Rev 6:3-4 NCV When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" Then another horse came out, a red one. Its rider was given power to take away peace (prosperity, rest) from the earth and to make people kill each other (butcher, slaughter, to maim violently, in streets), and he was given a big sword (assassins sword, terrorist, loud, mighty, sore afraid).
<blockquote>“Hardly a day goes by when our senses are not bludgeoned by some new outbreak of terrorism in the Middle East. Despite our best efforts at making and keeping the peace, political, economic, and religious tensions often lead to unrest, violence, and riots.”
<p style="text-align: right;">-Jim Bakker in “Prosperity and the Coming Apocalypse”</p>
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UN monitors are being blocked from the site of an apparent government-led massacre of 78 people by Syrian army forces. Mission commander Robert Mood said the Syrian army is stopping UN staff at checkpoints and turning them back before reaching the city of Qubair. Activists report government troops bombarded Qubair, a village of less than 30 houses, located 12 miles northwest of Hama.
The UN has 297 unarmed observers in the country to verify implementation of a peace plan negotiated by UN special envoy Kofi Annan. The cease fire was to take effect in April but was ignored by Syrian government forces. The rebel Free Syrian Army stated last week they will no longer support the cease fire.
“Assad has doubled down on his brutality and duplicity,” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters during a visit to Turkey. “Syria will not, cannot be peaceful or certainly democratic until Assad goes.”
Secretary Clinton expressed a willingness to work with various nations to try and secure peace in Syria but Russia and China are vehemently opposing attempts to remove Assad or use military intervention. Russia and China are major suppliers to the Syrian government and military.
