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14-1-2009

Special report by Michael Cohen m.cohen@allnewsweb.com
As Israeli planes and tanks pound Gaza with rockets in an operation aimed at stopping Hamas from launching rocket attacks into Israel many are asking the question: Is this the beginning of the Battle of Armageddon as predicted in the Bible?
Many religious leaders are saying that it might well be.
An Ancient Jewish tradition has it that after to the Original battle of Har (Mount) Megiddo (Armageddon in Hebrew) Pharaoh of Egypt Neco who had just killed Josiah King of Judah slept in the Philistine port of Gaza. He had a nightmare that night and called his advisors to interpret the meaning of what he saw as he slept. He explained that he saw a river of blood that began in Megiddo where he had just slain King Josiah and lowed all the way to his place of rest in Gaza, and out of the river leapt a fierce fire that burnt his face. ‘That which began in Megiddo will one day conclude in Gaza’ his advisors cryptically told him: he never returned to Gaza again.
Islamic tradition holds Gaza in high esteem as the Prophet Muhammad’s great grandfather Hashim ibn Abd al-Manaf is said to be buried there and blessing the city for perpetuity as a place of pious believers.
Many point to the following passage in the book of Zephaniah in the Old Testament as a sign of the area’s role in the final battle prior to a new era:
"For Gaza shall be forsaken,
And Ashkelon desolate;
They shall drive out Ashdod at noonday,
And Ekron shall be uprooted.
Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast,
The nation of the Cherethites!
The word of the Lord is against you,
O Canaan, land of the Philistines (Palestinians):
"I [God] will destroy you
So there shall be no inhabitant."
Many evangelical Christians see the current crisis as a prelude to the final battle prior to the return of Jesus. ‘This is simply the beginning, the spark that will ignite the whole region. Russia or possibly China will join a coalition of Arab states to attack Israel, only the reappearance of Jesus will save the children of Israel’ states Rev. John Jones a former Southern Baptist lecturer on Biblical studies.
Orthodox Jews might not agree on all of that. ‘Yes we will be redeemed, however not by Jesus of Nazereth who we do not accept as our annointed one, rather a yet to be identified Messianic figure’ notes Israel’s Rabbi Moshe Ben-David.
Islamic clerics also see things differently: ‘The final battle is near, however in the end all nations will finally live in peace and harmony with one another, all conflict will cease soon and God's true teachings revealed’ noted Sheikh Ali Ismail a Malaysian Islamic scholar from Penang.
Can we avert this coming Armageddon? One former cleric says yes. His name is Miguel Morales an ex-Marist Monk form Brazil turned organic farmer and avid ufologist.
To understand his plan for peace in the Holy Land we must first delve into some Jewish history.
‘Jewish legend has it that the seven branched candelabrum or Menorah that sat within the Holy of Holies in Herod’s Temple still exists along with other sacrificial instruments’ Noted Mr Morales. ‘When the Temple was ransacked, the Romans carried the Menorah and other items from the Temple back to Rome. However it is alleged that barbarians stole the Menorah when they ransacked Rome in around 400 AD. I find this unlikely as at that time Rome was already basically Christianised and the rulers of the Empire would have understood the profound significance of these objects.’
‘It would not have been that hard to have found a safe place for them and it is not as if the Barbarian invaders were specifically looking for these objects. All common sense suggests that they still exist in deep vaults beneath the Vatican and are under the strictest guard.’
Indeed recently a number of high ranking Israeli politicians have asked the Vatican directly if they do still possess the Menorah. One of these politicians was Meir Sheetrit who claimed he had evidence that the Vatican does still have the sacred candelabrum in its underground treasure troves. A number of ex-Mossad agents have also made claims that they have seen proof that the Menorah lies beneath Rome. The Vatican has someone denied that it still has the Menorah, however its pronouncements to date on the matter have not been emphatic and have been implicit rather than explicit. This has led many to speculate that the Menorah is still hidden under Rome.
‘I do believe it is there and it can play a role in bringing everlasting peace to the world’ says Mr Morales. ‘Armageddon can be averted, it need not occur. Much of Biblical prophecy is the worst case scenario, it is in our power to stop it happening and make a transition to the messianic era in peace.’
‘The Vatican should announce its possession of the Menorah and agree to hand it back to the Jewish nation on condition of a full ceasefire in Gaza on the proviso of course that Hamas agrees to stop its rockets and recognise Israel's right to exist’
‘Israel would stop this war immediately to gain possession of the Menorah; in fact they would do almost anything for the Menorah and this may well be the thing that would avert world-wide Armageddon and the devastation that it would bring to peoples lives.'
Mr Morales continues to inform me that the Menorah, in fact, was created to be and functions as a reciever of radio waves emanating from deep space. Together with the Ark of the Covenant it is part of an alien technological system designed as a means of communication between the priests of the Temple and the aliens that came to earth initially to create and then to guide humanity.
‘The Bible is full of accounts of UFOs; Ezekiel’s wheel was undoubtedly a UFO. The question now is if these Aliens are watching the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Gaza? Perhaps they will have to intervene to stop a coming world catastrophe.’
Will the Israelis and Palestinians through their actions force the Aliens to announce to the world their presence for the sake of peace? Perhaps, according to Mr Morales.
‘The Menorah has unique powers. Miracles can be seen to occur in its proximity, it is a bringer of peace and receptacle of unique alien technology. It's open presence on our planet would serve to remind us that we are not the masters of our fate, but merely the creations of a higher civilization’.
The question, of course, remains as to where the Menorah would be housed if returned. After all the Al Aqsa Mosque sits squarely where the Holy of Holies once stood. The ground the mosque stands on is also regarded as a most sacred place by all Muslims as it is here that the Prophet Muhammad is said to have risen to the heavens.
Mr Morales is optimistic ‘Jerusalem is big enough for three faiths and big enough for the Mosque and the Temple, we will find a place for the Menorah’ he concludes with a serene smile. Meanwhile chaos reigns and civilians in Gaza are dying; let us hope by some miracle that Mr Morales' plan is adopted. As crazy as it sounds it sure is better than the current reality.
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