How Jesus' Birth Split Time in Two

The following was originally posted by In Touch Ministries. I 
hope it is a blessing this season of Holy
Days. I hope you enjoy it. Also, for anyone who would be 
interested, here is a link to a gofundme campaign I had

started recently before re- entering the missions field. 

Thanx so much.  Full-time Missions/Evangelism gofund.me/kmukh7qs




In Touch Ministries
Dec 23, 2011
"Jesus split time in two. His birth divided all time into B.C. before Christ and A.D. after Him." - Dr. Charles Stanley

The Birth of Jesus Christ
By: Daniel B. Wallace

Preface

The following is part of a short series of devotional items related to the birth of Christ. For some, such material is hardly devotional because it primarily focuses on history. But we must keep in mind that the Jesus we worship was truly born in time-space history. And that babe in the manger was truly crucified--and just as surely rose from the dead. The Bible is different from the sacred books of other religions because it invites historical investigation. And when it has met the test--as it surely always, inevitably does--it inculcates a greater devotion in the heart of the believer for the one we call the Son of God.

The Year Jesus Was Born

In the western hemisphere, we split time by the birth of Jesus Christ. But did he really even live? If so, when was he born?

Sometime ago, I struck up a conversation with a man who claimed that God did not exist. He was an atheist. But not just a run-of-the-mill atheist, you understand. He also insisted that Jesus Christ never existed! This fellow was hard core.

Now my atheist friend had incredible faith--blind faith, I might add. His religious fervor, in fact, would put many evangelists to shame. But the evidence that Jesus Christ invaded history is not just shut up to the testimony of the New Testament--as irrefutable as that might be! The very enemies of Christianity claimed that he lived--and that he performed miracles! Early Jewish documents such as the Mishnah and even Josephus--as well as first-century Gentile historians--such as Thallus, Serapion, and Tacitus--all testify that the one called Christ lived in Palestine and died under Pontius Pilate. As the British scholar, F. F. Bruce put it, "The historicity of Christ is as [certain]. . . as the historicity of Julius Caesar" (NT Documents, 119).

Now it logically follows that if Jesus Christ lived (need it be said?), he must have been born. The Gospels tell us that his birth was shortly before Herod the Great died. Herod's death can be fixed with certainty.

Josephus records an eclipse of the moon just before Herod passed on. This occurred on March 12th or 13th in 4 B.C. Josephus also tells us that Herod expired just before Passover. This feast took place on April 11th, in the same year, 4 B.C. From other details supplied by Josephus, we can pinpoint Herod the Great's demise as occurring between March 29th and April 4th in 4 B.C.

It might sound strange to suggest that Jesus Christ was born no later than 4 B.C. since B.C. means 'before Christ.' But our modern calendar which splits time between B.C. and A.D. was not invented until A.D. 525. At that time, Pope John the First asked a monk named Dionysius to prepare a standardized calendar for the western Church. Unfortunately, poor Dionysius missed the real B.C./A.D. division by at least four years!

Now Matthew tells us that Herod killed Bethlehem's babies two years old and under. The earliest Jesus could have been born, therefore, is 6 B.C. Through a variety of other time indicators, we can be relatively confident that the one called Messiah was born in either late 5 or early 4 B.C.

My atheist friend scoffs at such flexibility. He says, "If you don't know exactly when Jesus was born, how do you know that he really lived?" That is hardly a reasonable question! The other day I called my mother to wish her a happy birthday. "Mom, how many candles on this birthday cake?" I inquired. "I don't know, son--I don't keep track any more," she sighed. After a few minutes of pleasant conversation, we hung up.

Now, of course, I can't be certain, but I do believe that that was my mother on the other end of the phone. She can't remember how old she is (and she's neither senile nor very old), but that doesn't make her a figment of my imagination, does it? Because if she's just a phantom, then for the last three minutes, you've been reading absolutely nothing!

The Day Jesus Was Born

This coming December 25th most parents will be lying to their children about old St. Nick. Some of us will be celebrating the birth of our Savior. But was he really born on this day?

Was Jesus really born on December 25th? Virtually every month on the calendar has been proposed by biblical scholars. So why do we celebrate his birth in December?

The tradition for December 25th is actually quite ancient. Hippolytus, in the second century A.D., argued that this was Christ's birthday. Meanwhile, in the eastern Church, January 6th was the date followed.

But in the fourth century, John Chrysostom argued that December 25th was the correct date and from that day till now, the Church in the East, as well as the West, has observed the 25th of December as the official date of Christ's birth.

In modern times, the traditional date has been challenged. Modern scholars point out that when Jesus was born, shepherds were watching their sheep in the hills around Bethlehem. Luke tells us that an angel appeared to "some shepherds staying out in the fields [who were] keeping watch over their flock by night" (2:8).

Some scholars feel that the sheep were usually brought under cover from November to March; as well, they were not normally in the field at night. But there is no hard evidence for this. In fact, early Jewish sources suggest that the sheep around Bethlehem were outside year-round. So you can see, December 25th fits both tradition and the biblical narrative well. There is no sound objection to it.

Now admittedly, the sheep around Bethlehem were the exception, not the rule. But these were no ordinary sheep. They were sacrificial lambs. In the early spring they would be slaughtered at the Passover.

And God first revealed the Messiah's birth to these shepherds--shepherds who protected harmless lambs which would soon die on behalf of sinful men. Whey they saw the baby, could they have known? Might they have whispered in their hearts what John the Baptist later thundered, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

Now, of course, we can't be absolutely certain of the day of Christ's birth. At least, not this side of heaven. But an early winter date seems as reasonable a guess as any. And December 25th has been the frontrunner for eighteen centuries. Without more evidence, there seems no good reason to change the celebration date now.

We can blame the ancient church for a large part of our uncertainty. You see, they did not celebrate Christ's birth. At all. To them, it was insignificant. They were far more concerned with his death . . . and resurrection.

But modern man has turned that around. A baby lying in a manger is harmless, non-threatening. But a man dying on a cross--a man who claims to be God--that man is a threat! He demands our allegiance! We cannot ignore him. We must either accept him or reject him. He leaves us no middle ground.

This Christmas season, take a close look at a nativity scene once again. Remove your rose-colored glasses--smell the foul air, see the cold, shivering animals. They represent the Old Testament sacrificial system. They are emblems of death. But they are mere shadows of the Babe in their midst. He was born to die . . . that all who believe in him might live.

The Visit of the Magi

When Jesus Christ was born, men--known as magi--came from the east to worship him. Were they wise men . . . or astrologers?

Matthew begins his second chapter with these words: "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him.'"

Who were these wise men from the east? Matthew tells us next to nothing about them--he doesn't mention their names, nor how many there were--not even which country they came from. As mysteriously as they come on the scene, they disappear. . .

Though Matthew doesn't tell us much, over-zealous Christians throughout church history have dogmatically filled in the blanks. By the 6th century A.D., these dark strangers were given thrones and names: Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar were the alleged names of these alleged kings. But this has nothing to do with the biblical story: we really have no idea what their names were--nor even their number. There could have been 3 or 300 as far as we know! But one thing we do know for sure: they were not royalty. The ancient magi were reilgious and political advisors to eastern kings--but there wasn't a drop of blue blood among them.

But isn't it true that the magi were astrologers? And didn't God prescribe death to astrologers in the Old Testament? 'Not always' and 'yes' are the answers. In Deuteronomy 17, God commands his people to execute all astrologers by stoning. Jean Dixon wouldn't stand a chance in such a theocracy! The fact that she--and others like her--are so comfortably tolerated--even well respected!--in modern America ought to show us that the U.S.A. is a post-Christian country--at best . . .

But what about these ancient magi? Were they astrologers? After all, they followed a star to Bethlehem.

We might answer this in three ways: First, not all magi were astrologers, for Daniel the prophet was the chief of the magi in Nebuchadnezzar's court. Through his influence, undoubtedly many of the magi carried on their religious and political duties as worshippers of the One true God.

Second, there are some biblical scholars who believe that Isaiah predicted that a star would appear when the Messiah was born. If this interpretation is correct, then the magi who worshipped the newborn king were clearly following in Daniel's train, for he almost surely taught them from Isaiah.

Third, although a few believe that the 'star' they saw was a natural phenomenon--such as a conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter--this cannot explain how the star stood right over Bethlehem. Clearly, the 'star' was completely of supernatural origin. If so, it probably had nothing to do with astrology.

Therefore, the magi most likely did not subscribe to such superstitious folly. If so, they were truly wise men . . .

I saw a bumper sticker the other day, which read, "Wise men still seek him." Actually, that's not quite accurate. The Bible tells us that "no one seeks God, not even one." But if he has led us to himself, then we have become wise. For it is true that "wise men still worship him."

The Boys from Bethlehem

One of the most heinous atrocities in human history was the murder of Bethlehem's babies by Herod the Great. But did it really happen?

In the second chapter of Matthew's gospel, we read that when Herod the Great heard of the Messiah's birth, "he was troubled--and all Jerusalem with him." Later, when the wise men did not report back to him, he became furious and ordered all the baby boys up to two years old in and around Bethlehem to be slaughtered!

Three questions come to mind as we consider this cruel incident: First, how many babies did Herod actually kill? Second, how old was Jesus when this happened? And finally, why does no other ancient historian record this outrage? In other words, did it really happen?

How many babies did Herod murder? Some scholars have suggested as many as 200! But most reject such a figure. Bethlehem was a small community--almost a suburb of Jerusalem. The village itself--and the surrounding countryside--would hardly have more than 30 male infants under two. Most scholars today place the number between 20 and 30.

But that's if only the boy babies were killed. Actually, the Greek text of Matthew 2:16 could mean 'babies'--not just 'boy babies.' And psychologically, Herod's henchmen might not have bothered to check the gender of their victims. The number might be as high as 50 or 60.

Second, how old was Jesus when this occurred? According to the best chronological evidence, he could not have been more than three or four months old. He was more than likely born in the winter of 5 or 4 B.C.--Herod died in the early spring of 4 B.C. So why did Herod slay all children up to two years old? The answer to the third question might help to answer this one. . .

Third, why is this event not recorded outside the Bible? Specifically, why did Josephus, the first-century Jewish historian, fail to mention it?

Josephus tells us much about Herod. The best word to describe his reign is 'overkill.' He murdered his favorite wife's father, drowned her brother--and even killed her! He executed one of his most trusted friends, his barber, and 300 military leaders--all in a day's work! Then he slew three of his sons, allegedly suspecting them of treason. Josephus tells us that "Herod inflicted such outrages upon (the Jews) as not even a beast could have done if it possessed the power to rule over men" (Antiquities of the Jews 17:310). Killing babies was not out of character for this cruel king. And killing them up to two years old--to make sure he got the baby Jesus lines up with his insane jealousy for power.

Josephus might have omitted the slaying of the babies for one of two reasons: first, he was no friend of Christianity and he left it out intentionally; or second, just before Herod died he locked up 3000 of the nation's leading citizens and gave orders that they were to be executed at the hour of his death. He wanted to make sure that there would be mourning when he died. . . Israel was so preoccupied with this that the clandestine murder of a few babies might have gone unnoticed. . .

Herod thought that he had gained a victory over the king of the Jews. Yet this was a mere foreshadowing of the victory Satan thought he had when Jesus lay dead on a Roman cross. But the empty tomb proved that that dark Friday was Satan's worst defeat!

Conclusion

We've been looking at several aspects of the birth of Jesus Christ in this short study. Now, we want to put it all together.

In the winter of 5 or 4 B.C., God invaded history by taking on the form of a man. He was born in a small town just south of Jerusalem. Bethlehem, which means 'the house of bread,' indeed became worthy of its name one lonely winter night. For there, in that town, was born the Bread of Life . . .

His mother placed the infant king in a manger--or feeding trough--because the guest room where they were to stay was occupied. The birth of this king was celebrated that night only by his mother, her husband, and a handful of shepherds. The shepherds had been in the fields around Bethlehem, guarding the lambs which would die at the next Passover. An angel appeared to them and gave them the birth announcement: "today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). In their simple faith, they rushed to see their newborn king.

Shortly after the birth of the Messiah, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem and inquired of king Herod where the real king of the Jews was to be born. The theologians of Herod's court knew the Scriptures well--in 'Bethlehem' they recited. Ironically, though they knew the Scriptures, they did not believe them! They did not even bother to travel the five or six miles to Bethlehem to see their Messiah.

But Herod believed the Scriptures! That is why he sent a corps of butchers to Bethlehem to slaughter innocent children, in hopes of destroying this rival to his throne. But he was too late. The magi had come and gone and Jesus was by now safe in Egypt.

And the magi believed the Scriptures. They had traveled several hundred miles to worship this Babe. They were guided to Bethlehem by a supernatural celestial phenomenon--and by the Scriptures. Apparently, their ancestors had been instructed by Daniel the prophet about the coming Messiah. . . When they saw the child, they fell down and worshiped him. This was God in the flesh. They could do no other.

And they gave him gifts--gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This was an unusual present--by any standards. The gold, of course, we all can understand--but the frankincense and myrrh were odd. Perhaps they had read Isaiah's prophecy that "nations will come to your light, and kings to your rising . . . They will bring gold and frankincense, and will bear good news. . . " (Isa. 60:3, 6). This explains the frankincense, but not the myrrh.

Now myrrh, like frankincense, was a perfume. But unlike frankincense, myrrh smelled of death. In the ancient world, it was used to embalm a corpse. Jesus himself would be embalmed with this very perfume (cf. John 19:39).

If the magi were thinking of Jesus' death when they brought the myrrh, they no doubt knew of it from Daniel's prophecy (9:24-27). In the ninth chapter of Daniel we read that the 'Messiah will be cut off' and this 'will make atonement for iniquity' and ultimately 'bring in everlasting righteousness' (9:26, 24).

Even at the birth of our Savior, the shadow of the cross is already falling over his face. . .

The theologians of Herod's court did not believe the Scriptures. They were fools. Herod believed, but disobeyed. He was a madman. The simple shepherds and the majestic magi believed in this infant Savior--and it was reckoned to them as righteousness. May we follow in their train.

Related Topics: Christmas, Incarnation

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By: Daniel B. Wallace
Daniel B. Wallace has taught Greek and New Testament courses on a graduate school level since 1979. He has a Ph.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary, and is currently professor of New Testament Studies at his alma mater.

His Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament (Zondervan, 1996) has become a standard textbook in colleges and seminaries. He is the senior New Testament editor of the NET Bible. Dr. Wallace is also the Executive Director for the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts.

/bible.org/article/birth-jesus-christ

Israel/Syria Bible Prophecy Strongholds, Destruction & Deliverance/Maps UPDATE

May 30, 2011

Strong Holds, Destruction, and Deliverence: Damascus in Biblical Prophecy

***UPDATE MAY 5, 2013***

http://www.debka.com/article/22951/Israeli-Air-Force-continues-air-strikes-against-Damascus

Israeli Air Force continues air strikes against Damascus

DEBKAfile Special Report May 5, 2013, 7:39 AM (GMT+02:00)

Tags:  Israel Air Force,  Damascus,  Hizballah,

Israeli rockets over Damascus

Damascus, the same facility which Israeli planes attacked in January. debkafile: The Israeli operation in Syria appears to be in its opening stages, after the first round failed to prevent the transfer of Iran-supplied Scud D and Fateh-110 missiles to Hizballah units fighting in Syria the next day, Saturday. Syrian state TV reported the attack on Jamraya. There was no comment from Israeli spokesmen.
Arab sources reported a series of explosions and fires north of Damascus early Sunday. They say Israeli rockets also hit two 4th Division Republican Guard battalions. The 4th Division is the main Syrian military unit buttressing the regime. It is commanded by President Bashar Assad’s brother, Gen. Maher Assad.
Our military sources have said in the past that the tactic of bombing in Syria advanced weapons shipments in transition from Iran to keep them from reaching Hizballah in Lebanon had been overtaken by the presence of half of Hizballah’s military strength in Syria and able to collect them directly.
And in fact, the Syrian army immediately transferred The Scud D and Fateh-110 consignments directly to the Hizballah elite Al Qods and Al Mahdi brigades which are spearheading the Syrian battle for the key town of Al Qusayr near the Lebanese border, which Syrian rebels have held for more than a year.
The Al Mahdi Brigade joined Al Qods in Syria last Tuesday, April 30.
Israel is determined not to get involved in the Syrian civil war. Therefore, Israel has not struck the advanced weapons passing in this way to Hizballah, which is learning to use them in battle with the rebels. Neither are the 7,000-strong brigades themselves been attacked – thus far.
Israel’s calculus could change when they head back to Lebanon with their new advanced missiles – or before that.
In another response to Israel’s earlier air strike, Syrian army units facing the Jordanian border blasted rebel convoys driving in from Jordan as they passed the Yarmuk River, causing dozens of casualties among the rebels and the Jordanian instructors who had trained them.
Some were hit while still on Jordanian soil; others while on the move from the border past the little Syrian town of Saham al-Jawlan opposite the Golan.
While the Syrian army has made cross-border attacks on Lebanon, this was its first inside Jordan.
The blasts were heard Saturday on the Israeli Golan and caused the cancellation of sporting and other events. Residents were warned that the next time they heard sirens, they were to take heed and seek cover. 

 

***UPDATE ARTICLE May 4, 2013***

http://www.debka.com/article/22948/Israel-jets-fly-over-E-Lebanon-head-north-over-Beirut-after-striking-targets-in-Syria-

Israel jets fly over E. Lebanon, head north over Beirut, after striking targets in Syria

Israeli troops in combat gear on Golan border

DEBKAfile Special Report May 4, 2013, 12:48 PM (GMT+02:00)

Israeli military activity is reported in Lebanon Saturday, May 4 and not just over Syria.
US sources said earlier Israeli warplanes had struck targets in Syria including a chemical weapons depot outside Damascus, firing missiles remotely from Lebanese air space and the Golan starting Friday and continuing up until early Saturday, May 3. An Israeli spokesman confirmed only an air strike in Syria against a shipment of long-range surface missiles.
The latest reports from Lebanon point to expanding Israeli military activity inside Lebanon as well.
They describe Israeli warplanes as flying “at a medium altitude over the Eastern and Western Mountain ranges of the Beqaa Valley.”  debkafile: Hizballah strongholds are located in this region which is close to the Syrian border. Other warplanes were described as heading north over Beirut.
One Lebanese source claimed Israeli ground troops had descended from the Mt. Dov-Hermon range, crossed the Lebanese border and entered the Shebaa Farms region.
None of these reports are confirmed by Israel, Lebanon or Syria. But debkafile notes that if Israeli troops have indeed penetrated Lebanon to a depth of 5-7 kilometers and reached the Shebaa Farms, they have taken up positions opposite the 30 Syrian Shiite villages guarded by incoming Iranian elite Basij militiamen.
debkafile reported exclusively Friday that thousands of Basij militiamen had just been airlifted from Iran to Syria, establishing an Iranian military presence opposite Israel from Syria as well as Lebanon. They joined a comparable number of Hizballah militiamen fighting for the Bashar regime.
Given the rush of adverse military developments across Israel’s northern borders, its operations in Syria and Lebanon are expected to continue and even expand.
This is also indicated by last week’s mobilization of thousands of reservists for an event termed by the IDF spokesman “a military exercise” beginning Sunday, May 5 along Israel’s borders with Syria and Lebanon.
The spokesman was clearly trying to misdirect attention from Israel’s preparations for an important military operation by announcing a routine drill.
debkafile adds: The initial claim by Syria, Iran and Hizballah of ignorance of any Israeli action is unlikely to hold up for long. They might keep up the act if the Israeli strike turned out to be a one-off against a single target - the picture the “Israeli official” tried to present after the event.
But if there is more to come, Bashar Assad, Ali Khamenei and Hassan Nasrallah will not let Israel go unchallenged. This threesome is undoubtedly on the phone at this moment working on their response.
Some of the earlier reports by US media claimed Israeli jets were seen Saturday before dawn circling over Assad's presidential compound in Damascus before moving on to target a weapons site. The Israeli jets reportedly received fire but returned to base unscathed.
debkafile’s military sources added that the start of the Israeli air force operation could have been fixed precisely by the sirens which went off suddenly over the Golan Friday afternoon and again before dawn Saturday. The IDF spokesman said they were set off by a “technical glitch.” They now prove to have been triggered automatically by Israeli aerial movements. For five days, Lebanon has been reporting Israeli warplane intrusions of its air space.

 

Strong Holds, Destruction, and Deliverance: Damascus in Biblical Prophecy April 30, 2011

 

7-22-12 UPDATE An image grab taken from a video uploaded on YouTube on Sunday shows smoke billowing a neighborhood in Damascus. (SEE BELOW COMMENTS FOR ARTICLE)

Picture I took of banner of former President Assad the                        elder. 1993 Damascus, Syria

 

 

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

Isaiah 17:14 And behold at eveningtide 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.

Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

Stuck on Camping's rapture? Get stuck on this. Israel is surounded by enemies, all in revolt, as far as the whole of North Africa. Damascus,Syria, is the oldest ancient city which has never been destroyed in its whole existence, and is prophesied to be destroyed. Is it time to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and millions of lost souls in destruction? Or to be pre-occupied with vanity and vexation of the spirit?

Ps. 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.

Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

2 Corinthians 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

Zechariah 9:9-12 9Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, thy King cometh unto thee! He is just and having salvation, lowly, and riding upon an ass and upon a colt, the foal of an ass. 10And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off; and He shall speak peace unto the heathen, and His dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. 11As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant, I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. 12Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope; even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee.

Armageddon War Comes Soon as Euphrates Dries Up

***UPDATE JUNE 28, 2014*** Turkey Indeed Shuts Off The Flow of Euphrates River and AKA's of ISIS-ISIL

Muslim Brotherhood’s Turkey: Shuts Off Euphrates Water To Syria & Iraq.

Shiite Al-Qaeda aka; Shiite Muslim Brotherhood, aka; Shiite Al-Nusra, aka; Shiite ISIS

http://politicalvelcraft.org/2014/06/25/muslim-brotherhoods-turkey-shuts-off-euphrates-water-to-syria-iraq/

Volubrjotr / 3 days ago (June 25, 2014)

The decrease in water levels From The Euphrates In Lake Assad.

Water and Wheat: Obama ISIS Deadly Weapons!

The Turkish government recently cut off the flow of the Euphrates River, threatening primarily Syria but also Iraq with a major water crisis. Al-Akhbar found out that the water level in Lake Assad has dropped by about six meters, leaving millions of Syrians without drinking water.

Two weeks ago, the Turkish government once again intervened in the Syrian crisis. This time was different from anything it had attempted before and the repercussions of which may bring unprecedented catastrophes onto both Iraq and Syria.

Violating international norms, the Turkish government recently cut off the water supply of the Euphrates River completely. In fact, Ankara began to gradually reduce pumping Euphrates water about a month and half ago, then cut if off completely two weeks ago, according to information received by Al-Akhbar.

Oil From Iraq To Muslim Brotherhood’s Turkey A source who spoke on the condition of anonymity revealed that water levels in the Lake Assad (a man-made water reservoir on the Euphrates) recently dropped by six meters from its normal levels (which means losing millions of cubic meters of water). The source warned that “a further drop of one additional meter would put the dam out of service.”

“We should cut off or reduce the water output of the dam, until the original problem regarding the blockage of the water supply is fixed,” the source explained.

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) controlling the region the dam is located in did not suspend the water output. Employees of the General Institution of the Euphrates Dam are running the lake under the supervision of al-Qaeda linked ISIS, but they don’t have the authority to take serious decisions, such as reducing the water output. In addition, such a step is a mere attempt to ease the situation, and it will lose its efficacy if the water supply isn’t restored to the dam by Turkey.

The tragic repercussions of the new Turkish assault began to reveal themselves when water levels dropped in al-Khafsa in Aleppo’s eastern countryside (where a water pumping station from Lake Assad is located to pump water through water channels to Aleppo and its countryside).

The reservoirs are expected to run out of water completely by tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest. Meanwhile, water supplies in auxiliary reservoirs in al-Khafsa are close to being depleted and the reservoirs are expected to run out of water completely by tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest. This threatens to leave seven million Syrians without access to water.

Also, Tishrin Dam stopped receiving any water which blocked its electricity generating turbines, decreasing the power supply in Aleppo and its countryside, further intensifying the already severe imbalance in the power supply.

In Raqqa, the northern side of Lake Assad is today completely out of service.

Two million Syrians living in the region covering the villages of Little Swaydiya to the east until al-Jarniya to the west could lose their drinking water supply.

“Losing water supplies in the dam means that the silt in the lake will dry off which would pressure its structure, subjecting it to fissures and eventually total collapse,” Al-Akhbar sources warned, adding “it is crucial to shut down the dam to stop its collapse.”

However, shutting down the dam (if ISIS agrees) will only lead to a human and ecological (zoological and agricultural) catastrophe in Syria and in Iraq.

According to information obtained by Al-Akhbar, Aleppo locals (who had already launched many initiatives to reach solutions for a number of local issues) began a race against time to recommend solutions for the problem, including putting the thermal plant at al-Safira back to work, which may convince ISIS to spare the Euphrates Dam turbines, and in turn preserve current water levels in the lake.

In case it succeeds, such a step would only rescue whatever water and structures are left, and would ward off further repercussions of the crisis that has already started. A halt to the water supply is now inevitable and can’t be resolved unless the Turkish government takes the decision to resume pumping Euphrates water.

In any case, it is worth mentioning that the water in the lake would take about a month, after resuming pumping, to return to its normal levels.

“The decrease in water levels” Bottom: “Euphrates Dam” (Photo: Al-Akhbar)

A historical conflict

The Euphrates River has historically been at the center of a conflict between Turkey on the one hand and both Syria and Iraq on the other. Ankara insists on considering the Euphrates a “trans-boundary river” and not an “international river,” hence it is “not subject to international laws.” Also, Turkey is one of the only three countries in the world (along with China and Burundi) that opposed the Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1997.

In 1987, a temporary agreement between Syria and Turkey was signed to share the water supplies of the Euphrates during the period when the basin of the Ataturk Dam was being filled. In virtue of the agreement, Turkey pledged to provide an annual level of over 500 cubic meters of water a second on the Turkish-Syrian borders, until reaching a final agreement about sharing the water supplies of the river between the three countries. In 1994, Syria registered the agreement at the United Nations to guarantee the minimum amount of Iraq and Syria’s right to the water from the Euphrates River.

***UPDATE MARCH 12, 2013*** http://michaeldtobin.blogspot.com/2013/02/armageddon-war-comes-soon-as-euphrates.html
Israel’s Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz rated war as a “low risk” for the foreseeable future, but credited the risk of escalation as “very high,” in a lecture he delivered Monday, March 11 at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Institute for policy and strategy. “Almost every week, some incident occurs that could drag the region into a conflagration,” he warned.
debkafile’s military sources: Gen. Gantz’s distinction between “war” and “conflagration” stems from the differentiation Israel’s senior policy-making and military circles have begun making of late to support a misconception that a full-blown war is no longer on the cards at present. They support this rationale by arguing that full-scale war can only be fought by large regular armies, while a “conflagration” or “escalation” entails smaller units and less terrain.
The Egyptian army, which would be the key to a major conflict, is held up in this regard as being in no state to go to war, given their country’s disastrous political and economic plight. The generals, according to this theory, wouldl take into account the low state of their units and lack of logistical preparedness and simply decline to issue any order to embark on war against Israel.
So when Gantz talked about a conflagration, he was thinking in terms of the Islamist militias in Syria, Hizballah in Lebanon and the Salafists allied with al Qaeda cells in Sinai – none of which are capable of launching war on the classical dimensions of the past.
What this kind of thinking omits to take into account is that, while the regular Arab national armies which attacked Israel in the past are indeed crumbling, the militias in their countries are mushrooming dangerously. They are bursting out of their national boundaries, nourished with arms, manpower and funding from distant sources in and beyond the Middle East.
debkafile’s military sources point to the example of the Syrian army’s 17th Reserve Division, whose recent defeat in the battle for the Euphrates River in eastern Syria established a regional landmark. It removed the last gap in the 1,000-kilometer long chain of command formed by Islamist forces identified or associated with al Qaeda, which now runs contiguously from the northern outskirts of Baghdad to the eastern fringes of Damascus. The Syrian Golan, since it fell to the Islamist militias fighting with Syrian rebels, forms part of that chain. The Battle for the Euphrates was a landmark event in that it opened the way for al Qaeda to conduct itself as a transnational force in combat. And indeed, in a recent encounter, al Qaeda in Iraq claimed victory over Syrian military units which, having crossed the border into that country, lost the battle at the cost of 48 soldiers and 9 agents dead.
Therefore, any “conflagration” in Syria, for instance, could quickly spread to Lebanon, Iraq or the Golan; and a violent incident in Egypt may emanate from or spill over into Libya, Israel or Algeria.
This eventuality was intimated in another part of the Gantz lecture: “The only permanent factor we are seeing in the last two years is that nothing is permanent. Egypt, too, which underwent a revolutionary process, has not achieved permanence; old and familiar arenas are changing and are being replaced by newer, weightier, ones,” said the chief of staff. “The threats have not gone, only assumed new shapes and when we encounter them in the future, will demand of us enhanced strength.”
Gantz went on to say: “True, we aren’t preparing to fight a regular army, but when next challenged, we shall still have to crawl through the burrows of Gaza and reach every building in Judea and Samaria.”
The general omitted reference to Iran. This may have been because a nuclear Iran represents the prospect of all-out war with a national army and is therefore the exception to the theory embodied in his lecture.
Regarding Syria, he said: “The situation in Syria has become exceptionally dangerous and unstable. Although the probability of a conventional war against the Syrian army is low, the terrorist organizations fighting Assad may next set their sights on us. The Syrian army’s tremendous strategic resources may well fall into terrorist hands.”

It's interesting it is noted that Euphrates originates in Turkey, but Biblical mankind BEGAN at the end of it. Also, often in Scriptures, God gives analogies on His concept of 'the end from the beginning', which is somehow, the way He operates. Isaiah 46:10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. Revelation 16:12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.
(From Wikipedia) The Euphrates River (i/juːˈfreɪtiːz/; Arabic: الفرات: al-Furāt, Hebrew: פרת: Prat, Turkish: Fırat, Kurdish: Firat) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia. Originating in eastern Turkey, the Euphrates flows through Syria and Iraq to join the Tigris in the Shatt al-Arab, which empties into the Persian Gulf.
A week ago, Debka File, the world's largest newswire, also awarded position in U.S. Library of Congress following the 911 attacks, reported this: Syrian jihadi rebels claim seizure of important dam  DEBKAfile February 11, 2013, 5:58 PM (GMT+02:00)
A Syrian activist spokesman reported Monday that rebel fighters, largely from the Jabhat al-Nusra, gained control of the hydro-electrical Euphrates dam at Tabaqa after minimal resistance. The dam, the largest of its kind in Syria, supplies water and energy to much of Syria. According to some sources, the jihadis are not fully in control of the dam but only surrounded it. According to some sources, the jihadis are not fully in control of the dam but have only surrounded it.
Since then, there's been no updates on that situation that can be found online.

Here's a map of the Euphrates, Tigris land coverage. You can see they start in Turkey, flow through Syria and then through Iraq, ending in Iraq, above Kuwait, bordering on Iran.

Here's a couple of maps with Israel in relation to Biblical names of her neighboring countries. But this one has Magog as being east of modern day Turkey. That is irrelevant though, because we see through the ages borders have changed, butt he same geneologies reside in these regions, listed in Scriptures.
 A couple weeks ago I asked for suggestions on the above subject. Finally several days ago I located this source, which puts a lot of insight into what's been bugging me since 1989-1994 during my Bible school years. My school director, Wallace H. Heflin Jr. frequently mentioned Turkey will stop the flow of the Euphrates River which runs through Turkey, Syria and Iraq and leads to the Tigris. http://hightimetoawake.com/magog-made-easy/
And about Turkey being Gog, according to Craig C. White, and his insightful researching, he writes in this article, Gog is Turkey! Magog is it’s Leader!   http://hightimetoawake.com/2013/02/19/gog-is-turkey-magog-is-its-leader/
Eze 38:1-3 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
Verse 2 tells us that Magog is the “chief prince” (or most prominent) of his brothers, Meshech and Tubal. So Noah had a son named Japheth who had a son named Magog who settled Turkey. Gog is a shortened version of Magog.
This isn’t the first passage where Magog, Meshech, and Tubal are found. Look at Genesis 10:1-3.
  Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. 2 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. 3 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.

Now, about Euprates drying up and the War of Armageddon, the day we've all been waiting for: Published on May 18, 2012 by, Pastor Max D. Younce

1. Revelation 16:12 - The Drying-Up of the River Euphrates. Clear back in Newsweek, February 11, 1974, they ran an article stating "rapid progress is being made on the High Euphrates Dam, which is being built with Soviet aid." Its stated purpose was for irrigating the land between the Tigris and Euphrates River with the anticipation of being able to feed some one billion people. This very well could be the means of drying up the river, making it possible for the "kings of the east" and their armies to cross over.
2. The "Kings of the East." would include China, Japan, India, and etc. In Revelation 9:16,18 we find part of a wave of truth that extends clear to the end of the Tribulation Period, in reference to this great war of Armageddon. ( Revelation 9:16, 18)
3. This is a two-hundred million man army, headed up by the Unholy Trinity: the Dragon (Satan), the Beast (Antichrist), and the False Prophet (Anti-Spirit). (Revelation 16:13)
The Unholy Trinity was referenced to frogs; because some people at that time, who considered others to be "quacks," labeled them as "frogs," and metaphorically associated with serpents (i.e., evil); just as some label people today.
4. Joel 3:2 gives the Location of the Battle of Armageddon. "Jehoshaphat" means "Jehovah Judgeth." In Revelation 16:16, the location is named "Armageddon." (Revelation 16:16)
The Greek is "ar-ma-ged-on" with English spelling "Armageddon. This Greek word is from the Hebrew for "Mount Megiddo (Har-Megiddon)." The Valley of Jezreel and the Plain of Esdraelon lie at the foot of Mt. Megiddo, where many battles have been fought in the past. The city of Megiddo was important as it guarded one of the main entrances to the valley.
5. Joel 3:2, 9-14: God Invites the Ungodly To Their Battle of Death. In Joel 3:2, the word "plead" is very misleading. We think in our English as begging, or pleading with someone to do something we want them to do; or to stop them from doing something they intended to do, etc. The Hebrew for "plead" is "shaphat," a prime root, and means: "to pronounce sentence against; avenge; condemn; and execute judgment." There is no pleading here, as judgment has already been pronounced and execution and victory will be immediate.
6. Revelation 14:14-20 Reveals that At Armageddon, Death Is Instantaneous for Christ's Enemies. The blood will rise from the ground to the horses' bridles for a length of approximately 160 miles, or more. The distance is given at 1,600 furlongs. Five furlongs was considered a Sabbath-day's journey; about one-half a mile, or a little longer. Therefore, ten furlongs would equal one mile. 1,600 furlongs would equal approximately 160 miles, or a little more. How will this be? Zechariah 14:12 gives the answer.
"And this shall be the PLAGUE wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth."

I hope this read has been somewhat enjoyable and useful. Like myself, please follow the links of the above video for future reference, and the links of Craig C. White at www.hightimetoawake.com  Throughout the decades of following Scriptures and Christ, I have painstakenly attempted to locate valid and useful sources in the midst of what Craig C. White calls "mis-information," and I believe these two sources are extremely valuable and considerate to research things carefully and accurately. Thank you for stopping by, and God bless you!

Argo, The Movie, W/Ben Afleck Iranian/American Hostage Crisis

   Here is the link the Argo movie trailer. http://youtu.be/T29kIOXpj6o  <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/T29kIOXpj6o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>  The movie is released Oct. 12, 2012

   Below is a photo of Former Iranian Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini
In office from 3 December 1979 – 3 June 1989.
   The url link is to the blog I wrote in May of 2011, a year and a half ago, titled, "American Sentiments Toward Osama B.L. Reminiscent To The 1970's Ruhollah Khomeini?",  detailing extensively with events concerning Iran, the U.S. and the world, and especially how the U.S. and Iran have "unfinished business" from what this new movie, Argo, is about; American hostages taken by Iran and six embassy employees' escape attempt from Iran. I highly recommend reading the blog before seeing the movie, Argo.
    I was about 14 yrs old when this all took place I had no idea about the Embassy employees who hid in the Canadian embassy. But I always listened about the hostages. Such an awesome movie if I were John Travolta or Tom Cruise I would be so jealous. So proud of the whole production. Ben Afleck seems wise beyond his years and very un-pretentious person in the movie and seems obvious real life too.Thanx for a very good and useful movie. I recommend seeing it AT the theaters for the experience, and not just informational purposes. The high calliber cast and production did a fantastic job and you WILL be on the edge of your seat. For me, it brought back memories as a early teen, and stirred up anxiety concerning the events then, and the most recent Sep. 11, 2012 embassy attacks in N. Africa and over a dozen other U.S. embassies in the Middle East since these most recent attacks in which an American Marine was killed as well as an American Ambassador and others.
  http://michaeldtobin.blogspot.com/2011/05/american-sentiments-toward-osama-bl.html

Former Iranian Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini

   Based on real events, the dramatic thriller “Argo” chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis—the full scope of which was unknown by the public for decades.
    On November 4, 1979, as the Iranian revolution reaches its boiling point, militants storm the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. But, in the midst of the chaos, six Americans manage to slip away and find refuge in the home of Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor. Knowing it is only a matter of time before the six are found out and likely killed, a CIA “exfiltration” specialist named Tony Mendez comes up with a risky plan to get them safely out of the country. A plan so incredible, it could only happen in the movies.
   Academy Award® winner Ben Affleck (“The Town,” “Good Will Hunting”) directs and stars in the film, which is produced by Oscar® nominee Grant Heslov (“Good Night, and Good Luck.”), Affleck, and Oscar® winner George Clooney (“Syriana”). (see accurate movie details at, http://argothemovie.warnerbros.com/#about ). “Argo” also stars Bryan Cranston (TV’s “Breaking Bad”), Oscar® winner Alan Arkin (“Little Miss Sunshine”), and John Goodman (“Trouble With the Curve”). The main cast also includes Victor Garber, Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall, Scoot McNairy, Rory Cochrane, Christopher Denham, Kerry Bishé, Kyle Chandler and Chris Messina.

Below, here is copy of my blog, titled,
 "American Sentiments Toward Osama B.L. Reminiscent To The 1970's Ruhollah Khomeini?"
May 6, 2011

In the late 1970's, Khomeini called for Islamic revolution throughout the world. He was the supreme ruler over Iran, and now has a successor, after his death in 1989 until present, and ruled as Iran's first ever supreme ruler from 1979-1989.

As far back as the mid-1970's when I was just a child, (I was born in 1964), I can remember Saturday Night Live and all the other comedy and daytime talk shows and comedians, making fun of everything from his name, to toys and collectors items mocking him. But now, the celebrations following Osama Bin Laden's killing have caused us to progress from predominantly conservatives, mocking our enemy, to most all Americans, celebrating what I prefer to call, JUSTICE. I remember Ayatola Toilet Paper, Ayatola-On-A Rope (soap-on-a rope), as well as dolls, paintings and cartoons with an unlimited number of ways to parody Khomeini's names pronunciation and charicatures. Even the yellow ribbons we see all over the place, especially car magnets, is the idea from the days of the American hostages in Iran, when we began tying yellow ribbons around our trees, so we won't forget our fellow Americans being held hostage. It seemed everyone was united in opposition to this man. Basically, he called for the destruction of the United States and Israel before Osama Bin Laden was ever heard of, and he was responsible for the 52 American hostages being taken at the American Embassy in Iran for 144 days. And now, the current Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, who became president in 2005, was actually identified by some of the American hostages as one of their captors, which Ahmedinejad denies. So besides my point of similarities to the united scorn of Bin Laden after his death on May 1, 2011, and the lack of unity prior to his demise, I'm pointing out that if you read up on the Iranian Revolution, and the Iranian/Iraq war, you will see that prior to all that, even up until now, there you will see there's plenty of unfinished business between the U.S. and Iran. So the age old question begs to be asked; "What's next?"

On to now, concerning Osama Bin Laden. While the past 10 yrs are fresh in everyones minds who are at least 30 years old now, and those who were children at the time of Sep. 11, 2001, between the current ages now of 20 and 30 years old, who may barely have remembrances as a child of their parents speaking about the Soviet Union/U.S. relations, may have mostly memories of Middle Eastern fears, and various names of terrorists who have always been in the news, such as, Osama Bin Laden.

My observation is that, for the past 5 yrs or so, I can remember wondering, "why are we not all united in scorning and scoffing this OBL, as we were toward Ayatollah Khomeini in the 1970's throughout the 1980's?" I know that ONE reason is that we have such a ready available and vast amount of information to us since the mid to late 1990's with the rise of internet capabilities, that we are not limited to television, magazines and physical toys for humor and entertainment. We have all that AND internet info overload, which preoccupies us with everything under the sun, other than being united, as we were before what has become a distraction of the internet and all the accessories that are attached to the internet in every concievable way we have so far thought of and invented and copyrighted and pattented.

And reason number two is, back in the 1970's and before, we KNEW who the GOODGUYS were. It almost felt like I was puting total blame for lack of knowing who the good guys were and the lack of unity, on the information age. But more precisely, we have so many communistic and socialist-leaning politicians and media who have mastered the art of deception, and are attempting and largely succeding, in abolishing our U.S. Constitution, and poisoning our minds with the assumption that mass murderers are to be dialogued with and rewarded with a legitimate government.

So now, after the much celebrated death of Osama Bin Laden, I remembered my frequently asked question, and my wish, that somehow, our country can in some way regain the simplicity of unity, and it has been evident ever since the news of the U.S. Seal Team 6 and our Government inteligence agencies' successful raid against our enemies. In case anyone hasn't noticed, read, or heard, even the news broadcastors and printers have brought that to our attention, that we are more united now than we have been.

But get this: in my readings and research on the Ayatolla, I saw that his overthrow of the Iranian government of the 1970's, and declarations of worldwide Muslim aggression against the Western world, especially the U.S.A. and Israel, it has been noted that Iran has been more united than ever, also, with two major sectors in their population, being moderates, who are against religious and political aggression towards the West, and the other being the extreme Islamic religious. And they have Khomeini to thank for that, way back in the 1970's when he took control of their government, by popular uprising. (Sound familiar?)

So are we going to be happy again in the U.S.? I don't think so. But at least we have achieved some sort of unity, and hopefully there can be some sort of logic and peace between the Persians, Arabs and the extremists of that part of the world and of the U.S. and Israel, and will will abandon their ages old mindset of religious domination.

Of course that will not happen, because of all the other political ambitions of New World Order and those of literally all religious faiths, (except Satan worship maybe), are at odds with New World Order, hence the Biblical prophecies of the "mark of the beast" and the final war of Armageddon, which is literally the war between man and God.

So how did I venture off toward a further time other than our present time of unity as a result of the death of a global vilain? Well, I just didn't want anyone's hopes to get too high, and put things in a more proper perspective. And hopefully with all I've brought up, we can not forget the American mantra of the late 1970's and 1980's, "Remember The Hostages".