that we may share his holiness”

Hebrews 12 provides a sequel to the challenging 11th chapter on faith which provoked our thoughts yesterday. It starts, “Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely and let usrun with endurance …”. The cloud of witnesses are those who were named as men and women of faith in chapter 11. None were perfect, but they grew in faith, they “were made strong out of weakness” (11:34). As well as seeing their example, our ability to endure is made stronger by “lookingto Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith who, for the joy set before him endured …” (12:2). The Greek word for “looking” is a special word; the NEB, for example, renders it as “our eyes fixed on”. This attitude of mind is further emphasized in the next verse, “Consider himwho endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted”.

Paul, assuming he is the author of Hebrews, then writes of the essential value of discipline, and quotes Proverbs 3:11,12 in verses 5,6, “… do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord discipline the one he loves …” and then makes this inspiring point in verse 10, “but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness”. Then he adds, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it”.

Think of Job: we are reading at the moment his words of distress and also his frustration with those who are classified as ‘friends’ – but as we complete this book this month we will marvel at its climax! Job achieves a wonderful insight in ‘knowing’ the Almighty as well as final and wonderful personal benefits.

Our Hebrews chapter draws to a close with a quotation we will soon read from the prophet Haggai. “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens” (verse 26). So many scriptures indicate that a mighty earthquake is part of God’s final judgments. Consider Isaiah 29:6-8 and Zechariah 14:4-9; while in Revelation 16:17-19 it is the sequel to Armageddon.

Extreme earthquakes have often included volcanic eruptions, so that the atmosphere is seriously affected. Some prefer to think it is only the political heavens that are shaken and destroyed. That maybe so, but we doubt it. Our Hebrews chapter ends, “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to Godacceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire”. With an attitude of “reverence and awe” toward God we can have confidence and faith “that we may share his holiness”.

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CHINA - JAPAN FLASH POINT

CHINA - JAPAN FLASH POINT

Simmering tensions between China & Japan have risen to boiling point in 2013 , with a dispute over the contested Senkaku/ Diaoyu Islands  leaving both bristling diplomatically & militarily  &  on the cusp of open conflict.  Amid Japan's  growing unease over China's rising power & increased forceful stance over the disputed islands , China continues to   challenge Japan's sovereignty of , with territorial incursions & scrambling of fighter jets , leaving the region on a knife-edge. This clash continues a series of ' Communism vs. Capitalism ' face-offs as Russian-backed nations ( Syria - Iran - China - North Korea ) face-off against Western-backed nations ( Israel - Japan - South Korea ).

​

​And ye shall hear of  WARS  &  ' RUMOURS ' of WARS  :  see that ye be not troubled  :   for all these things must come to pass , but ' the end '  is NOT YET .  For  nation shall rise against nation  &  kingdom against kingdom  &  there shall be famines  &  pestilences  &  earthquakes , in divers places.   All  these  are  ' the beginning '  of sorrows.                -    Matthew 24 v 5-6​​​​

Weekly World Watch

The idea is simple. It is to look at current events and compare them to events spoken of in the Bible.

These events we believe culminate in the return of the Lord Jesus from heaven. He will then setup on this earth a kingdom that will never end.

The Weekly World Watch assumes an understanding of traditional Christadelphian beliefs regarding prophecy.

The intention of this Weekly World Watch is to bring to our attention those things which fit in with what the scriptures say will happen in the last days before Christ returns.

Each week I will email to you a PowerPoint presentation that will look at a number of significant events that have happened over the previous 7 days.

There will be a brief description of the event, a comment from myself and a Bible quote to back the comment.

http://www.weeklyworldwatch.co.uk/recent_watch.asp

“You have need of …”

Is there anyone who thinks they do not need anything? With Christmas in 3 weeks’ time, the younger ones especially are thinking of the things they need and that it would be good to receive!

Our readings today in Hebrews say, “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised” (10:36). Are you enduring?

We live in a world, at least in this country that is very impatient. It is said, this is the ‘NOW’ generation. Until recently it was easy (and still is to some extent) to get what you want ‘NOW’ – and pay later. The folly of living beyond ones’ income is becoming more evident. Some countries, especially in Europe, are learning this and are having to endure the pain of austerity.

But the Letter to Hebrews is about something entirely different. Paul tells them, “do not throw away your confidence which has great reward” (verse 35). We throw or give away the things we do not need!

But confidence? What do you and I have confidence in? Do we have confidence in God’s knowledge and oversight in all that happens as a result of the “freewill” he allows? What confidence do we have in what will happen in the future! God has oversight of that and can intervene as he chooses, as our readings frequently reveal; often we puzzle to know more exactly what they are alluding to (Zechariah 12:1-3 being an example in the light of Middle East events now) and in recent years.

We saw lessons illustrating his oversight in individual lives in our readings in Job and Jonah; both men had, at least temporarily, lost sight of the will of God working out a pathway in their lives. Are we any better? But if we really commit ourselves to be children of God and more and more live for him in faith – then we will sense more clearly His purpose in the things he allows (or causes) to happen in our own lives and in the world.

Take special notice of how Hebrews chapter 10 ends, “my righteous one shall (aim to) live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him (or her). But we are notof those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls” (verses 38,39). Wise men have written about ‘the power of positive thinking’ but Hebrews reminds us of the words of Jesus himself, “the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:14). Let us try harder to see the “need of endurance” and put what we see into practice.

Mormonism – Is it of God?

Mormonism – Is it of God?

1. God
   Mormons speculate about a divine mother in connection with God's fatherhood. The following are the words of a Mormon hymn:

   In the heav'ns are parents single?

   No! The tho't makes reason stare!

   Truth is reason; truth eternal

   Tells me I've a mother there.

   Jesus Christ
   "Jesus Christ was a polygamist; Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, were his plural wives, and Mary Magdalene was another. Also, the bridal feast of Cana of Galilee, where Jesus turned the water into wine, was on the occasion of one of his own marriages."
   "We say it was Jesus Christ who was married [at Cana, to Martha and Mary] whereby He could see His own seed before He was crucified. I shall say here that before the Saviour died He looked upon His own natural children as we look upon ours. When Mary came to the sepulchre she saw two angels and she said unto them 'they have taken away my Lord or husband'."
   Adam
   "In the Heaven where our spirits were born, there are many Gods, each one of whom has his own wife or wives which were given to him previous to his redemption, while yet in his mortal state."
   "When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him."
   " . . . Michael [the Archangel], or Adam, the father of all, the prince of all the ancient of days . . . "
   The Fall
   "Adam found himself in a position that impelled him to disobey one of the requirements of God. He and his wife had been commanded to multiply and replenish the earth. Adam was still immortal; Eve had come under the penalty of mortality; and in such dissimilar conditions the two could not remain together, and, therefore, could not fulfill the Divine requirement, [ i.e., to procreate ]. On the other hand, Adam would be disobeying another command by yielding to his wife's request. He deliberately and wisely decided to stand by the first and greater commandment; and, therefore, with a full comprehension of the nature of his act, he also partook of the fruit that grew on the tree of knowledge."
   Ultimate Reward
   " . . . would you, like your heavenly Father, prompted by eternal benevolence and charity, wish to fill countless millions of worlds with your begotten sons and daughters and to bring them all through all the gradations of progressive being, to inherit immortal bodies and eternal mansions in your several dominions? . . . The eternal union of the sexes, in and after the resurrection, is mainly for the purpose of renewing and continuing the work of procreation."
   Abraham's Faith
   "Abraham received concubines, and they bore him children; and it was accounted unto him for righteousness, because they were given unto him, and he abode in my law . . . "
2. It will be appreciated by those familiar with Biblical teaching that the Mormon claim to "believe in the Bible insofar as it is translated accurately" is worth very little in the context of Mormon distortion of Biblical accounts. Until the authority of Scripture is established and the polygamous interpretations eradicated, little progress can be expected.
   
3. Despite the official change in attitude by the Mormon Church, plural marriage continues to be practiced in Utah. It is estimated that there are several thousand polygamists in Utah today.  Fundamentalists claim that for every "fundamentalist" Mormon discovered and excommunicated for polygamy there are ten Mormons in good standing who have more than one wife.  Whalen comments:
   "Throughout the west, they say, thousands of women known outwardly as widows, divorcees, spinsters, or wives of traveling salesmen or servicemen are actually plural wives. Attorney General Walter Budge of Utah has estimated there are at least 20,000 men, women and children living in plural marriages in his state alone. Newsweek magazine agreed with this estimate in an article on the polygamous Mormons in 1955 . . . It quoted State Attorney General E. R. Callister who said, 'Utah's jails aren't big enough to hold them all.'  Newsweekalso observed that many a Utah Mormon takes quiet pride in his polygamous forebears and is inclined to be lenient toward the Fundamentalists.'"
   Short Creek, Arizona, has been a famous Mormon Fundamentalist settlement. In 1953 warrants were presented for the arrest of 36 men and 83 women. Convictions resulted, but only suspended sentences were received since Arizona has no laws against polygamy. It is known that the Fundamentalists protect themselves by planted spies to tip them off about raids by the police departments.
4. Mormon missionaries distribute a publication, "The Challenge The Book of Mormon Makes to the World". Many of the thirty claims made in this tract are easily answered but some involve historical information. For those wishing to analyze the historical information cited, the following sources are helpful. They are listed in order of thoroughness of content:
   1. O'Dea, Thomas. The Mormons. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1957, p. 288. This book is a sociological analysis (without the anti-Mormon sentiment characteristic of Sectarian publications). The book is similar in style and treatment to Bryan Wilson's, Sects and Society. (Available from public libraries.)
   2. Whalen, William. The Latter-day Saints in the Modern Day World: An Account of Contemporary Mormonism. Notre Dame, Indiana: Un. of Notre Dame Press, 1967, pp. 319. (A paperback.)
   3. Fraser, Gordon. What Does the Book of Mormon Teach? An Examination of the Historical and Scientific Statements of the Book of Mormon. Chicago: The Moody Press, 1964, p.128. (A paperback.)
   4. Robertson, Irving. What the Cults Believe. Chicago: The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, 1966, pp. 9-30. (Available from public libraries.)
   5. VanBaalen, Jan Karel. The Chaos of the Cults. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1962, pp. 188-218. (Available from public libraries.)
   6. Fraser, Gordon. Is Mormonism Christian? Chicago: The Moody Press, 1965, pp. 7-115. (A paperback)
   (It must, of course, be realized, that these writers are not Christadelphians, and references to Biblical teaching must be cautiously and critically evaluated. Men competent in archaeology and anthropology may have no credentials for expounding Biblical teaching.)

Satan was wrong

Today we started reading the book of Job; this is one of the most challenging books of the Bible for us to understand. Today’s chapters are the only ones in which the word satan occurs, and the ESV Bible we use has a footnote that, in the Hebrew, this word means “the adversary” – and one can find many verses in the Old Testament where it is translated that way (see 1 Samuel 29:4; 2 Samuel 19:22; 1 Kings 5:4; 11:10,23,25; and the adversary is named – it is a specific human being).

We are inclined to agree with those who see this book, although based on a real historical person and event, as written as a drama or play to teach a spiritual lesson. We will be reading it for the rest of this month and its climax in the last chapter relates back to the first 2 or 3 chapters and we need to see this to get a full and balanced picture of the message this holy book has for us.

This adversary says to God, “all that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face” (2:4,5). But ‘Satan’ is wrong! Then Job’s wife, in a sense, becomes an adversary telling him to “Curse God and die”. But he says to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” (verses 9,10).

We can perceive that God allows the bad experiences in life on occasions to test us out, to shape our character.No sailor learns to sail if the sea is always calm. Think of the mixture of events that shaped David’s character after his great faith in slaying Goliath.

When we come to the end of the book (42:1-6), we see the events of the first 2 chapters in their total context with the early ‘disasters’. In the end Job has dramatic contact with God leading to a deep appreciation of his position before God and a relationship with God that he never previously possessed.

All he had lost is restored to him – and more. We see this as a picture of the blessings in store after the resurrection. If life is all smooth sailing, with no challenges to our faith, we will not develop an urgent sense of the need to develop a full relationship with God and His Son. Also, we will not achieve a true sense of humility and submission to God’s will. Can we say to God, like Jesus did, “not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). The book of Job has valuable lessons for the really diligent reader: hopefully that includes you.

Turkish MP supports ‘peace pipeline’

Turkish MP supports ‘peace pipeline’ 

Jerusalem Post 28-Nov-13 

A “peace pipeline” that connects the natural gas resources and infrastructure of Israel, Cyprus, Greece and Turkey is nothing less than “inevitable,” a Turkish parliament opposition party member told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. 

“My rationale is not based on a drive for profit or access to energy resources; it is based on a moral imperative,” said MP Aykan Erdemir, a member of the party assembly of the Republican People’s Party. 

Now that the Israeli government has cemented an export policy, the country must decide where precisely to sell its precious resource. Both Cyprus and Turkey, the latter of which does not recognize the former’s sovereignty over the entire Cypriot island, are courting Israel – Cyprus through liquefied natural gas export options and Turkey through a pipeline to its shores. Such a pipeline, however, would require passage through Cyprus’s internationally recognized waters. 

Although acknowledging that his vision is idealistic, Erdemir said he is confident the world will eventually see Israeli and Cypriot natural gas flowing through a single pipeline that crosses through Cyprus and emerges in Turkey. 

“Politicians can give you many reasons why this can’t happen, but it takes a statesman to build peace,” he told the Post. 

“Most similar projects in world history have been carried forward against improbable odds by visionary statesmen.” 

Erdemir, who has represented the city of Bursa in parliament since June 2011, has been a member of the socialdemocrat opposition party in Turkey since December 2010. 

Before entering politics, the Harvard University doctoral recipient worked as an associate professor of sociology at Middle East Technical University between 2004 and 2011. 

Erdemir spoke with the Post on the sidelines of a conference on “Offshore Energy Discoveries and the Geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean,” held at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem’s Truman Institute, in conjunction with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. 

To facilitate the creation of the pipeline, Erdemir stressed that all of the parties involved “need to tackle aggressively the Cyprus question” – namely, the issue of whether the Republic of Cyprus government presides over the entire island as is currently internationally accepted, or whether the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has a legitimate claim to its occupied territory. 

“On all sides we need to be open to compromise, so the peace pipeline could also be an avenue into solving the Cyprus problem, which in turn would facilitate Turkish EU membership,” he said.

In Israel, a Dream Made Real. Against all odds, Zionism has allowed an almost extinguished people to renew itself

:In Israel, a Dream Made Real. Against all odds, Zionism has allowed an almost extinguished people to renew itself 

Haaretz 29-Nov-13 

ARI SHAVIT 

For those observing Israel from afar, the country must seem like an ongoing crisis. Israel is at once an occupier and a target of its neighbors' enmity. It faces existential threats and herculean challenges—the Iranian nuclear project, chaos in the Arab world, the Palestinian rejection of its legitimacy. 

But some perspective is in order. The 20th century was the most dramatic century in the dramatic history of the Jews. In its first half, we lost a third of our people. But the second half of the century was miraculous. In North America, we created the perfect diaspora, while in the land of Israel we established modern Jewish sovereignty. The Jews of the 21st century have today what their great-grandparents could only dream of: equality, freedom, prosperity, dignity. The persecuted people are now emancipated. The pitiful people are now proud and independent. 

In Israel, the Jewish Renaissance was achieved by the remarkable success of Zionism. When Zionism was launched in 1897, approximately 50,000 Jews lived in the Holy Land. Now the Jewish population exceeds 6 million. In 1897, Jews living in Palestine represented only 0.4% of world Jewry. In 1950, we accounted for 10.6%. In 1980, 25.6%. Now we make up almost 45%. 

Today, the Jewish community in Israel is one of the two largest in the world. Given current trends, by 2025 the majority of the world's Jews will be Israelis. The fundamental Zionist diagnosis and prognosis proved to be correct. 

Nowhere is this success more apparent than in the port of Tel Aviv. Here, on the banks of the Yarkon River, the first Jewish Olympic Games—the Maccabiah—were held in the spring of 1932, long before the founding of the modern state. Within a few weeks, a sports stadium was hastily constructed where thousands gathered to watch the hundreds of athletes who traveled to Palestine from 25 countries to prove that the Jew of the 20th century was a new Jew: athletic, muscular and strong. 

Here, next to the Maccabiah stadium, five other Zionist projects were inaugurated before the end of the 1930s. The Bauhaus compound of the extravagant Levant Fair, the audacious Tel Aviv harbor, the renowned Palestine Philharmonic Orchestra, the electrifying Redding Power Station, the pioneering Tel Aviv airport—all were outstanding breakthroughs of modern Zionism. They shared initiative, daring, innovation and a can-do spirit. They gave the emerging Jewish national home a unique economic and cultural might. As the great Arab-Jewish war was about to begin in Palestine and while catastrophe loomed over European Jewry, the Zionist pioneers laid in Tel Aviv the foundations for a sovereign, modern, creative Jewish existence. 

Some 80 years later, as I walk south from the Tel Aviv airport on the promenade between the runway and the sea, I see the staff of a high-tech company having a day out in the sun. Twenty red-helmeted men and women ride by on red-wheeled Segways. Behind them are cyclists in sleeveless shirts and Lycra shorts with determined expressions on their faces. The joggers are more relaxed in their fluorescent running gear, sharing the path with willowy girls on skates, opinionated pensioners, amateur fishermen. 

Before me is an Israeli Central Park on the shores of the Mediterranean, a Hampstead Heath in the Middle East—with all the calm and tranquillity that only free societies can accord their citizens. There is a sense of well-being here that the Jews have not had for nearly 2,000 years. 

When I cross the Yarkon River and enter the port, I see all around me a feast of life. The cafes on the wooden decks are bustling with young families and singles, enjoying espressos and Champagne. Bicycles, skate boards, baby carriages. What a cocktail: an immigrant society and a warrior society against the backdrop of the blue sea. Jewish history and the Israeli present and blue skies. 

In Israel, centuries of pain have burst out into gaiety and creation. Here is the demography of hope: an almost extinguished people renewing itself. Unlike the affluent societies of Europe, Israel's affluent society reproduces and grows—we have babies in great numbers. 

Israel is not the utopia it set out to be. It is flawed and maimed in many ways. It denies the Palestinians their rights and often betrays its own citizens. It has an unworthy political leadership, a dysfunctional political system and an unjust socioeconomic structure. Yet Israel is an amazing expression of vitality, of success against all odds. Once one steps back from the ongoing friction of a conflict reported daily around the world, one can see the transformation of the Jews in the Zionist century. We had to come here, and once we came, we did wonders. 

The Jewish nation state has brought neither peace nor peace of mind to the Jews. But it has provided us with the intensity of life on the edge—the adrenaline rush of living dangerously. Threatened with death, we have built a spectacle of life. We have converged on this shore and cling to this shore, come what may. 

—Mr. Shavit is a senior columnist for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. This essay is adapted from his new book, "My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel," published by Spiegel & Grau.

Is the US changing sides in the regional conflict between Iran and its enemies?

:Is the US changing sides in the regional conflict between Iran and its enemies? 

The Jerusalem Post 30-Nov-13 

A report by respected Washington DC based journalist Hussein Abdul Hussein in the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper this week revealed details of an indirect US channel with Hizballah. The report comes, of course, close on the heels of the interim agreement concluded between the P5 + 1 and Iran allowing the latter to continue to enrich uranium. 

News items are also surfacing suggesting a stark split between the US and Saudi Arabia over regional policy in general and policy toward Syria in particular. Saudi officials are going on the record expressing their alarm at the direction of American policy. Happily stirring the pot, some Iran-associated outlets have suggested that Washington is actively seeking to rein back Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan, who favors a hard line against Iranian interference in the region. 

Meanwhile, agreement has now been reached over the long postponed 'Geneva 2' conference to discuss the war in Syria. The conference will go ahead because US-backed Syrian opposition representatives abandoned their demand that President Assad could have no part in any transitional phase of government in the country. 

What does all this add up to? There are an increasing number of voices who perceive a shape behind all these details: namely, an effort by the current US Administration to turn the Iranian regime from an adversary into a partner. The method: acceding in part or whole to key Iranian demands. 

Let's take a look at each item in more detail. 

The usually reliable Hussein Abdul Hussein's report details the mechanism by which the US is speaking to Hizballah, in spite of that organization being a US-designated terrorist group. British diplomats are the ones who do the talking. The channel of communication between UK officials and the 'political wing' of the movement was recently revived, in tune with the improving relations between London and Teheran. It is now serving to transfer messages between Washington and Teheran. 

An un-named diplomatic source quoted by Abdul Hussein explained that this dialogue is 'designed to keep pace with the changes in the region and the world, and the potential return of Iran to the international community.' The official went on to explain that because the US does not concur with the (British, entirely fictitious) division of Hizballah into 'political' and 'military' wings, direct dialogue is currently not possible. 

The report goes on to outline moments in recent months when the US has found itself on the 'same page' as Hizballah. One of these, very notably, was the occasion in June when the Lebanese Army, together with Hizballah fighters, fought against the partisans of the pro al-Qaeda Salafi preacher Ahmed al-Assir in the Lebanese town of Sidon. The US backed the army, without reference to the key role played by Hizballah fighters in the action, which resulted in al-Assir's defeat. 

The other was the US condemnation of the recent al-Qaeda linked bombing at the Iranian embassy in Beirut. The condemnation, well noted in Lebanon, did not contain any reference to the presence of Iranian and Hizballah fighters in Syria. 

Thus far the Abdul Hussein report. It tells us that the US 'outreach' to Iran is not on the nuclear file alone. Rather, even before any comprehensive agreement is reached, Washington appears to have begun to dismantle the carefully assembled diplomatic structure seeking to contain Iranian regional ambitions. 

Even Teheran's proxy Hizballah, which killed 241 US Marines in Beirut in 1983, is evidently now a fit subject for communication, as part of Iran's return to the 'international community.' 

Reports suggesting US reining in of Bandar are somewhat less reliable, coming as they do from pro-Iran and pro-Hizballah media outlets (al-Manar and the Revolutionary Guards associated Fars News Agency). But certainly the deep Saudi frustrations with the direction of US policy are not an invention of pro-Iran propagandists. 

Nawaf Obeid, a senior adviser to the Saudi royal family, this week accused Washington of deceiving Riyadh over the Iran nuclear deal. 'We were lied to, things were hidden from us,' Obeid told an audience in London, as quoted in the Daily Telegraph. 

He went on to vow continued Saudi resistance to Iranian machinations across the region. In particular, he expressed Saudi determination to turn back the Iranians in Syria. 'We cannot accept Revolutionary Guards running around Homs,' the adviser said. 

But this defiant tone appears in stark contrast to the developing US position. The Geneva 2 conference is now scheduled to take place on January 22nd. It is a US-sponsored affair. It is not yet clear if Iran itself will be there. 

But what is clear is that the conference will take place entirely according to the agenda of the Assad regime and its backers. That is – the US backed Syrian National Coalition will directly face the regime, while the regime now flatly rejects any notion of its stepping down. 

In a statement issued on Wednesday, humming with the old Ba'athist rhetoric, the Syrian foreign ministry said that 'The official Syrian delegation is not going to Geneva to surrender power… The age of colonialism, with the installation and toppling of governments, is over. They must wake from their dreams.' 

The armed rebels will not be sending representatives to the conference. They, financed and armed by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have formed a new 'Islamic Front' which is battling the regime around Damascus, in Aleppo, and in the border region of Qalamun this week. The military advantage continues to ebb and flow. 

But the stark contrast between the US-led diplomacy and the events on the ground is another clear reminder of the extent to which Washington's position has moved away from confrontation, away from Riyadh – and toward Teheran. 

Assad has revived his fortunes in the course of 2013 mainly because of the massive Iranian assistance he has received. Washington, which officially backs the opposition, appears to be sponsoring a conference which will crown this achievement. 

So is the US in fact changing sides in the contest between Iran and those regional forces seeking to contain and turn back its advance? 

Michael Doran of the Brookings Institute, suggested this week that Washington is in the first phase of seeking a 'strategic partnership' with Iran, an 'entente cordiale' which would see a US-Iranian alliance forming a lynchpin of regional stability. 

If this is indeed what the welter of evidence detailed above portends, then the Middle East is headed into a dangerous period indeed. As Doran also notes, there is no reason at all to think that Iranian designs for regional hegemony have been abandoned. 

The effect of US overtures to Teheran and undermining of allies will be to build the Iranians' appetite. This will serve to intensify their continued efforts at expansion. The corresponding efforts by other regional powers, Israel and Saudi Arabia chief among them, to resist this process will also increase. That, in turn, is likely to mean greater instability across the region. An eventual direct collision could result. 

    Jonathan Spyer is a senior research fellow at the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center, and a fellow at the Middle East Forum.