Dear friends:TODAY. Today, the bloody terrorist organization, Hamas, ominously assumed control of the Palestinian Authority.
The new PA minister of information, Yusuf Rizka, said that the new Hamas government "is a government of shahids [holy martyrs] that will take the path of Dr. Abdel Aziz Rantisi [a ruthless terrorist leader who briefly assumed control of Hamas and was in the midst of planning a large-scale "quality" attack against Israel when he was killed in an Israeli rocket strike in April 2004]."
After the vote, one of the PA legislators - formerly wanted by Israel - waved a Koran and called out loud, "The Koran is our constitution, Mohammed is our prophet, jihad is our path and dying as martyrs for the sake of Allah is our biggest wish." His call was answered by a standing ovation and calls of "Allahu Akbar." ( http://www.israelnationalnews.com/.)
YESTERDAY. The Hamas takeover happened just one day after the Israelis' election which revealed the desire of the people to give away more land in a deluded and desperate attempt to buy peace from an adversary not interested in peace and bent on destroying them.
TODAY. A solar eclipse enveloped Israel in sudden darkness. As Israel digested the results of Tuesday's election, the sky went dark, the sun was slowly blocked out, temperatures dropped and animals howled, barked and crowed across the Land of Israel. ( http://www.israelnationalnews.com/.)
A BAD OMEN? Eclipses always abound with superstitions and omen, but this time the omen fits with reality. The eclipse happened the very day of the Hamas takeover and one day after the Israeli election. The Jewish Talmud is not Holy Scripture, but interestingly it declares (Sukkah 29a): "An eclipse of the sun is a bad omen for the world."
A GOOD PROMISE. Thankfully, for God's people, there is no such thing as a bad omen, and we have our own sun and Son, which never grow dim. The world is teetering toward Tribulation... "but for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings" (Malachi 4:2, NIV).
His name is Jesus, or Yeshua. Let us revere Him today.
Jim