Aussie Jews urged to be vigilant following beheading scare

Aussie Jews Urged To Be Vigilant Following Beheading Scare

http://www.timesofisrael.com/australian-jews-called-on-to-be-vigilant-following-terror-raid/?utm

World Climate Experts Forecast Apocalyptic Weather

World Climate Experts Forecast Apocalyptic Weather

Friday Aug 22, 2014

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) brought together 1,000 specialists to discuss the uncertain future of weather forecasting. Photo / Thinkstock

Intense aerial turbulence, ice storms and scorching heatwaves, huge ocean waves - the world's climate experts forecast apocalyptic weather over the coming decades at a conference in Montreal that ended this week.

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) brought together 1,000 specialists to discuss the uncertain future of weather forecasting.

A decade after the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol, the world's focus has shifted from reducing greenhouse gas emissions linked to warming, to dealing with its consequences.

"It's irreversible and the world's population continues to increase, so we must adapt," said Jennifer Vanos, a professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas Tech University.

Average temperatures have increased 0.47 per cent degrees Celsius so far. Scientists have predicted a two-per cent rise in average temperatures by 2050.

A one-degree hike translates into seven per cent more water vapour in the atmosphere and because evaporation is the driving force behind air currents, more extreme weather events are expected to follow.

"We'll see clouds forming faster and more easily, and more downpours," leading to flash flooding, said Simon Wang, assistant director of the Utah Climate Center.

Broadly speaking, said the American researcher, rising temperatures will have a "multiplying effect on weather events as we know them".

For meteorologists, the challenge will be to incorporate this "additional force" into their weather modelling, explained Wang.

Egypt and Israeli Alliance

Egypt and Israeli Alliance 06-08-2014

Gaza Tension Stoked by Unlikely Alliance Between Israel and Egypt Strategy of Squeezing Hamas Was Effective, but Helped Lead to Open Warfare, Officials Believe By Adam Entous in Jerusalem and Nicholas Casey in Gaza Aug. 6, 2014 10:38 p.m. ET The plan was simple: Israel and the new military-led government in Egypt would work together to ratchet up pressure on their shared enemy in the Gaza Strip - Hamas. But their miscalculations triggered a crisis. WSJ's Adam Entous joins the News Hub to discuss. Photo: Getty Israel and Egypt quietly agreed to work in concert to squeeze Hamas after Egypt's military coup in 2013, a strategy that proved effective but which some Israeli and U.S. officials now believe stoked tensions that helped spur open warfare in Gaza. When former military chief Abdel Fattah Al Sisi rose to power in Egypt after leading the overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, Israel found the two countries had a common interest in suppressing the Islamist group that ruled Gaza. They worked to bring pressure on their shared enemy. Mr. Sisi followed Israel's lobbying effort closely and was appreciative, the Israeli official said. "It came at a very formative time for him" and helped cement a trusting relationship between friends who realized they were vital to each others' national security, he said. Cooperation with Israel is highly sensitive in Egypt and Egyptian officials declined to discuss in detail the partnership between the neighbors against Hamas. In Gaza, there was shock at the events unfolding in Cairo. A senior Israeli official said the two governments wanted to advance their shared interests and increase pressure on Hamas. But he insisted there was no master plan to squeeze it to the point that "something would explode." Yet when Mr. Sisi closed nearly all of the tunnels along Egypt's border with Gaza but didn't compensate for the loss of those avenues by allowing the passage above ground of needed supplies, some Israeli officials said they privately began to raise alarm bells about the severity of Cairo's decisions. "They actually were suffocating Gaza too much," one Israeli official said. In Gaza, the situation grew desperate. At the height of Hamas's distress, three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped in the West Bank in June and subsequently found dead. Israel quickly concluded that Hamas was responsible and rounded up its activists in the West Bank, infuriating the group's armed wing in Gaza. After the abduction, which U.S. officials believe was carried out by Hamas members without the approval of their leaders in Gaza, Israeli intelligence officials warned policy makers that "overly pressuring Hamas will lead to a conflagration," according to another senior Israeli official. Rocket fire from Gaza escalated, and Israel began to respond with airstrikes. U.S. officials, who tried to intervene in the initial days after the conflict broke out on July 8 to try to find a negotiated solution, soon realized that Mr. Netanyahu's office wanted to run the show with Egypt and to keep the Americans at a distance, according to U.S., European and Israeli officials. Reflecting Egypt's importance, Mr. Gilad and other officials took Mr. Sisi's "temperature" every day during the war to make sure he was comfortable with the military operation as it intensified. Israeli officials knew television pictures of dead Palestinians would at some point bring Cairo to urge Israel to stop. "We knew we could not do something that went beyond what they could digest," a senior Israeli official said of the Egyptians. Egypt's view mattered more than America's, Israeli officials said. When a tentative deal finally came together in Cairo to stop the fighting, Washington found itself outside looking in on the Israeli-Egyptian partnership once again. Egypt and Israel working together is not a surprise to Bible Students as it is fully expected based on Bible Prophecy.  According to Bible Prophecy the Biblical King of the South will see an alignment between Egypt with Israel along with the Arab Gulf States.  Despite how things looked in Egypt just a year ago, Egypt is now back on track with Israel and according to Bible Prophecy will remain so.  The King of the South will oppose aggression from Russia and the EU.  They will be supported by America and Britain.  This News Item shows that the Nations are continuing to align themselves according to Bible Prophecy. Yet again we see the latter day alignment of Nations as Prophesied by the Bible falling into place before our very eyes.  See this article to learn more about this and the latter day prophecies of the Bible.

POPE'S HOLY LAND VISIT . . . VATICAN QUEST FOR ' PEACE , PRIMACY & POWER '

POPE'S HOLY LAND VISIT . . . VATICAN QUEST FOR ' PEACE , PRIMACY & POWER '

The 3-Day Papal Tour of Jordan - WestBank - Israel was a major event in the Vatican's ' master - plan ' for global dominion. Every aspect of this whirlwind tour was choreographed to promote interfaith dialogue & Pope Francis' aura as ' the Great Peacemaker 'preparing the way for the Vatican's rise to religious & political primacy. While claiming the tour was " purely religious " the Pope's words & actions ran deep with political intent. Consider this :

1 ) Pope Francis chose both a Jewish Rabbi & an Islamic Imam to travel with him during the trip to underscore the Pope's credentials & standing as the world's pre-eminent ' Peacemaker '.

2 ) He chose to fly ' direct ' from Jordan to the Palestinian-controlled Bethlehem - widely seen as a deliberate show of ' solidarity ' with the Palestinian cause. Never before has a Pope entered into Bethlehem without going through Israel first. The Pope repeatedly backed Palestinians' statehood aspirations , addressing its leader Abbas as the president of the ' State of Palestine ' & calling Abbas a ' man of peace ' even as Abbas forms a ' unity government ' with the Islamic militant / terrorist group Hamas !!


3 ) Pope Francis sparked controversy , when he provocatively stopped to pray at Israel’s controversial West Bank separation barrier. Standing before dozens of journalists & photographers, Francis put a hand on the wall, bowed his head & said a short prayer alongside a section on which “ Free Palestine ” & " Apartheid Wall " was scrawled in graffiti. Later , he also held a private lunch with five Palestinian families who say they have been harmed by Israeli policies. Media events, all ' staged ' by the Vatican to draw attention to Palestinian victimhood & more importantly , to ' demonise ' Israel & isolate the Jewish State internationally.

4 ) The centrepiece of the trip was Pope Francis' meeting & prayer with Patriarch Bartholomew ( spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians ) to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a similar meeting between their predecessors that ended a 900-year rift between the Catholic - Orthodox Churches. This event further underlining the Pope as a ' transformative peacemaker '

5 ) Fulfilling prophecies in Matthew & Mark - Pope Francis became only the 2nd Pope EVER to enter ' inside ' the Dome of the Rock (The Holy Place ) confirming he is the ' Abomination of Desolation '. Meeting with Islamic Imam's it was a display of merging Catholic-Muslim Unity & a chance to debate the last practical solutions before a ' final agreement ' can be reached on peace & universal brotherhood under ' One Universal Religion ' of all faiths - led by the Pope - from one throne of authority in Jerusalem

6 ) Finally , Pope Francis injected himself - politically - decrying Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts , declaring “ The time has come to put an end to this situation , which has become increasingly unacceptable ” then instigating his own ' Peace Process ' by issuing a joint invitation to Abbas & President Peres to visit the Vatican on June 6 to ' pray for peace '. A Vatican spokesman said it was a papal peace initiative , based on the Pope's moral & spiritual ' authority ' ( whose fraudulent claim is of being ' the Prince of Peace ' )


As we see these events unfold , the time draws near when THE TRUE ' Prince of Peace ' the Lord Jesus Christ will soon return to collect His faithful followers , before returning with them to execute the long-prophesied judgments against this Apostate system & all its harlot daughters. The 2014 Papal Tour provided one unmistakable ' prophetic sign ' warning of coming trouble on an unprecedented scale . . .


Matthew 24v15,21 - When ye therefore shall see the ' abomination of desolation ' ( Pope ) spoken of by Daniel the prophet STAND IN ' the holy place ' ( whoso readeth , let him understand : ) . . . For THEN shall be great tribulation , such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time , no , nor ever shall be. ( We have ' JUST WITNESSED ' this amazing sign - - Time is short !!! )

Who is the “antichrist”

The word “antichrist” is found only 5 times in the Bible, all in the Letters of John.  In the Greek, “antichrist” means either against Christ or instead of Christ.  (Vine’s Expository Dictionary), “one who, assuming the guise of Christ, opposes Christ” (Westcott).

      “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time” (1 John 2:18).

      “Who is a liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denies the Father and the Son” (1 John 2:22).

       “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world” (1 John 4:1-3).

      “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist” (2 John 1:7).

According to the inspired words of John, everyone who does not acknowledge that Jesus Christ came “in the flesh” is a member of antichrist! John wrote these words because there were people in his day claiming that Jesus was a spirit who only used a body for 33 years and then discarded the body when he died. Tragically, there are still people today who believe and teach that Jesus was a pre-existing spirit who took on a body for his life on earth and then left the body when it was killed. The apostle says that this is antichrist teaching because it separates Jesus from his body and teaches that Jesus did not really come “in the flesh” since, according to these people, he could exist without the body.

The truth of the matter is that Jesus was born of a human mother, with God as his father (Luke 1: 34.35; 2 John 1:3). Because his mother was human, Jesus inherited a nature like ours which can be tempted to sin (Matthew 4:4; Hebrews 2:14-18; 4:15), and like everyone since the days of Adam he inherited mortality (Romans 5:12-14). The body of Jesus was exactly like ours and he could no more leave his body than we can leave our own. When the body of Jesus died, Jesus himself died and remained dead for three days (Acts 2:23-32; Matthew 16:21). After that, Jesus (including his body) was resurrected and his body changed to flesh and spirit instead of flesh and blood (Luke 24: 36-43; Acts 2:24,32). Jesus himself said after his resurrection:

“Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones, as ye see me have” (Luke 24:39).

In this way, the Bible explains to us that Jesus Christ did actually come “in the flesh”. God warns us in His Word that to separate Jesus from his flesh is deadly wrong, for this is the teaching of antichrist.

Notice how the Bible uses “antichrist” to describe anyone who does not teach that Jesus really came “in the flesh”. There actually is no such thing in the Bible as one “future Antichrist”, because antichrists were already in existence during John’s day and many more arose during the following centuries. Antichrists are also in existence NOW since there are many false prophets today who do not teach that Jesus Christ came “in the flesh”. Therefore, it is completely unbiblical to speak of one “future Antichrist” and this alone should teach us to beware of the “future Antichrist” theory.

Pope Francis and Atheists

A few weeks ago, Pope Francis said that atheists can do good and go to heaven too! Catholic Online 25-May-13

He explained that atheists can be led to God by doing good. He said, “We are judged by a just God who will welcome us based on what we have done with what we knew. Those who do not know God will be judged on the good they have done and the values lived by.”

But the Bible teaches: “He that comes to God must believe that He is” (Hebrews 11:6).



The issue is faith and works.  Ordained a Catholic priest in 1507, Martin Luther found from his Bible studies that good works do NOT make a man good, but a good man does good works. The essential difference is FAITH. We learn and slowly develop faith, an absolutely acceptance of what God has promised. Faith only comes by ONE process – “hearing the word of God” (Romans 10:17).



We have to make the mental change FIRST.  “Let this MIND be in your which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:5), and then good works will be the natural outcome of the conscience.



Start reading your Bible.  “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2:5).  Christ is the mediator, the High priest, we need no priest of the Church to bring us to God.



Heaven?  God never promised heaven!  He promised “dominion over the earth” (Genesis 1:26) for “the heavens are the Lords, but the earth has he given to the children of men.” (Psalm 115:16) We wait for the day with the “Lord shall be king over all the earth” (Zechariah 14:9).

Bible Prophecy Shows the Papacy & Russia will join-forces to Conquer the World

Bible Prophecy Shows the Papacy & Russia will join-forces to Conquer the World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oydZ2ZSOgBQ

The Angels That Sinned! 2 Peter 2 Jude 6 & the book of Enoch

The devil and body of Moses, Jude 9 & the Book of Enoch

Iran Simulates Destruction of Tel Aviv

Iran Simulates Destruction of Tel Aviv
Israel Today 11-Feb-14
Iranian television over the weekend aired a special program threatening Israel and simulating the destruction of Tel Aviv.
As part of a documentary titled "The Nightmare of Vultures," the public was treated to computer-generated simulations of Iranian aircraft and missiles destroying civilian targets such as Hamedina Square, Ben Gurion Airport and the Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv.
The simulations were interspersed with footage of Israelis seeking shelter during the Second Lebanon War in 2006, when Hezbollah fired thousands of missiles into northern Israel.
Iranian military officials also warned that they could easily sink American ships stationed in the region, and boasted of having the Middle East's largest army. They claimed that an Iranian fleet is already sailing for America's territorial waters.
While US officials were understandably unimpressed with the threats, the Iranian bluster again demonstrated that the Islamic Republic does indeed have hostile intentions toward Israel, and as such should be prevented from attaining nuclear weapons

Where Is Germany’s Gold?

Where Is Germany’s Gold?
The Trumpet 07-Feb-14
You may have heard something about this story. So, here’s what we know so far:
 In 2012, the Bundesbank (the central bank of Ger many) asked to visit the vault of the Federal Reserve in New York, to view the 1,536 tons of gold they have stored there
 The Federal Reserve told them no. They were not allowed to see their gold
 In response, Germany said that they wanted 300 tons of their gold back
 The Federal Reserve said that they’d need seven years to get the gold back to Germany. (Something that should take them seven weeks, tops.)
  One year later, the Fed has returned only 5 tons of gold to Germany. At this rate, it will take 60 years for the Germans to get less than one fifth of their gold  back
Though I don’t know precisely what, it is very clear that something strange is going on here. … Shipping 300 tons of metal is hardly a new and difficult technical challenge. Companies involved in metal trading do this all the time. Sure, gold requires extra security, but security is also something that lots of people know how to provide. … The president of Germany’s top financial regulations group said that manipulation of gold and silver “is worse than the Libor-rigging scandal.” (The Libor scandal was and is a big deal, and lots of lawsuits are underway over it.) That’s a big accusation
Then, Deutsche Bank, the biggest German bank, dropped out of the London gold fixing pool; the group of bankers that set the official price of gold. This is also related to the investigations by European regulators into thesuspected manipulation of precious metals prices by banks
Again, this is a very significant event
Germany does not seem happy about what the Fed is doing to them. … In addition to this, the Financial Times ran an article advising investors to demand physical delivery of their gold. Bloomberg published an article on gold price manipulation
So, given what we know, the obvious question becomes, “What’s really going on?” The first answer is that we simply do not know. Most likely, however, is that all of Germany’s gold has been lent out and/or used as loan collateral multiple times and that the Fed is having a very hard time unwinding all those loans. If they just give the gold back, the collateral for hundreds (maybe thousands) of international loans goes away
And when I say “lent out multiple times,” I am not speaking loosely
There is a financial trick called rehypothecation  that allows bankers to use the same stack of gold as the collateral for simultaneous loans over and over and over
So, in order to pull Germany’s gold out of the lending game (and central banks do loan out gold), lots and lots of loans would have to be rehypothecated to other piles of gold, and that requires a lot of office work. Each bar of Germany’s gold could be involved in a dozen loans, each of which must be rearranged
This would account for the slowness of the Fed returning the gold back to where it belongs
Of course, there are other possibilities. Maybe the Fed is just trying to punish Germany for some reason … or that the gold is simply no longer there—that the Fed or its friends sold it. … The one thing we can be sure of is that the Federal Reserve and the Bundesbank are at odds. What will come from that is unknown, but this is a very significant problem between giants, and it is already producing consequences.

A European Boycott of Israel?

):A European Boycott of Israel?
Middle East Quarterly Spring 2014 13-Feb-14
 3 page PDF. http://www.meforum.org/3747/europe-boycott-israel

Pope Coming To Israel As 'Che Guevera of Palestinians'

Pope Coming To Israel As 'Che Guevera of Palestinians' 

Arutz Sheva 05-Feb-14 

Reports from sources close to pope reveal his upcoming visit meant as PA propaganda, Elkin calls reports 'exaggerated.' 

Pope Francis apparently plans to heed Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's calls, and use his upcoming visit to Israel in May as a propaganda move for the Palestine Authority (PA) against Israel, according to reports in Makor Rishon. 

The revelation comes from Rabbi Sergio Bergman, a member of the Argentinian parliament and close friend of Pope Francis, who claimed the pope intends to define himself as the "Che Guevera of the Palestinians" and support their "struggle and rights." 

In late December it was similarly noted that the pope will not host "mass" prayer services in Jerusalem during his trip, but instead in PA-controlled Bethlehem as a show of support. The move is slightly ironic, as most Christians have reportedly been driven out of the city by Muslims, while Abbas has claimed "Jesus was Palestinian." 

Deputy Foreign Minister Ze'ev Elkin (Likud Beytenu) spoke with Arutz Sheva about the subject, noting that the foreign ministry is preparing for the visit and keeping an eye on developments between representatives from the Vatican and the PA. 

Elkin claims Rabbi Bergman's description is exaggerated, and that he doesn't anticipate the pope to reference communist revolutionary Che Guevera as a model, even as he stresses that all official visitors are asked to stay balanced and "not dance at two weddings." 

"Our role is to ensure that there won't be an unusual gesture, and we have the tools to do so," remarked Elkin, noting that talks are ongoing with the Vatican, which understands Israel would oppose such statements. 

Elkin further claims the Vatican has important interests that would prevent it from taking a blatantly anti-Israel stance as described by Rabbi Bergman, saying "they won't want to endanger those interests." 

Last July, Elkin rejected reports that the foreign ministry was planning to sign an agreement transferring all or part of King David's Tomb, located on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, to the Vatican. Above the tomb is located a room in which the Catholic Church claims the "Last Supper" occurred. 

Despite Elkin's assurances, Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, founder of the Temple Institute, warned in late January that the pope's visit may be timed for exactly such a transfer of ownership to occur, referencing the 2008 agreement by the government to relinquish control of the historic Russian Compound buildings in Jerusalem to Russian control. The offices of the Agriculture Ministry and the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel vacated the premises in 2011. 

A Royal visit to Rome: Pope agrees to have 'tea time' with Queen Elizabeth II

A Royal visit to Rome: Pope agrees to have 'tea time' with Queen Elizabeth II 

RomeReports 04-Feb-14 

Queen Elizabeth II is scheduled to meet with Pope Francis on April 3rd. The queen will be accompanied by her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, during their brief visit. 

The royal couple is planning on having lunch with Italy's president, Giorgio Napolitano. Afterward, they'll head out to the Vatican to meet with Pope Francis at Casa Santa Marta. 

The last time the queen meet with a pontiff was back in 2010, during Benedict XVI's visit to the UK. He was welcomed at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, which is the  Queen's official residence in Scotland. 

In her more than 60 year reign, Queen Elizabeth has met with three other Popes. In addition to Benedict XVI, she also met with Pope John XXIII in 1961 and John Paul II in the year 2000. 

A More Assertive German Foreign Policy

:A More Assertive German Foreign Policy 

Stratfor 04-Feb-14 

By George Friedman and Marc Lanthemann 

The Ukrainian crisis is important in itself, but the behavior it has elicited from Germany is perhaps more important. Berlin directly challenged Ukraine's elected president for refusing to tighten relations with the European Union and for mistreating Ukrainians who protested his decision. In challenging President Viktor Yanukovich, Berlin also challenged Russia, a reflection of Germany's recent brazen foreign policy. 

Since the end of World War II, Germany has pursued a relatively tame foreign policy. But over the past week, Berlin appeared to have acknowledged the need for a fairly dramatic change. German leaders, including the chancellor, the president, the foreign minister and the defense minister, have called for a new framework that contravenes the restraint Germany has practiced for so long. They want Germany to assume a greater international role by becoming more involved outside its borders politically and militarily. 

For Berlin, the announcement of this high-level strategic shift comes amid a maelstrom of geopolitical currents. As the de facto leader of the European Union, Germany has to contend with and correct the slow failure of the European project. It has to adjust to the U.S. policy of global disengagement, and it must manage a complex, necessary and dangerous relationship with Russia. A meek foreign policy is not well suited to confront the situation in which Germany now finds itself. If Germany doesn't act, then who will? And if someone else does, will it be in Germany's interest? The latter is perhaps the more intriguing question. 

Setting Boundaries 

Such a reconfiguration shows that Germany has its own national interests that may differ from those of its alliance partners. For most countries, this would seem self-evident. But for Germany, it is a radical position, given its experience in World War II. It has refrained from asserting a strong foreign policy and from promoting its national interest lest it revive fears of German aggression and German nationalism. The Germans may have decided that this position is no longer tenable -- and that promoting their national interests does not carry the risk it once did. 

The timing of the announcement, as Ukraine's strategic position between Russia and Europe continues to make headlines, was not coincidental. While the timing benefited Germany, it would be a mistake to ascribe too much importance to Ukraine itself, particularly from the German perspective. That is not to say Ukraine should be discounted entirely. As a borderland between the European Peninsula and Russia, its future potentially matters to Germany -- if not now then perhaps in the future, when unexpected regional realities might show themselves. 

Ukraine is an indispensable borderland for Russia, but it has little value for any modern power that has no designs against Russia. It is one of the gateways into the heart of Russia. A hostile power occupying Ukraine would threaten Russian national security. But the reverse is not true: Ukraine is not a primary route from Russia into Europe (World War II is a notable exception) because the Carpathian Mountains discourage invasion. So unless the Germans are planning a new war with Russia -- and they aren't -- Ukraine matters little to Europe or the Germans. 

The same is true in the economic realm. Ukraine is important to Russia, particularly for transporting energy to Europe. But outside of energy transport, Ukraine is not that important to Europe. Indeed, for all that has been said about Ukraine's relationship to the European Union, it has never been clear why the bloc has made it such a contentious issue. The European Union is tottering under the weight of Southern Europe's enormously high unemployment rate, Eastern Europe's uncertainty about the value of being part of Europe's banking system and currency union, and a growing policy rift between France and Germany. The chances that the Europeans would add Ukraine to an organization that already boasts Greece, Cyprus and other crippled economies are so slim that considerations to the contrary would be irrational. The fact that Ukraine is not getting into the bloc makes German policy even harder to fathom. 

Of course, some European countries have more of an interest in Ukraine than others, particularly those formerly in the Soviet sphere of influence. For Poland and the Baltic states, Russia remains the major geopolitical foe in a way that Western Europe cannot fully comprehend. These relatively small and new members cannot compel the EU heavyweights to commit to a plan of action that would go too far in provoking Russia, but they can still push their peers to take a more measured action. 

During the Orange Revolution, U.S.-led Western powers openly funded opposition groups in the former Soviet states, threatening Russia's strategic interests to the point that it had to eventually invade Georgia to show the consequences of Western meddling. Over the past month, Germany has been behaving similarly, albeit to a smaller degree: opening partisan ties and giving relatively low-cost financial and rhetorical support to opposition groups that can irritate Russia without actually causing an immediate break with Moscow. 

For the past decade, Germany could not afford to alienate Russia, which Berlin thought could be the answers to some of Germany's problems. It could reliably supply relatively cheap energy, it was a potential source of low-cost labor, and it was a potential destination market for German exporters looking for alternatives to stagnating EU markets. 

Diplomatically, Moscow could have become a close ally and strategic partner as erstwhile allies appeared to be growing increasingly hostile to Germany. Relations with the United States were tense ever since Berlin refused to participate in the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, and Chancellor Angela Merkel's support for EU-wide austerity measures strained Germany's ties with Southern Europe and France. 

But the reality was otherwise. There is a fit between Germany and Russia, but it is at best an imperfect one. Russia never industrialized or modernized as Germany and many others had hoped as it reaped the profits of high commodity prices. Under President Vladimir Putin, Moscow became increasingly autocratic and went on the political and economic offensive in Central and Eastern Europe. 

This conflicts with Germany's strategic goals. Berlin's core imperative is to preserve its economic power, which is highly dependent on exports. The European economic crisis has caused consumption to falter in the European Union, leading Berlin to search for export markets further afield. While it has had some success in China and the United States for certain industries, it has not been able to shed its overwhelming dependence on European markets as a general destination for its goods. Thus, Germany's only possible course of action is preserving and eventually reinvigorating the free trade zone in Europe. 

Russia's resurgence in Central Europe has concerned EU members in that region. On the surface, the Germans were prepared to live with that resurgence even though it appeared to threaten to unravel the bloc. Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are indispensable components of the German industrial supply chain and a source of relatively cheap skilled labor. That they should remain in the German sphere of influence is a non-negotiable position for Berlin. 

These issues are not new, but until now Germany had been constrained in how it could establish firm boundaries with Moscow. Berlin believed its dependence on Russian energy was a vulnerability that Russia could exploit if it chose to. In addition, it was concerned about Russia's ability to wrest Central Europe from EU control. In a worst-case scenario, Germany would end up with a fragmented Europe, a distant United States and a hostile Russia. 

The fact that Germany actively supported opposition groups in Ukraine, particularly in the absence of a pressing strategic imperative to do so, is a sign that something has changed in Berlin's calculus toward Russia. It seems as though the German government has determined that Russia is facing major challenges at home; that its position in Europe is weaker than it appears; that the risk of energy cutoffs are minimal; and that there are no long-term economic benefits to an economic relationship with Russia that goes beyond energy trade. That last point cannot be overstated. Russia is poised to remain the most important supplier of energy to Europe, and while the dependency runs both ways -- Europe is Russia's largest customer -- Germany will make sure the flow of energy continues unimpeded. 

With the United States increasingly depending on a balance of power approach to its foreign policy, relying more heavily on regional actors to manage threats, the long-term U.S. security guarantees that had been the hallmark of European defense since 1945 can no longer be counted on in Berlin. As NATO continues to fray and the challenges posed by an increasingly volatile Russia loom, Germany seems to be taking the first step back into establishing a new national and regional security framework. 

A New Element 

Germany's talk of a new, more assertive foreign policy that relies more heavily on its military is, however, not solely linked to concerns over Russia or the United States. Germany has accepted that its only option is to rally Europe but as the past six years have shown, it has had limited success on the economic front. The European Union is an economic entity, but economics has turned from being the binding element to being a centripetal force. Either something new must be introduced into the European experiment, or it might come undone. 

Berlin believes that holding the European Union together requires adding another dimension that it heretofore has withheld in its dealing with the bloc: military-political relations. Standing up to a weakening Russia will appeal to Central European nations, and taking a more active role overseas would endear Berlin to Paris. Germany's allusions that it would expand its international military operations, particularly in Africa, is a clear nod to France, which has consistently expressed its desire for a deeper military and political partnership with Germany. 

Notably, the drive to bring Germany closer to France in the short term could create tensions between them in the long term. Last week's summit between British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande was a reminder that France and the United Kingdom may have extremely different views regarding the European Union but still see each other as a military partner and, more important, as a counterweight to Germany. 

Of course, Germany is in no position to take military action. It is in a position to posit the possibility in some vague way, thereby generating political forces that can temporarily hold things together. Berlin needs to buy time, particularly in Central Europe, where Hungary has embarked on an independent course and is being watched carefully by others. With the United States unwilling to become involved, Germany either becomes the counterweight or lives with the consequences. 

At first, Germany's actions seemed confusing and uncharacteristic. But they become more sensible when you consider that that Berlin is looking for other tools to hold the European Union together as it re-evaluates Russia. So far, Germany's announcement has been met positively, mainly outside Germany, but the tension that a stronger and more assertive Berlin exerts on the European continent and the global stage are sure to come to the fore again. For now, however, Merkel has no choice. 

Person of the Year The False Prophet

Futurism and the Book of Revelation

Revelation 11 The 2 Witnesses

The Antichrist revealed 666 The Mark

The Antichrist as God in the Temple