HIROSHIMA SURVIVOR LOOKS BACK ON NUCLEAR BOMB HORRORS.

JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)

NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BE USED.

JESUS SHED HIS BLOOD FOR US THAT WE CAN BE SAVED FOREVER.AND DURING WW3 PEOPLES BLOOD WILL BE SHED AS A JUDGEMENT FOR HATING HIM AND ISRAEL.GOD IS NOT MOCKED.

ZEPHANIAH 1:2-3
2  I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.
3  I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.

PSALMS 97:3
3 A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.

EZEKIEL 5:15-17
15  So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the (ARAB/MUSLIM) nations that are round about thee,(ISRAEL) when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it.
16  When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:
17  So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts,(WHEN RUSSIA/MUSLIMS GET DEFEATED THIER BODIES GET EATEN BY BIRDS,ANIMALS IN ISRAEL MIGRATION SEASON) and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee;(NUKES) and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it.

REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200 MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)

ISAIAH 66:15-18
15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire,(NUKES) and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.

ISAIAH 26:21
21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity:(GOD/ISRAEL HATE AND BRAKING OF HIS COMMANDMENTS) the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.(WW3,1/2 earths population die - 3 BILLION).

ISAIAH 13:6-13 KJV
6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:(FROM FRIGHT)
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

ISAIAH 24:17-23 KJV
17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

2 TIMOTHY 3:1
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.

JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)

ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 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,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)

EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

REVELATION 9:18
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(ATOMIC BOMBS)(RUSSIA CHINA DESTROYED BY ISRAELS ATOMIC BOMBS)

REVELATION 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)

REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).

REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)

HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)

LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.

MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Hiroshima survivor looks back on nuclear bomb horrors ahead of Obama visit-[CBC]-May 22, 2016-YAHOONEWS

Setsuko Thurlow was just a schoolgirl in Japan when she bore witness to the devastating effects of the world's first nuclear bomb.It was Aug. 6, 1945, when the U.S. dropped the bomb on Hiroshima, killing 80,000 people instantly. By that year's end, 140,000 had died as a result of the nuclear detonation.Thurlow, then 13 years old, was in school, a kilometre away from ground zero when the bomb hit and knocked her unconscious. - CBC ARCHIVES: Shadows of Hiroshima-"When I regained consciousness, I tried to move my body in total darkness, but I couldn't move, so I knew I was faced with death," Thurlow, 83, who now lives in Toronto, told CBC News' David Common. "Then, suddenly, I started hearing my classmates' voices."She heard other children crying out: "Mother, help me," and "God, help me.""So I knew I was surrounded by my friends," she said. 'Everybody was covered with blood'-But then she saw the carnage around her. "Everybody was covered with blood and burned and blackened and swollen, and skin and flesh were hanging from their bones," she said, closing her eyes. "Parts of their bodies were missing. Some were carrying their own eyeballs."Nagasaki, about 400 kilometres away from Hiroshima, was hit with a second bomb on Aug. 9 and Japan surrendered six days later, ending the Second World War.On Friday, U.S. President Barack Obama will become the first sitting U.S. president to visit the site of the Hiroshima bombing as a part of his Asian tour to boost trade and diplomatic relations.Many have called on Obama to use the historic event to officially apologize for the U.S. attack on Japan, but the president has remained steadfast in his refusal.He recently told the Japanese national broadcaster NHK that no apologies would be included in the brief remarks he is expected to make in the western Japanese city."It's important to recognize that in the midst of war, leaders make all kinds of decisions, it's a job of historians to ask questions and examine them," Obama said."But I know, as somebody [who has] now sat in this position for the last seven and half years, that every leader makes very difficult decisions, particularly during wartime."Despite the lack of apology, Japan and the U.S. remain close allies, and Obama is expected to choose his words carefully on Friday."I think the president will be very careful to honour both the dead at Hiroshima, and also those Americans who lost their lives in the Pacific theatre," Tom Nagorski, executive vice-president of the Asia Society, which promotes co-operation between Asia and the U.S., told CBC News."It is a moment to reflect on something that he has talked a lot about in his two terms as president — nuclear non-proliferation and a world that can move towards peaceful security without the arsenals that exist now."Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 partly for his stance on nuclear non-proliferation, but the U.S. still has 4,700 active nuclear warheads at its disposal.While those numbers have declined significantly since the Cold War, the country still plans to spend billions over the coming decades to keep the weapons.That's something Thurlow finds deeply troubling. She now spends her time travelling the world to tell her story and advocate for nuclear non-proliferation."We have waited 70 years ... and it's too long, too dangerous," she said. "The sooner we get rid of them, the safer the humanity will be."

FALSE POPE FROM THE VATICAN

ISAIAH 23:15-17
15  And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.
16  Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
17  And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.(COULD THIS BE 70 YEARS AFTER ISRAEL BECAME A NATION IN 1948)(IF SO THIS SATANIC ONE WORLD WHORE CHURCH WILL MINGLE TOGETHER BY 2018)(AND NOW ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY AND ALL RELIGIONS ARE MINGLING AS ONE PEACE-LOVE-JOY-GET ALONG RELIGION LEAD BY THE VATICAN RIGHT NOW 4 YEARS FROM THE 70 YEAR TIME WHEN ISRAEL BECAME A NATION).AND IN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM.

REVELATION 13:11-13
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;(FALSE VATICAN POPE) and he had two horns like a lamb,(JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD) and he spake as a dragon.(HES SATANICALLY INSPIRED,HES A CHRISTIAN DEFECTOR FROM THE FAITH)
12 And he (FALSE RELIGIOUS LEADER) exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him,(WORLD DICTATOR) and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.(THE WORLD DICTATOR CREATES A FALSE RESURRECTION AND IS CROWNED LEADER OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER).
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

REVELATION 17:1-5,9,15-18
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication,(VATICAN IN POLITICS) and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman (FALSE CHURCH) was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour,(VATICAN COLOURS)(ANOTHER REASON WE KNOW THE FALSE POPE COMES FROM THE VATICAN) and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.(THE VATICAN IS BUILT ON 7 HILLS OR MOUNTAINS)
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,(1-ASSYRIA,2-EGYPT,3-BABYLON,4-MEDO-PERSIA,5-GREECE) and one is,(IN POWER IN JOHNS AND JESUS DAY-6-ROME) and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.(7TH-REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE OR THE EUROPEAN UNION TODAY AND THE SHORT SPACE IS-THE EUROPEAN UNION WILL HAVE WORLD CONTROL FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 YEARS.BUT WILL HAVE ITS MIGHTY WORLD POWER FOR THE FULL 7 YEARS OF THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD.AND THE WORLD DICTATOR WILL BE THE BEAST FROM THE EU.AND THE VATICAN POPE WILL BE THE WHORE THAT RIDES THE EUROPEAN UNION TO POWER.AND THE 2 EUROPEAN UNION POWER FREAKS WILL CONTROL AND DECIEVE THE WHOLE EARTH INTO THEIR DESTRUCTION.IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.YOU WILL BE DECIEVED BY THESE TWO.THE WORLD POLITICIAN-THE EUROPEAN UNION DICTATOR.AND THE FALSE PROPHET THAT DEFECTS CHRISTIANITY-THE FALSE VATICAN POPE.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.(VATICAN-CATHOLICS ALL AROUND THE WORLD OVER 1 BILLION)
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.(BOMB OR NUKE THE VATICAN)
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city,(VATICAN) which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Pope and top imam embrace in historic Vatican meeting-[AFP]-May 23, 2016-YAHOONEWS

Vatican City (AFP) - Pope Francis embraced the grand imam of Cairo's Al-Azhar Mosque at the Vatican on Monday in a historic encounter both sides hope will lead to greater understanding and dialogue between the two faiths.The first Vatican meeting between the leader of the world's Catholics and the highest authority in Sunni Islam marks the culmination of a significant improvement in relations between the two faiths since Francis took office in 2013."Our meeting is the message," Francis said in a brief comment at the start of his meeting with Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, shortly after he had hugged and kissed his guest, Vatican officials told a small pool of reporters covering the event.In a statement on the trip, Al-Azhar, an institution that also comprises a prestigious seat of learning, said the two sides had agreed to convene a "peace conference".A statement quoted Tayeb as telling Francis: "We need to take a joint stance, hand in hand, to bring happiness to humanity. Divine religions were revealed to make people happy, not to cause them hardship."The imam's deputy, Abbas Shuman, told Egyptian TV channel CBC that the two leaders had agreed to resume dialogue and that the proposed conference would cover the issues of poverty, extremism and terrorism.The Vatican did not immediately confirm the conference plans. A spokesman said the talks had been "very cordial" with the imam spending 30 minutes with the pope and just over an hour in total at St Peter's.Tayeb's decision to fly to Rome, unexpectedly announced last week, followed the easing of serious tensions that marked the reign of Francis's predecessor, Benedict XVI.Ties were badly soured when the now-retired Benedict made a September 2006 speech in which he was perceived to have linked Islam to violence, sparking deadly protests in several countries and reprisal attacks on Christians.Pope John-Paul II met the then-grand imam of Al-Azhar in Cairo in 2000, a year before the September 11 attacks on New York transformed relations between the West and the Islamic world.Monday's visit was effectively the long-delayed reciprocal meeting and the Vatican said that both clerics had "underlined the great significance of this new meeting".Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said in a statement that the pope and the imam had "mainly addressed the common challenges faced by the authorities and faithful of the major religions of the world."These included working together for world peace, rejecting violence and terrorism, and the situation and protection of Christians against a backdrop of conflict and terrorism in the Middle East."- Promoting 'true Islam' -The pope presented the imam with a copy of his recent encyclical, Laudato Si', a letter to the faithful in which he urges the world to wake up to the threat posed by climate change and economic inequality.Tayeb decided to accept the invitation to Rome as a result of the numerous conciliatory gestures Francis has made to the Muslim world since being elected in early 2013."If it were not for these good positions the meeting would not be happening," Shuman told AFP on Sunday, adding that the imam wanted to promote "true Islam and to correct misunderstandings created by extremist terrorist groups.""He encourages countries not to deal with their Muslim citizens as groups that present a threat," Shuman said."And he encourages Muslims in Western society to meld with their societies... it is a message for both sides."After the tensions of the Benedict years, Francis moved quickly to set a new tone, sending a personal message to the Muslim world to mark the end of the first month of Ramadan of his pontificate.The Argentinian pontiff followed up by pushing various inter-faith initiatives and he was accompanied by both Rabbi Abraham Skorka and Islamic studies professor Omar Abboud when he visited Jordan and Israel in 2014.But perhaps the gesture that clinched the deal was the most dramatic piece of political theatre of his papacy: his April visit to the migrant crisis island of Lesbos which concluded with him bringing three Syrian Muslim families back to the Vatican.

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)

Sri Lanka floods expected to cost at least $1.5 billion-[Reuters]-May 23, 2016-YAHOONEWS

COLOMBO (Reuters) - The cost of Sri Lanka's landslides and floods will be between $1.5 billion and $2 billion at the minimum, the government said on Monday, as the Indian Ocean island struggles to recover from its worst natural disaster since the 2004 Asia tsunami.The official death toll has risen to 92 but 109 people are feared to have been buried in landslides.Days of torrential rain forced more than 350,000 people from their homes, though many were returning on Monday.Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake said more than 125,000 houses and more than 300,000 small and medium businesses were destroyed or damaged."This minimum damage cost does not include damaged vehicles, equipment and machinery. We urge foreign donors to channel their relief efforts through the government," he told Reuters.(Reporting by Shihar Aneez; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Morning snow in Calgary-area, mostly gone by afternoon-[CBC]-May 22, 2016-yahoonews

Calgary and nearby communities woke up to falling snow Sunday morning — bending trees in some parts of the city — but much of it had melted by the afternoon.And rainfall warnings have replaced some of the snowfall warnings issued Saturday.CBC Calgary staff took to Twitter to share what was happening in their backyards and on the roads.Rosa Marchitelli tweeted a shot showing tree-bending white stuff just before 10 a.m.Scott Dippel posted a traffic camera image captured at 10:16 a.m. showing the intersection of Crowchild Trail and Shaganappi Trail N.W. with plenty of snow on the ground.Doug Dirks tweeted a shot of some snow-covered cars at 11:31 a.m.Environment Canada weather warnings had shifted from snowfall warnings issued Saturday to rainfall Sunday in some areas.At 5:15 p.m. Airdrie, Cochrane, Nordegg, Olds, Sundre and Rocky Mountain House were still covered by snow fall warnings of up to 15 centimetres.Rainfall warnings are currently in place for Athabasca, Barrhead, Devon, Drayton Valley, Edson, Evansburg, Fox Creek, Mayerthorpe, Morinville, Pigeon Lake, Rimbey, Spruce Grove, Swan Hills, Westlock and Whitecourt.Rainfall warnings are issued when 50 millimetres of rain is forecast in a period of 24 hours or less.

Weekend rainfall a blessing for Alberta's agricultural industry-[CBC]-May 22, 2016-yahoonews

A rainy May long weekend may have put a damper on camping plans, but it's been a blessing for Alberta's parched crops.On Saturday and Sunday alone, Edmonton received as much precipitation as it has in the past six months, including snowfall, said Stan Blade, dean of the University of Alberta's Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences."It's a fantastic start to have this kind of rainfall, we've all been waiting for it. This spring was so good as far as early seeding. Farmers across Alberta got out early, they seeded their crops, and then it was like hitting the pause button because it was so dry," Blade said."The weekend has been just exactly what we were hoping for."Last year, the Alberta government declared an agricultural disaster after a spring drought and hail in the summer affected around 80 per cent of Alberta farmers, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in insurance claims.Blade said the rain this weekend came at the perfect time and will ensure crops like canola, barley, wheat and even perennial crops like hay, grow more evenly."What we've seen in the last two or three days will put our crop in a very good shape for this time of the growing season," he said.-'Rain makes grain'-Grain farmer Humphrey Banack said this weekend's downpour was a "godsend" for his farm in Round Hill, around 90 kilometres southeast of Edmonton. He had seen barely any precipitation on his farm since the snow melted in February."Rain makes grain.This will get a good start," Banack said. "It's going to make a huge difference to Alberta as a whole. For agriculture, it's ... a billion dollar rain."Banack said he's already invested close to a million dollars in this year's crops, but it all depends on rain."We were seeding canola last week and we knew it was not going to grow until it rained," he said."But it doesn't grow in the bag so you might as well put it in the field and wait for the water."Banack said until this weekend, optimism was low in the farming community after a tough summer last year.The rain is also a huge benefit to the cattle industry. Banack said he knows cattle producers who were running short on feed, but rainfall will allow them to turn cattle out to grass.-Rain welcomed across Alberta-The dry spring so far also had him nervous, Blade said, especially since it didn't rain in significant portions of Alberta until the middle of July last year.With the help of the rain, producers can now also take advantage of conservation tillage and fertilization so crops reach their potential into July and August, Blade explained.He said it will be important for the rain to continue through the spring and summer. And it's not just farmers who understand how important this is — the rain and cooler temperatures are being welcomed by those fighting the 18 wildfires that continue to burn in the province, including the Fort McMurray wildfire."It's not often on long weekends people are looking for significant amounts of moisture," Blade said."But what I've seen everywhere is that people understand the situation and even our friends and colleagues in urban environments understand how important this rain is to Alberta."

EARTH DESTROYED WITH THE EARTH IN NOAHS DAY(BECAUSE OF SIN,VIOLENCE AND GODLESS PEOPLE)

GENESIS 6:11-13
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.(WORLD TERRORISM,MURDERS)(HAMAS IN HEBREW IS VIOLENCE)
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence (TERRORISM)(HAMAS) through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

7 dead after volcano erupts in western Indonesia-[Associated Press]-BINSAR BAKKARA-May 22, 2016-YAHOONEWS

GAMBER, Indonesia (AP) — The death toll in the eruption of a volcano in western Indonesia rose to seven on Sunday, with two other people in critical condition, as an official warned of more eruptions.Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra province blasted volcanic ash as high as 3 kilometers (2 miles) into the sky on Saturday, said National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. He said ash tumbled down the slopes as far as 4.5 kilometers (3 miles) westward into a river.All the victims of the eruption were working on their farms in the village of Gamber, about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) away from the slope, or within the danger area.Photos taken on Sunday showed evidence of pyroclastic flows — a fast-moving cloud of hot volcanic gases, rocks and ash — in the village. Dead and injured animals were lying on the ground, around them scorched homes and smoky vegetation. Soldiers were setting up roadblocks and people were carrying their belongings and leading farm animals to safety.Nata Nail, an official at the local Disaster Management Agency, said a man died Sunday at a hospital, leaving two other people in critical condition. The bodies of six other victims have been found near the mountain.Rescuers including soldiers, police, and personnel from disaster combating agencies, as well as volunteers and villagers, halted search operations around the area after they found there were no more victims or villagers inside the danger zone, Nail said.Earlier on Sunday, security personnel blocked some villagers who wanted to enter the village to take their abandoned belongings.Nugroho warned of more potential eruptions, with volcanic activity still high at the mountain.Mount Sinabung had been dormant for four centuries before reviving in 2010, killing two people. An eruption in 2014 killed 16 people.Sinabung is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

GE announces deals worth over $1.4 billion with Saudi Arabia-[The Canadian Press]-Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press-May 23, 2016-YAHOONEWS

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - General Electric Co. said Monday it made a series of deals with Saudi Arabia worth more than $1.4 billion as part of the kingdom's ambitious plan to wean itself off crude oil.GE said $1 billion worth of projects would be implemented by 2017 with the Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments Co., which was formed in 2014 by royal order to boost the country's manufacturing industry. GE said its agreement with the organization would see it help develop industry and manufacturing in the kingdom, as well as create jobs for Saudi youth.Another $400 million would go toward building a forging and casting manufacturing facility for the marine and energy industry in the kingdom, with hopes of it being operational by 2020 and providing over 2,000 jobs, GE said. In the future, there's a possibility of another $2 billion in projects coming after 2017, the company said.Other projects, which GE did not offer monetary values for, include boosting the local aviation repair industry, offering digital services to factories, working on manufacturing LED lights in the kingdom and training young men and women.GE's chairman and CEO Jeffrey Immelt said the project showed the company wanted to expand its long-time presence in Saudi Arabia in "a new and visionary way.""Together, we will create quality jobs for Saudi youth ... boost exports, enhance economic competitiveness and support the vision and aspirations of Saudi Arabia," Immelt said in a statement.The deal comes as part of the kingdom's Vision 2030 plan to wean itself off dependence on oil production. The plan, announced by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the son of King Salman, also calls for floating a stake in the world's largest oil company, Saudi Arabian Oil Co., and setting up one of the world's biggest government investment funds.Immelt met Monday in Jiddah with Khaled al-Falih, Saudi Arabia's new energy minister and the chairman of Aramco, the state-run Saudi Press Agency later reported. The agency offered no details of the agreements between the kingdom and GE."We are delighted in Saudi Arabia that GE is supporting the kingdom's Vision 2030 and the new plan for economic growth," al-Falih said in a statement.GE, based in Fairfield, Connecticut, has worked in Saudi Arabia for over 80 years. It has more than 2,000 employees in the kingdom working in the aviation, health care, oil, utilities and transportation sectors. Under the deals announced Monday, GE hopes to expand its workforce in Saudi Arabia to 4,000 people by 2020.Any additional jobs would be welcome to Saudi Arabia's 28 million people, who currently struggle with unemployment and providing youth opportunities outside of the public sector. Low global oil prices saw the kingdom have a nearly $100-billion deficit last year, while the government forecasts an $87-billion deficit this year.___Online:General Electric Co.: www.ge.com___Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellap. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/jon-gambrell .

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives in Tokyo ahead of G7 summit in Japan-[The Canadian Press]-May 23, 2016-yahoonews

TOKYO - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has landed in Tokyo where he will hold a bilateral visit with Japanese leaders before attending the Group of Seven summit later this week.Trudeau will meet Tuesday with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the emperor and empress of Japan as well as automotive sector officials.The visit comes ahead of the G7 summit on Thursday and Friday in the Japanese city of Ise-Shima.This is Trudeau's first overseas bilateral visit to Asia since taking office.He plans to discuss trade, investment, security, education and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Multiple blasts in Syria government strongholds kill 80-[The Canadian Press]-Sarah El Deeb, The Associated Press-May 23, 2016-YAHOONEWS

BEIRUT - A series of co-ordinated explosions including suicide bombings rocked two normally quiet coastal government strongholds in Syria Monday, killing more than 80 people and wounding 200 others, state media and opposition activists said. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks.The morning blasts in pro-government cities of Tartus and Jableh were the first of their kind targeting civilians in those areas in the course of Syria's civil war, now in its sixth year. The targets included bus stations, a gas station and a hospital, marking a sharp escalation in the conflict as world powers struggle to restart peace talks in Geneva.Several rounds of talks were held in the Swiss city earlier this year, although there was no breakthrough and the talks never really took off.Russia, which is heavily invested in the Syrian war on behalf of President Bashar Assad's government, keeps a naval base in Tartus and an air base in Latakia province, about five kilometres (three miles) north of Jableh. Insurgents fighting to topple Assad maintain a presence in rural Latakia.Syria's SANA news agency reported that four explosions struck Jableh. The attacks included a suicide bombing at the emergency entrance of the Jableh national hospital, state media said.Jableh News Network, an opposition activist media group, said that one of those killed at the hospital is a nurse, Huda al-Houshi.Shortly afterward, TV reports and residents said suicide bombers followed by a car-laden with explosives tore through a packed bus station and petrol station in Tartus, minutes apart. More than 33 were killed and many injured in the bombings.The explosions caused panic. A resident said she heard the first explosion followed by the wail of ambulance sirens rushing to the scene. Ninth graders were taking their exams Monday and had just finished at 9.30 am local time, around the same time of the explosion, and the bus stop would have been crowded, she said. The attackers also targeted a nearby gas station, where more than 100 cars are usually lined up to get petrol at this hour of the day, she said.She spoke on condition of anonymity, citing security concerns.Footage aired by the state-run Ikhbariya TV showed several cars on fire and thick black smoke billowing in the air. It also showed the charred remains of cars and minivans in what appears to be a bus station in Jableh.Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said the increase in militant attacks and bombings in Syria "once again demonstrates how fragile the situation in Syria is."Speaking Monday to journalists in Moscow, Dmitry Peskov said the situation "demonstrates the need to continue vigorous steps to continue the negotiation process."Asked whether Russia would reconsider its decision to scale back the size of its military contingent in Syria, the spokesman pointed to Putin's statement that Russia's bases in Syria allow for "a very flexible approach" to the number of its troops deployed in Syria.In all, seven explosions ripped through both locations simultaneously: four in Jableh, including three suicide bombings and one car bomb, and three in Tartus, including two suicide bombings and one car bomb.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition monitoring group based in Britain, put the death toll at more than 100.The co-ordinated and near-simultaneous attacks marked a major security breach of government strongholds that have remained calm throughout the war. Tartus and Jableh are home to thousands of internally displaced people from violence-stricken areas across Syria.The bombings unleashed an immediate backlash against the refugees, with families of the victims attacking IDP shelters. One shelter, al-Karnak, was burned down."We will not be deterred ... we will use everything we have to fight the terrorists," said Syrian Cabinet Minister Omran al-Zoubi on Syrian TV.A news agency linked with the Islamic State group said the group's militants were behind the multiple attacks.The one-sentence report by the IS-linked Aamaq news agency, which routinely carries the group's news and claims, offered no details.___Associated Press writer Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria and Zeina Karam in Beirut contributed to this report.

For Allah, China and Marx: theological mix for young imams-[Agence France-Presse]-Benjamin Haas-May 22, 2016-YAHOONEWS

Yinchuan (China) (AFP) - Every morning on his way to class at one of China's largest Islamic institutes, Wang Yue is reminded that the state comes before Allah.Emblazoned in gold etching on a white marble slab at the main entrance -- and repeated all over campus -- is the slogan: "Love the nation, love religion".The contrast is even more striking than the hierarchy: in China patriotism is synonymous with supporting the ruling Communist Party, which is officially atheist.But the students see little contradiction between the teachings of Marx and those of Mohammed."Part of being a good person, and a good Muslim, is loving your own country," said Wang, who is in the last of his four years of studies at the institute in the northern region of Ningxia."Marxism and religion don't contradict each other, and understanding other religions or theories can help us better understand our own faith," he insisted.While China's constitution enshrines freedom of religion, authorities keep strict limits on it, recognising only five belief systems, approving houses of worship, and seeking to control their messages.The country has two main Muslim groups, the Hui, who are concentrated in Ningxia and aside from their religion share many similarities with the Han majority, and the Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking people who have more in common with Central Asia.Both are Sunni, but while the Hui are largely integrated into mainstream society, officials frequently blame religious extremism -- along with terrorism and separatism -- for violence in the Uighur homeland of Xinjiang.China, which shares borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan, has strict national security laws, regularly detaining people for watching jihadist videos, although little evidence of any links to groups such as Islamic State has been made public.- Hammer and sickle -Religious groups must follow the leadership of the Communist Party, President Xi Jinping told a government conference in April."We should guide and educate the religious circle and their followers with the socialist core values," he said, according to official news agency Xinhua."We must resolutely guard against overseas infiltrations via religious means and prevent ideological infringement by extremists," he added.China's leaders are keenly aware of the role the Catholic Church had in the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe, and have sought to curtail outside influence in everything from the Internet to universities.Islam has existed in China for over a millennium, entering with Arab traders on the Silk Road, some of whom settled permanently.Now there are eight state-run Islamic institutes around the country, teaching young Muslims a version of Islam seen through a prism of Communist rhetoric and the Party-State system.Wang, who is Hui, espoused his patriotism under a blackboard with an elaborate hammer and sickle drawn in the corner. In Arabic class, students recited in unison the words for "socialist core values" and "patriotism"."They recognise the conflict, but the Hui have been exposed to political propaganda for so long, especially the older generation in the 60s and 70s, they rarely talk about it," said Timothy Grose, a professor of China Studies at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana."Hui Muslims have traditionally held a wide array of government and military positions throughout history," he added. "Hui have been able to enjoy the benefits of state development. It's easier to like a government that helped you become rich."- Mosque and state -Ningxia's capital, Yinchuan, is a gleaming example, with newly built albeit mostly empty boulevards, street signs in Chinese, Arabic and English, and an annual China-Middle East trade fair.But not all imams are happy with the education provided at the state-run Islamic institutions."The teaching isn't Islam, it isn't religion, it's official propaganda," said one cleric at a mosque near the institute, who would only give his surname, Ma, due to the sensitivity of the topic."The students get better job opportunities because they are more trusted," he added. "The officials know they will be an imam that teaches what they are told."Religious schools attached to mosques run alternative classes devoid of patriotic education and Marxism, but any of their graduates must pass a government test before being allowed to preach to the faithful."We don't need the government to tell us about religion," said Ma.Many Hui Muslims go through the motions of promoting patriotism simply as a formality, Grose said, and then temper government propaganda in their sermons.But students at the Islamic institute -- whose construction in the 1980s was largely financed by the Saudi Arabia-based Islamic Development Bank -- preach the official line.China has periodically persecuted religious believers, Muslims in particular, and third-year student Hai Jun cited his grandfather as saying the situation used to be "very difficult"."His generation couldn't make the hajj, but we can,"he went on, referring to the pilgrimage to Mecca all Muslims must make at least once in their lifetime."Now we have so many more opportunities," he said. ?In terms of religious freedom, we don't have much to complain about."

South Korea rejects North Korea talks proposal as 'bogus'-[Reuters]-May 23, 2016-YAHOONEWS

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea dismissed on Monday a North Korean proposal for military talks as "a bogus peace offensive" and said it was formally rejecting the overture because it lacked a plan to end the North's nuclear program.North Korea's proposal on the weekend for talks between the two Koreas, a repeat of a call by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a congress of his ruling party this month, came after a period of heightened tension on the peninsula.North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and launched a long-range rocket in February, triggering tougher international sanctions and the adoption of a more hardline position by South Korean President Park Geun-hye.North Korea said dialogue between military officials from the two sides was urgently needed to reduce tension, and suggested they be held in late May or early June.South Korea said the offer was insincere."The dialogue proposed by the North does not mention its nuclear program, which is the fundamental issue for peace on the Korean peninsula and South-North ties," South Korean Defence Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun told a briefing."Proposing dialogue without an expression of its position on denuclearization is a bogus peace offensive for bogus peace that lacks sincerity."Moon said the South had sent a message over a military hotline on Monday expressing regret over the North's proposal and asking it to state its position on denuclearization.This month, at the first congress of North Korea's Workers' Party in 36 years, Kim declared his country a nuclear weapons state and vowed to press on with nuclear development, which he said was defensive.In the run-up to the congress, North Korea test-fired a series of missiles including a submarine-based ballistic missile. It also attempted a launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile.South Korea's Unification Ministry, which handles political ties with the North, said Pyongyang's intention may be to sow discord among the public in the South and create a rift in the international commitment to sanctions."Let me repeat: Now is not the time for dialogue," said ministry spokesman Cheong Joon-hee.North Korea came under tougher international pressure with the March adoption of a U.N. Security Council resolution that was even backed its lone major ally China, which disapproves of its nuclear arms program.South Korea has also cut off all commercial contacts with the North.The two Koreas have remained in a technical state of war since their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.(Reporting by Jack Kim)

CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL 2ND WAVE OF WW3 (200 MILLION MAN ARMY)

REVELATION 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.(THE TURKEY ATATURK DAM ON THE EUPHRATES CAN BE SHUT AND DRIED UP ALREADY BY TURKEY)
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.(ITS AT THIS TIME I BELIEVE WHEN AMERICA GETS NUKED BY RUSSIA ON THE WAY TO THE MIDEAST)

DANIEL 11:44 (2ND WAVE OF WW3)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)

REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(WORLDWIDE WAR)(TURKEY-IRAQ-SYRIA)(EUPHRATES RIVER CONSISTS OF 760 MILES IN TURKEY,440 MILES IN SYRIA AND 660 MILES IN IRAQ)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,(WORLDWIDE WAR) which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE-2 billion)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)

With eye on South China Sea, China's neighbors weave new web of security-[Christian Science Monitor]-Peter Ford-May 22, 2016-YAHOONEWS

President Barack Obama’s visit to Hanoi is doubtless replete with historic and symbolic significance. He may even offer to sell America’s old enemy lethal weapons. But for a clue as to how nations across Asia are redrawing their security map in novel ways, look instead at two lower-profile recent visitors to Vietnam.One was Philippines Foreign Minister Jose Rene Almendras, in Hanoi a month ago to agree on an action plan expected to lead soon to joint maritime exercises. The next day the Japanese Navy showed up, in the shape of two destroyers docking at Cam Ranh Bay, the first ever such visit.China’s neighbors are alarmed by Beijing’s rising defense budget and its increasingly assertive behavior in the South China Sea, where it has built pinprick reefs and shoals into weapons-ready islands. Their response? To weave a thickening web of new ties among themselves.From Japan to India, and from Australia to Vietnam, “all sorts of new security configurations have evolved,” says Bonnie Glaser, a regional analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C.For decades, Washington protected its interests and friends in East Asia by throwing a “hub and spoke” security blanket over the region, constructed from a series of bilateral arrangements.But now, America’s friends are getting together directly, in all sorts of ways and at all sorts of levels.There are trilateral mechanisms, such as the high level talks that began last year among Japan, Australia, and India on topics including maritime security. Or bilateral deals, such as India’s $100 million loan to Vietnam to buy patrol boats, and Japan’s leasing of five surveillance aircraft to the Philippines, bolstering those Southeast Asian nations’ ability to keep an eye on waters where China challenges their territorial claims.At the end of last year, India and Japan agreed on their common “Vision 2025” pledging “closer coordination and effective communication, bilaterally and with partners, to address existing and emerging challenges in spheres of security, stability and sustainable development.”A few months earlier, India and Australia held their first joint naval exercises for many years. Also last year, Canberra agreed to hold joint naval exercises with Vietnam and to train the Vietnamese military.-THE US ROLE-These emerging relationships are underpinned, of course, by regional nations’ existing ties with the United States, which Washington is keen to deepen with Mr. Obama’s “pivot to Asia” policy.Last month, for example, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said India and the US had agreed in principle to use each other’s military bases for resupply, repair, and rest.Japan, after bitter public debate, recently renounced its self-imposed bans on both arms sales and on sending troops to assist allies, such as the United States or its forces in Asia, if they came under attack.Australian troops joined US and Filipino soldiers and sailors in joint exercises in the Philippines last month, prompting China to warn “outsiders” against interfering in regional disputes. In March, Manila became Washington’s most important partner in Southeast Asia with a deal allowing for a rotating US military presence at five bases in the Philippines.Washington and its partners explain their increasingly dense network of security arrangements by the need to guarantee a rules-based international order on the high seas. That implicitly points the finger at Beijing, whose claims to almost all the South China Sea – and assertive moves to bolster those claims - have brought it into conflict with many of its neighbors.China complains that the US and its allies are pursuing a cold war-like policy of containment, seeking to deny Beijing’s right to build more warships and send them far afield into the Pacific and Indian oceans.-'QUADRILATERAL SECURITY'-Such complaints, forcefully expressed, contributed to the demise in 2008 of a short-lived “quadrilateral security dialogue” among the United States, Japan, Australia, and India. That did not stop Adm. Harry Harris, head of US Pacific Command, from re-launching the idea in March.“We are all united in supporting the rules-based order that has kept the peace and is essential to all of us,” Harris said in a speech in Delhi titled “Let’s be ambitious.”The project does not, however, seem to have gained much traction. Such a four-way partnership would inevitably be led by the United States, says Raja Mohan, head of Carnegie India, a branch of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank. That, he suggests, “would play into the Chinese argument that if only the Americans left the region, everything would be fine.”Shinzo Abe, the Japanese premier who first promoted the idea of a “security diamond” of Asian democracies 10 years ago, would like to revive it, but “there have been no clear results,” says Akihisa Nagashima, a former vice defense minister of Japan.“It would be premature to rush into a quadrilateral mechanism,” Mr. Nagashima adds. “We have to be prudent about ganging four major countries up” against China.-THE INDIAN VIEW-India, with its long tradition of diplomatic and military non-alignment, is especially reluctant to join anything that smacks of an anti-Chinese alliance, says P.K. Ghosh, a former Indian naval officer who now works at the Observer Research Foundation, a think tank in Delhi.“India would not like to be seen to be too close to Western military forces,” he explains. But even as Delhi tries to be even-handed, Dr. Ghosh adds, “of course we are apprehensive of the way China is going in the Indian Ocean,” where Chinese naval vessels, including submarines, have been increasingly active since they first appeared nearly a decade ago.That has prompted India to reach out not only to its immediate neighbors such as Bangladesh, the Maldives, and the Seychelles, but to look further afield. India is training Vietnamese submariners in one of its many cooperative projects with Hanoi, and last year agreed to let Japan join its annual Malabar exercises with the US Navy.“We can achieve our aim – interoperability of our forces – without an upfront quadrilateral security dialogue,” says Dr. Ghosh. “We can do it with separate bilateral and trilateral arrangements more subtly, with finesse.”In the light of India’s reservations, such ‘minilateral’ mechanisms “are actually much more effective” than a four-way arrangement restricted by a lowest common denominator, says Rory Medcalf, head of the National Security College at Australia’s National University in Canberra. “There has been much more profound cooperation – high-level exercises and sensitive intelligence sharing” than would have been possible in a "quad," he adds.That regional approach also “sends signals to China that its behavior is obliging [its neighbors] to strengthen security relations with each other and with the US,” Prof. Medcalf says.-WHAT'S NEXT?-Though there are few signs yet that Beijing is changing its behavior as a result, the next few weeks “will probably be a very critical juncture,” predicts Ms. Glaser. How China reacts to an expected ruling against its South China Sea claims by an international maritime tribunal, and whether or not it occupies and fortifies Scarborough Shoal, also claimed by the Philippines and Taiwan, will be decisive.If China steps up its assertiveness, says Nagashima, “that would make us think about a different stage of reaction, including the ‘quad.’ ”“Those four countries would be a pretty powerful constellation to counter Chinese influence if they ever joined forces,” adds Medcalf. “It is a good idea to keep it as an option, an arrow in our quiver if Chinese behavior worsens.”