ezekiel. 

The Psalms 83, Obadiah, Isaiah, etc. combatants are ALL Edomite, or ethnic  Arab states.  This is not the Gog-Magog war.  Before the war with Gog-Magog,  Israel is pictured as living in peace and safety in a land of unwalled  villages. 

If this is the Edomite war, then it will begin with the utter destruction of  Damascus by Israel.  AFTER that, (and perhaps BECAUSE of it) the enraged  Edomites launch their own doomed assault against Israel, which both the Psalmist  and Obadiah predict puts an end to them as a future threat to Israel.

The prophet Ezekiel predicts that, at a time when Israel is a land of  unwalled villages, dwelling in a sense of peace and security, Gog (Russia) will  be drawn into another conflict with Israel, as part of a wider alliance with the  old Persian Empire nations, all of which are currently Russian satellite  states. Somewhere on this timeline, between the destruction of Damascus and the  Edomite war and the outbreak of Gog- Magog, the prince of Daniel 9:27 confirms a peace covenant between Israel and  her neighbors.

Sometime after that, Iran joins Russia and Ezekiel's vision plays out.

I am going to go way out on a limb here and say that I believe that Assad's  gamble will ultimately fail.  If this is Isaiah's Burden of Damascus,  Russia, Turkey, and Iran, will sit this one out.  So will the majority of the rest  of the Arab world, at least initially.

It will be primarily between Syria and Israel, and it will be settled in a  single, overnight strike.

"And behold at evening tide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is  the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us." (Isaiah 17:12-14)
How it will play out all depends on where we are on the Bible's timeline.  If  we are where it looks like we are, we're almost within earshot of the  trumpet.

Maranatha!