Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has announced at an impromptu press conference that he has been diagnosed with prostrate cancer. Olmert stated at the press conference that Israel had a "right to know" of the health of their Prime Minister, although presently there is no law which stipulates that he must divulge his medical history to the public. The Knesset is currently discussing a bill which would make it a legal requirement for any future Prime Minister to disclose such information. Olmert will undergo minor surgery to remove the cancer, and the operation could further postpone the upcoming international peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland. 

Quote: "Olmert, who has clung to office in the face of massive criticism of his conduct of last year's war in Lebanon and repeated allegations of corruption, is now engaged in U.S.-backed talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said: "We wish him a speedy recovery and hope to continue working with him to achieve the two-state solution and end the Israeli occupation." Olmert and Abbas say they are urgently seeking a common position on establishing a Palestinian state before a peace conference to be held late this year in the United States. Asked whether treatment would affect Olmert's ability to attend the meeting pencilled in for Annapolis, Maryland, in late November or early December, Ramon said the prime minister would not be able to fly abroad for three weeks after the surgery.

Questions are now being raised on whether Ehud Olmert will be fit enough to proceed with the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon did not disclose his medical history to the Israeli public. Shortly after Israel's disengagement from Gaza, Arik collapsed and was rushed to hospital. He suffered a minor stroke, and initial medical reports suggested he would make a full recovery. He regained strength but was later resubmitted to hospital after he was reportedly given the wrong medicine and started to hemorrhage on the brain. Many Christians and Jews believe that Arik's hemorrhage was directly linked to his decision to divide God's land. As I commented at the time, Isaiah 29 seems to bear a remarkable resemblance to what has happened physically to Ariel Sharon...

Isaiah 29:1-4
Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city [where] David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices. Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel. And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee. And thou shalt be brought down, [and] shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.

Isaiah 29:9-10
Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.

Isaiah 29:15-16
Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?

It was reported that following Ariel Sharon's stroke, his speech became slurred and he was unable to make decisions. He has been "brought down" from his premiership. Sharon was put into a medically induced coma to try and prevent more damage to his brain, and remains in the "spirit of deep sleep" until this day. 

In other news relating to Sharon's health... A few years ago, a Sephardic Rabbi told his followers that he knew the true name of the Messiah. The Rabbi had written the name in code on a piece of paper and sealed it in an envelope, with the express instruction that it not to be opened until one year following his death. Last May that letter was opened, and the code revealed the true name of the Messiah to his astounded followers. On the note was written the following, "Concerning the letter abbreviation of the Messiah's name, He will lift the people and prove that his word and law are valid. This I have signed in the month of mercy". The abbreviation of the phrase in Hebrew spells out the name Yeshua (Jesus). Many Jewish Rabbis claimed the writing was not that of Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri, and others wondered if he had become a Christian. Yitzchak Kaduri also claimed that Yeshua HaMashiach would only come (presumably the Second Coming) after former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon dies. Were it not for those Scriptures in Isaiah, and were it not for the Rabbi revealing the true name of the Messiah, I would have been inclined to disregard that statement. But Ariel Sharon is still alive and if his statements prove to be correct, this shows us how close we might be to the coming of our Lord. So it seems that once again, an Israeli Prime Minister is suffering health problems as he prepares to divide God's land. 

You may know the name of the Messiah, but do you know the Messiah personally? He gave His life on a cross 2000 years ago to provide salvation for you. Are your sins forgiven? When He comes, will you be lifted up to be with Him in the air, or will you be left behind to face the judgement of a Holy God? Trust in Jesus Christ for salvation today.  

Source Reuters