Russia Suddenly Feeling Under Siege

 

Russia Suddenly Feeling Under Siege

Russia Suddenly Feeling Under Siege
Stratfor 13-Feb-14
Russia is facing a confluence of strategic challenges in the former Soviet periphery, an area where the Kremlin has worked hard to expand Russian influence over the past decade. An emerging financial crisis in Kazakhstan and the political crisis in Ukraine are threatening Russia's economic and strategic interests. At the same time, progress in Georgia and Moldova's path toward European integration is eroding Russia's leverage in the region.
What is a Geopolitical Diary? George Friedman explains.
These challenges to Russia's status as a resurgent regional power come at a delicate time because the country faces a growing host of domestic difficulties. Demographic decline, ethnic tensions and a continued dependency on an unreformed extractive industry are looming dark clouds on the horizon for the Kremlin. While not yet threatening Russia's dominance, the current crises in the former Soviet space are a challenge to Moscow's long-term strategy for the region.
Yesterday, the National Bank of Kazakhstan devalued the country's currency, the tenge, by nearly 20 percent in the aftermath of the emerging markets crisis that has been rocking developing economies over the past few weeks. The impact of the devaluation was immediate, with some currency exchanges and shops throughout Kazakhstan shutting down. More important, the devaluation has raised fears of contagion to other regional economies. A financial crisis in the Moscow-led Customs Union -- currently comprising Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus -- would hamper the expansion efforts of the bloc and perhaps even threaten the cohesion of what has been a cornerstone of Russia's strategy to secure its Central Asian hinterland.
The Kazakh move has also placed additional pressure on the already volatile economic and political situation in Ukraine, where Russia faces yet another strategic threat. Constrained in part by its need to maintain its international image during the Sochi Winter Olympics, Russia has been unsuccessful in helping President Viktor Yanukovich to end the political standoff and defuse the protests that have been reinvigorated by support from the West as well as from independent domestic actors. The ongoing political stalemate in Ukraine has demonstrated that although Russia has significant levers of influence in the country, it is for now unable to unilaterally shape political outcomes.
Farther west and south, Russia faces growing pressure in maintaining its influence in another two traditional strategic focal points: Georgia and Moldova. While those countries are not as essential to Russia's security as Ukraine, they are the key for the Kremlin's strategy of consolidating its southwestern flank. European incentives have contributed to the development of Moldova and Georgia's Western-leaning trajectory in recent years.
While Georgia's current ruling Georgian Dream coalition has been more open to engagement with Russia than the previous administration of President Mikhail Saakashvili, Georgia is developing a strong partnership with NATO and is pursuing a path to European integration that threatens Russia's policy. However, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has balanced Wednesday's announcement that the United States would finance his country's participation in the NATO Response Force with a public statement that he would be willing to meet with Russian leaders. Similarly, Moldova is building stronger ties to Western institutions.
Also on Wednesday, the European Parliament took a step toward visa liberalization for Moldovans, further incentivizing Moldovan leaders to strengthen cooperation with the European Union. Russia's support for breakaway regions, as well as its past economic pressures on Georgia and Moldova, have not been effective in dissuading the countries from pursuing integration with the West.
Much of Moscow's current assertive foreign policy in its periphery has been driven by concerns that its relatively strong position in the region will come under threat, especially when the United States is able to pay serious attention to the former Soviet periphery. The Putin administration is in the process of addressing the delicate question of restructuring the country's energy sector -- the lifeline of the country's economy -- while also managing the country's looming demographic crisis and growing ethnic tensions, which have the potential to spiral into violence.
The confluence of crises in its periphery may not necessarily signify a definite weakening of Russia's global and regional position -- the European Union, for all its rhetoric, remains weak and internally divided while the United States remains relatively distant -- but it adds to Moscow's growing burden.

Israel at a Point of No Return - In the Right Direction

 

Israel at a Point of No Return - In the Right Direction
by David P. GoldmanPJ Media 12-Feb-14
I should like to advance a conjecture which I lack the qualifications to adequately develop: The global Left, and the Israeli Left most of all, perceives that the clock is running out, and has worked itself up into a froth of hysteria against Israel. The world of John Lennon's "Imagine," where there are no countries and no religions, is about to dissipate like last night's marijuana fumes. The demographic time bomb that worries the Left is not the relative increase of Arab vs. Jewish populations between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River, speciously cited by John Kerry and a host of other errant utopians: it is the growth of the Jewish population itself, and Israel's transformation into the world's most religious country.
Israel now has a religious majority, as Times of Israel blogger Yoseif Bloch observes:
    "According to our Central Bureau of Statistics, 43% of Israeli Jews are secular, 9% are haredi, and the remaining 48% are somewhere between masorti (traditional) and dati (religious): 23% the former, 10% the latter, and 15% smack in the middle. These five groups do not parallel the five groups identified by Pew, e.g. Orthodox is a denomination, while dati is a declaration."
So 57% of Israelis practice a form of Judaism that for the most part Americans would call "Orthodox," in that it recognizes normative Judaism in the rabbinic tradition (the presence of the "progressive" Reform and Conservative movements is almost imperceptible and largely limited to transplanted Americans). Many Israelis who are dati are far from completely observant, but there is a great gulf fixed between a semi-observant Jew who knows what observance is, and a "progressive" who asserts the right to reinvent tradition according to personal taste.
This majority seems to be expanding fast. I spent the second half of December in Jerusalem promoting the Hebrew translation of my book How Civilizations Die and was struck by the increase in commitment to religious observance, including among people who were steadfastly secular. Almost half of Israel's army officers are "national religious" and trained in pre-army academies that teach Judaism, Jewish history, as well as physical training and military subjects. The ultra-Orthodox are going to work rather than studying full time, little by little, but the little adds up to a lot. Naftali Bennett's national-religious party "Jewish Home" has created a new political focus for the national-religious. Outreach organizations like Beit Hillel are bringing once-secular Israelis back to observance. Beit Hillel's spiritual leader, Rabbi Ronen Neuwirth, was in New York recently lecturing about Israel's religious revival.
Anecdotally, I see this in my own small circle of Israeli acquaintances. A musician friend told me that he attends a Talmud class every Shabbat — he can't stand praying, but he is hungry for Torah. A journalist friend dresses her young boys in the tallit katan, the fringed undergarment of the very observant. It is becoming normal in Jerusalem restaurants to wash hands before bread and to recite the Grace after Meals.
This is a crucial, counterintuitive story: Israel is swimming against the secular current, becoming more observant as the rest of the world becomes more secular. Perhaps the explanation lies in the observation of the Catholic sociologist Mary Eberstadt, who argued in a brilliant 2007 essay that it is our children who bring us to faith. Last year Mary expanded the essay into a book which I had the honor to discuss in Claremont Review of Books. It is a commonplace of demographers' correlation that people of faith have more children: Mary argues that the causality goes both ways, that having children reinforces our faith. Israeli is a standpoint in the modern world with a fertility rate of 3.0 children per woman (the closest second is the U.S. with just 1.9). Excluding the ultra-Orthodox the number is 2.6 children per woman, still outside the range of the rest of the industrial world. Secular Israelis are having three children. Not only does that defuse the much-touted "demographic time bomb." It ultimately changes the character of the country. It validates the hundred-year-old argument of Rabbi Isaac Kook, one of the founders of religious Zionism, that identification with the Jewish people eventually will lead Jews back to Judaism.
This national religious revival is not occurring at the expense of Israeli or West Bank Arabs. On the contrary, the Arab population between the River and the Sea is flourishing as no modern Arab population ever did. A fifth of Israel's medical students are Arab, as are a third of the students at the University of Haifa. Ariel University across the "Green Line" in Samaria, the "settler's university," is educating a whole generation of West Bank Arabs. The campus is full of young Arab women in headscarves, and the local Jewish leadership reaches out to Arab villages to recruit talented students. Israel's expanding economy has a bottomless demand for young people of ability and ambition. The Left calls Israel an "apartheid state" the way it used to call America a "fascist state" back in the 1960s.
The Israeli Left, with its soggy vision of univeralist utopianism, may be at a point of no return. It is becoming marginalized and irrelevant. The Europeans, whose experience of nationalism has been uniformly horrific, are equally aghast. Liberal Christians who abhor the Election of Israel because they abhor Christian orthodoxy cannot suppress their rage. And "progressive" American Jews, who have been running away from Judaism for the past three generations, are upset that Israel has embraced the normative Judaism they worked so hard to suppress. American "progressive" and unaffiliated Jews, one should remember, have the lowest fertility rate of any identifiable minority in the United States. Even if most of them did not intermarry (and the intermarriage rate in the past ten years approaches 70% according to the October 2013 Pew study) their infertility would finish them off in a few generations. Meanwhile 74% of all Jewish children in the New York area live in Orthodox families. The center of gravity of Judaism will shift decisively to Israel in the next generation, and the segment of American Jewry that most identifies with Israel–the Orthodox–will set the tone for American Judaism and eventually become the majority in a much smaller American Jewish population.
It is up to the Israelis, to be sure, to draw out the implications of these trends. But I am encouraged by the perceptions of religious leaders like Rabbi Ronen Neuwirth, who perceive this revival in their daily work.
This is good news for Christians as well as Jews. The secularization thesis is refuted: a country with the world's greatest record of high-tech innovation is also becoming the industrial world's most religious country. It is devastating news for Lennonists as well as Leninists. The "Imagine" world turns out to be imaginary. Israel, as Franz Rosenzweig said of the Jewish people, is there to be "the paragon and exemplar of a nation." For all its flaws, the State of Israel stands as a beacon to people of faith around the world. It is honored by its list of self-appointed enemies. Will Israel prevail against the unholy coalition against it? As we say, b'ezrat Hashem.
    David P. Goldman is Senior Fellow at the London Center for Policy Research and Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

Crisis in Ukraine in Bible prophecy, Invasion of Israel, Christ's Second Coming

 

Crisis in Ukraine in Bible prophecy, Invasion of Israel, Christ's Second Coming

Jeremiah and other prophets predicted a great invasion of Israel "from the north". These 

prophecies had some primary fulfillments which pointed forward to the final denouement of the 

latter days. Around the time of Jeremiah, the Scythians had marauded much of the Middle East, 

including Israel. Although this is barely recorded in Biblical history, it is a well attested 

historical fact. When Jeremiah spoke of an invasion from the North, and Ezekiel spoke of 

marauding bands of Scythian-related tribes attacking the land, everyone would've thought of the 

recent attacks by the Scythians. As John Skinner put it: "In these events, especially the Scythian 

incursion into Palestine, most historians have found the suggestion and background of Jeremiah's 

prophecies of the Foe from the North" (1). Significantly, "Jeremiah's ministry is stated to have 

begun at approximately the time to which Herodotus assigns the Scythian invasion" (2). It could 

be argued that Jeremiah and Ezekiel's prophecies of a northern invader had a primary fulfillment 

in the lives of the prophets in the Scythian invasion, which were then to be understood as a type 

of the latter day invasion "from the north". This would be in keeping with the Mosaic test of a 

true prophet- his predictions must come to pass, otherwise he is to be seen as a false prophet. It 

could therefore be the predictions of the Biblical prophets about a northern invasion had to have 

a short term fulfillment, which had relevance to their ultimate 'fullerfilment' in the events of our 

last days. Whilst the prophecies do have some application to the Babylonian invasion of Judah, 

we must recall that Ezekiel was prophesying after that event, as Israel sat by the rivers of 

Babylon; and Jeremiah's descriptions of the northern invasion have some elements which fit 

better with the Scythian incursions than the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem. Not least the 

sudden, unexpected nature of the attacks is better fitted by far to the Scythians than to the 

Babylonians. It could be that his prophecies had an immediate primary fulfillment in the 

Scythian invasions, and then another dim fulfillment in the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem, 

both of which primary fulfillments look forward to the final denouement in the latter days. 

Who, then, were the Scythians? The question is important to understand because their invasions 

are a shadow of the latter day invasion of Israel. Much Soviet and Eastern European 

archeological research into the Scythians remains only in Russian and has never been released in 

English. If it had been, the Scythian invasions would perhaps have featured more prominently in 

the prophetic thinking of the Western brotherhood. Excavations of Scythian settlements 

throughout Russia and the Ukraine have yielded various objects which have also been found in 

the Middle Eastern areas which the Scythians invaded around the time of the Old Testament 

prophets. The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, the USSR's answer to the West's Encyclopedia 

Britannica (although much larger), has a wealth of information about these findings. Here are a 

few examples:

The Scythians had a very specific style of bronze arrowhead. The Soviet archaeologist A.M. 

Leskov discovered many of these in sites around Kakhovka and Lubimovka in the Ukraine- incidentally, the location of thriving Christadelphian ecclesias today. The very same style of 

arrowhead was unearthed in Samaria, Lachish and Amman (Jordan). 

- The same goes for Scythian horse bridles and iron axes.

The Scythians had very specific and distinctive styles of burial. Being horsemen from the 

steppes of Ukraine and southern Russia, the forerunners of the Cossacks, their leaders were 

buried with many horses. Thus there was the mass slaughter of horses, which were then buried 

with the dead leader. Throughout the former Soviet Union, such burial mounds have been 

unearthed- from the southern Ukraine to the frozen Scythian tombs in Pazryk in the Altai 

mountains (in Siberia, central Russia) (3). 

- The layout of Scythian burial chambers from the Ukraine through Russia and down to modern 

day Israel and Iran has been found to be identical (4). 

The various studies also contain the observation that the Scythian remains in Russia and Ukraine 

include not only loot they had taken back with them from the Middle East (e.g. Persian carpets 

preserved in the frozen burial mounds of Scythian villages in Siberia), but also reflect evidence 

of how the Scythians became influenced by Middle Eastern culture. This indicates how the 

Scythians made some alliances with some of the local powers during their time 'down South'. In 

some of the Scythian sites, notably Pazryk in Siberia, there are the motifs of the eagle, gryphon, 

winged lion etc.- which were all associated with Assyria and Babylon (5). This indicates some 

degree of co-operation between the Scythians and the Babylonians, rather than raw conflict 

between them. Indeed, there is both historical and archaeological evidence that the Scythians 

were mercenaries used by Nebuchadnezzar in his attack upon Jerusalem. Yamauchi reports how 

Scythian arrowheads have been found around Jerusalem in the same material which dates to the 

Babylonian destruction of the city and temple (6). That "day of the Lord" was a clear type of the 

final "day of the Lord" when the Northern armies attack God's people. This could well suggest a 

latter day coalition between latter day "Babylon" and the latter day Scythians- the inhabitants of 

Ukraine and Russia. In the early meetings between the Byzantines and the inhabitants of Ukraine 

and Southern Russia in the 9th century, the surviving records show the Scythian leaders (e.g. 

Prince Svetoslav) being addressed as "Prince of Rosh" or Rus by the emissaries from Byzantium. 

Several connections between Rosh / Rus and the Scythians are made by the Byzantine historian 

Leo the Deacon in his 10th century records; at times he uses the terms interchangeably (7). 

Given this background, we can look for the final 'northern invader' to be led by Babylon / 

Assyria, and yet to be supported by the latter day Scythians. We need to remember that most of 

the military achievements of Babylon / Assyria were not achieved by their own forces directly; 

their military and organizational genius was in mustering the support of mercenaries and other 

fighters. The Scythians played a large part in this when it came to Israel, even if Western 

versions of ancient history has been relatively quiet about it. Significantly, Ezekiel 38 speaks of 

the invasion with specific reference to this Scythian element. If we are to interpret the latter day 

Scythians geographically, then this would lead us to search for their latter day equivalent in the 

lands of Ukraine, Russia and the steppes of northern Kazakhstan. 

Russia Tightens its Grip in Ukraine and Bible Prophecy

 

Russia Tightens its Grip in Ukraine and Bible Prophecy

When Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon had a dream of a great metallic image, he was so troubled that he threatened to have all of his magicians dissected if they were unable to reveal his dream and its interpretation. The prophet Daniel, however, revealed that the dream signified “what shall be in the latter days” (Dan 2v28).

Hello this is Nick Barnes, with this week’s Bible in the News.

Daniel explained that the interpretation ran chronologically from the Babylonian head of gold, through Medo-Persian breast and arms, Greek belly and thighs, Roman legs, and on to the feet and toes, in whose days “shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” (Dan 2v44)

The legs of iron, to which the feet were attached, signified the Eastern and Western Roman Empires, whose stamp is clearly seen in modern Europe.  And the characteristics, of these two divergent powers, is developed in Daniel chapters 7 & 8.

Daniel 7 shows four beasts, again chronologically representing the four great empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome.  Out of the fourth, and most terrible beast (the Roman Empire), grows a horn who makes “war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.” (Dan 7:21-22)

This horn symbolised a political power, with a religious aspect (the eyes and mouth), which developed in the west.  It was forged by a Germanic king (Charlemagne) of a Germanic Tribe (the Franks) and its seat was in a German city (Aachen).  Yet it became known as the Holy Roman Empire and its king was entitled Roman Emperor and was styled Kaiser, or Caesar.

And this horn power continues beyond Charlemagne’s First Reich, through Bismarck’s Second Reich and Hitler’s Third Reich, right down to today, where we see a resurgent Germany, again increasingly dominating Western Europe.

And Western Europe shows its Latin ancestry, in its Roman “Christian” religion, its Latin alphabet, its history of Latin based education, and its many languages derived from Latin.  This Latin aspect is signified by the fact that the horn grew out of the Roman beast.

However, if we want to learn how Russia fits into this story, we need to go to Daniel 8.  Here Gabriel explicitly identifies the Medo-Persian Empire and the Greek Empire as the ram and goat respectively, in v20-21.  Greek dominion will be established by a first and great king, we are told, and then be broken into four, lesser powers (v22), seen as four horns (v8).

To this point, the symbology and interpretation almost exactly parallels Daniel 7’s bear and leopard.  However, when we look for the Roman Empire, in Dan 8, we find no equivalent beast to represent it.  Instead we find only a little horn growing out of one of the goat’s four horns, which we are told is “a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences” who stands up “in the latter time of their [the four horns’] kingdom”.

This horn, from a horn, from the goat, might initially seem unsatisfying and maybe inappropriate, as a symbol for the mighty Roman Dominion.  However, it is not an omission, but is instead the key to understanding the chapter properly.

We are told that this little horn “waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land” (v9), but no mention is made of westerly expansion.  This is the clue which explains the riddle.  The little horn is not the Roman Empire per se; it is the Roman Empire as it develops in the East.

That is why Rome, in Dan 8, is symbolised as a power emerging from the Greek goat.  The Roman Empire in the East, and later the Eastern Roman (or Byzantine) Empire developed a Greek character.  Its language (as we know from the New Testament) was Greek, its education and its philosophy was Greek, its religion was Greek, and its alphabet was Greek – and down to today, Eastern Europe bears this mark, with Greek influenced languages and an alphabet derived from the Greek.

So while Dan 7 shows us how, in the latter days, the Roman Empire would develop a Latin aspect in the West, Dan 8 shows us how the Roman Empire would develop a Greek aspect in the East.  And as the little horn of Dan 7 is to “prevail… until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom” (Dan 7v21-22), so the little horn of Dan 8 is to “stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand” (Dan 8v25).

Who then is this power, still existing in our day, which is derived from the Graeco-Eastern Roman Empire?  In 1453, the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire expired at the hands of the Ottoman Turks.  Its courtiers fled to Moscow, and Sophia Palaiologos, the niece of the last Byzantine emperor Constantine XI, married Ivan III of Moscow.  He thus claimed to be successor to the emperor and inheritor of the imperial throne, and so took the title of Czar (or Caesar).  And as Constantinople had been the 2nd capital of the Roman Empire and was known as the 2nd Rome, now Moscow became the 3rd Rome (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_III_of_Russia#Domestic_policy)

This king, Dan 8v23 tells us, will be “a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences”; and v25 adds “he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand”.

This destruction “without hand”, connects back to the prophecy of Dan 2, where the great metallic image was destroyed by a stone “cut out without hands”.  And in Dan 2 we find a clue pointing to a 2nd layer in the symbology.  Not only does the chapter have a straightforward chronological interpretation, as mentioned earlier, it also reveals the great confederacy of nations that will combine to crush Israel.

Daniel 2v35 explicitly states that “the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, [were] broken to pieces together”.  This must mean that, in some sense, the ancient empires will exist again in the latter days, so that they can be broken in pieces together.  So when Christ and his saints advance to Jerusalem, to fight the battle of Armageddon, against them will stand a great confederacy, of all the nations represented in the metallic image.

This assembly will be made up of the nations on the territory of the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek and Roman Empires, but also the Germanic Carolingian and Holy Roman Empires and the Russian Empire.  This host will involve nations from Lisbon to Vladivostok and from St Petersburg to Addis Ababa.

This is that “company” assembled by the “prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal” (Eze 38v2 NKJV), and forged from nations of both East and West Europe and also from North Africa and the Middle East, as listed in Eze 38v2, 5 & 6.

The writer John Thomas, in 1854 entitled his exposition of Daniel, “Russia Triumphant, Europe Chained”.  Today we see Russia re-establishing its authority in Eastern and Central Europe, and also in the Caucasus and further east in Central Asia.  Even in Western Europe, Russian exports of oil and gas, and imports of manufactured goods, have brought about close relationships, particularly with Germany.  This is seen in the present crisis over the Ukraine, where continental Europeans are far more reserved in their condemnations and threats than is the US.

The reality is that Russian policy, in the Putin era, is successfully seeking to alienate the United States from its European allies.  In the Cold War (less than thirty years ago) most western Europeans saw Russia as the enemy and the US as their bulwark against oppression.  Today many Europeans feel closer and more sympathetic to Russian views and needs, than to the United States.  And in former Warsaw Pact countries, Russia is teaching its recalcitrant neighbours that American promises count for nothing.  We can easily see that, when Russia leads its host down to the mountains of Israel, there will be nothing more than an ineffectual protest “art thou come to take a spoil” (Eze 38v13).

As we consider the Ukrainian crisis, we see Russia gently flexing its muscles.  As their foreign minister Sergey Lavrov says, Russia does not want war.  What it wants is a restoration of its power at a low cost.  It is calculating that within a year or two of its annexation of Crimea – and that now looks like a done deal – and maybe even the invasion of other parts of eastern Ukraine – and that is looking increasingly likely – it will be back to business as usual, as it was after Georgia, after Litvinenko and after Chechenya.

And while we may feel that the formation of the Gogian Host is still some way off, this is no reason to think that the return of the Lord Jesus is not imminent.  We expect to see Russian resurgence continuing up to, and beyond, the return of Christ.  Russian machinations will continue, maybe for years after that, while the saints, having been raised and gathered, are judged and prepared for the task ahead.  And when Russia finally leads its forces into the pleasant land, Christ’s army will be ready to intervene at the very moment when the Children of Israel are ready to receive him.  We read in Isa 30v18, 19
And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you… he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee. - Isa 30:18-19 KJV
Or as Jesus said in Mat 23v39
39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord. - Mat 23:39 KJV

The lesson applies to us too.  God is gracious and God is merciful.  However, we should not cry unto Him only when we have exhausted all other avenues, but seek him daily whilst we have opportunity.

The news we see in the World today, demonstrates that God’s hand is bringing His plan to fulfillment; is gathering the nations to “the battle of the great day of God Almighty”.  These events in the Ukraine could indeed be the very last things we see before we are taken to judgment, and we pray that it may be so.  But if not God’s will, we hope to see you again next week for another Bible in the News.

ECONOMIC ISOLATION . . . ' TRIGGER ' FOR RUSSIA'S COMING MID-EAST INVASION !!!

 

ECONOMIC ISOLATION . . . ' TRIGGER ' FOR RUSSIA'S COMING MID-EAST INVASION !!!
Why is Vladimir Putin so unrepentant ?!?  Since invading Crimea , Russia's stock markets ,  the ' Rouble '  &  foreign investment have been hammered , weakening an already fragile economy.  International sanctions layered on top  &  suspension from the G8 have only drawn ridicule  &  scorn from Putin.  So , as Russia faces increasing isolation  &  potential economic disaster , how is it Vladimir Putin remains so unbowed & defiant ??  Putin devised his plans long ago  to return Russia to a ' military super-power ' announcing in 2012 a $772 Billion expansion of Russia's military ( incl. 2,300 tanks & 78 new warships ) .  Now in 2014 ,  sensing Western weakness , Russia is aggressively reclaiming its former Soviet territories . . . but It will ' not end ' with the Baltic states !!  Bible Prophecy 2,500 yrs ago foretold  ' economic necessity '  will be the hook that  God Himself  will use to drag Russia into the Middle East to invade  &  plunder the riches of many nations , most notably  Egypt  &  Israel.  The end of  all things  is nigh at hand.

Ezek 38v3-8  -  Behold , I am against thee O Gog , chief prince of Meshech & Tubal :  I will turn thee back  &  put hooks into thy jaws  &  I will bring thee forth  &  all thine army ... even a great company , all of them handling swords , all of them with shield & helmet

Dan 11v40-43 - At the time of the end ... he shall enter into the countries  &  shall overflow & pass over.  He shall enter also into the glorious land ( Israel )  &  many countries shall be overthrown.  He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries  &  the land of Egypt shall not escape.  But he shall have power over the treasures of gold & of silver  &  over all the precious things of Egypt

THE EARTH WAS ' FILLED WITH VIOLENCE

 

THE EARTH WAS ' FILLED WITH VIOLENCE

THE EARTH WAS ' FILLED WITH VIOLENCE ' !!!
As if ,  to underline the lesson of Noah . . .  The ' very same day ' we post our ' Noah ' article ,  reports of yet another mass shooting in the endless cycle of gun violence in the United States.  This time ,  4 dead  &  16 injured  as a gunman goes on a murderous rampage.  The shooting took place at Fort Hood Military base ,  the ' very same site ' of a similar massacre in 2009 when 13 people were gunned down.  Surely , we can see the unmistakable parallel with Noah's day , when mankind's ways were so corrupt ,  their minds were continually focused on evil  &  violence toward their fellow man.   Today , violence pervades every society  &  corner of the globe , whether  sectarian violence in the Middle East ,   genocides in Africa ,  oppression & brutality in North Korea  or  mass-shootings & urban violence in " civilised " Western nations . . . violence ,  brutality  &  corruption are rampant.  It is  ' a warning '  of the nearness of the coming of  ' THE DAY '  of the LORD  &  judgment on all mankind.

Ezek 7v10-12  -  Behold THE DAY , behold ,  it is come :  the morning is gone forth . . . Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness :  none of them shall remain , nor of their multitude , nor of any of theirs :  neither shall there be wailing for them.  The time is come ,  THE DAY draweth near :  let not the buyer rejoice , nor the seller mourn :  for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.

QUEEN ELIZABETH VISITS POPE FRANCIS . . . . ' OFFERING GIFTS ' & FULFILLING PROPHECY

 

QUEEN ELIZABETH VISITS POPE FRANCIS . . . . ' OFFERING GIFTS ' & FULFILLING PROPHECY
For centuries this would have been  ' unthinkable '.   The Queen of England  ( the Leader & Defender of the ' Protestant ' Church of England ) meeting  &  fellowshipping with the ' Mother of Harlots ' the Roman Catholic Church.  For over 500 years no reigning British Monarch has ever had relations with Rome's Apostate Church.  Queen Elizabeth is the first.  Now like all other leaders of the world she is  ' consumating this relationship '  by visiting the Vatican  &  offering gifts  to the Mother Church  &  it's False Prophet , Pope Francis.  Please see our video ' Queen's 60th Jubilee ' which fully explains the depravity of this ' spiritual adultery '

Isa 23v15-17 - It shall come to pass in that day ,  that Tyre ( Britain ) shall be forgotten seventy years ,  according to the days of one king ( monarch ) : after the end of seventy years shall Tyre  ' sing as an harlot '  . . . &  it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years , that the LORD will visit Tyre ( Britain )  &  she shall turn to her hire  &  shall ' commit fornication '  with  all the kingdoms of the world  upon the face of the earth.

MIDDLE EAST PEACE TALKS . . . IS THE END NEAR

 

MIDDLE EAST PEACE TALKS . . . IS THE END NEAR

MIDDLE EAST PEACE TALKS . . . IS THE END NEAR ?!?!?
Amid rising tensions between  Israel & the Palestinians ,  US Envoy John Kerry has announced the United States is reviewing its involvement in the Peace Negotiations.  Frustrated by the intransigence of both parties , Kerry warned the scheduled 9 month talks are near  breaking-point ,  following Mahmoud Abbas' provocative signing of 15 United Nations applications & treaties in the name of the ' State of Palestine ' ( in defiance of US requests ).  In response ,  Israel retaliated by retracting a committment to a 4th release of Palestinian prisoners , principally terrorists & murderers convicted of atrocities against the state of Israel.  As the Peace Process threatens to unravel completely , we know from God's Word these events are a pre-cursor to terrible events ,  as all nations descend to the Middle East to fight over Jerusalem before the intervention of Christ & the saints to judge the nations

Zec 14v1-3  -  Behold , the DAY of the LORD cometh  &  thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.  For I will gather all nations against  Jerusalem  to battle . . .  &  half of the city shall go forth into captivity  &  the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.  Then shall the LORD go forth  &  fight against those nations.

ARIEL SHARON: A Man of Sign: The True ' King of Israel ' cometh !!

 

A Man of Sign: The True ' King of Israel ' cometh !!

ARIEL SHARON
A Man of Sign  :   The True ' King of Israel ' cometh  !!

Woe  to Ariel ,  to Ariel ,  the city where David dwelt !!
Yet  I  will distress  Ariel  &  there shall be heaviness  &  sorrow
&  it shall be unto me  ' as Ariel '  . . . .

For the LORD hath poured out upon you
the spirit of  ' deep sleep '  &  hath  ' closed '  your eyes
the prophets  &  your rulers ,  the seers  hath he covered


Ariel Sharon's life  &  the astonishing circumstances
&  timing of his recent death are a ' prophetic sign '
warning of approaching catastrophic global events
that will precede the return of the Lord Jesus Christ

It is our  " heads - up "  from above.

Our opportunity to prepare is ... now !!



Isaiah 29 v 1-10

The death of Ariel Sharon , Israel’s former prime minister & legendary war hero is a ‘ major ’ historical event.
It is an ominous prophetic & biblical warning of calamitous events coming for the nation of Israel.

Among the most controversial figures in the history of Israel , Ariel Sharon’s life was an amazing parallel to his nation’s own short but turbulent history.  Incredibly , the remarkable circumstances of  Ariel Sharon’s death on the 11th January 2014 - after laying in a vegetative coma for 8 years  -  were actually foretold in amazing detail in God’s Word over 2,000 years before  !!!   We implore you to read the following information that graphically details Ariel Sharon’s truly remarkable life  &  the stunning significance of his recent passing  &  what it means for God’s people Israel  . . .  &  the whole world


HISTORY

Over his long career Sharon , was a man of destiny.  Rising from an Infantry Officer in Israel’s 1948 War of Independence , he rose to the highest office in the land when he was elected Israel's 11th Prime Minister in 2001.  His life was a litany of epic military conquests , fighting in all four of Israel's major wars  ,  he quickly rose to the rank of general in the Israeli army.

Later Ariel Sharon’s transition into political life was marked by controversary & seismic contradictions. Reviled by Arabs over his hardline policies & viewed with a mixture of respect & suspicion by many Israelis, Sharon became a lightning rod for controversy , all centred around the question of the final status of Jerusalem  &  the Holy Land , Israel.

Born in Palestine ( as it was then known ) in 1928 , he began his career as a platoon commander in the Israeli military at the outset of the 1948 War of Independence , during which time he was critically wounded & left for dead.  As a commander he later fought with distinction in the  1956 Sinai War  against Egypt.
In the  1967 Six-Day War  as a major general , he headed Israel's most powerful armoured division , the 10th Battalion , leading a crushing victory over the Egyptians.

In the  1973 Yom Kippur War ,  Ariel Sharon's bold manoeuvre ( while defying orders ) in crossing the Suez Canal  &  encircling the Egyptian 3rd Army was considered the key to Israel's victory.  It led to the Israeli public giving him the nickname " The king of Israel "  &  " The Lion of God ".  Following this decisive victory against overwhelming odds , crowds swarmed the streets singing a revised Hebrew song called " David - King of Israel "  &  changed it to  " Ariel - King of Israel "

During the 1970's & 1980's as Secretary for Agriculture , Ariel Sharon became known as the ‘ Father of the Settlements Movement ’ as he actively encouraged & directed the building of Jewish settlements on the West Bank.  Eventually he became the head of the Likud Party  &  later in 2001 he was elected  Prime Minister of Israel.
ARIEL SHARON'S SECURITY WALL
AUG / SEPT  2005  -  SHARON  ABANDONS  GOD'S PROMISES

In 2005 as Israel’s Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon caused a national & religious crisis over his Gaza withdrawal plan.  He instigated a seismic shift in Israeli policy , having resolved to enforce the unilateral withdrawal of all Jewish settlers  &  Israeli troops from the disputed Gaza Strip  &  part of the West Bank.  

This decision & it’s execution caused a furore domestically , shaking  Israel's Orthodox Jewish community to its foundations. Never before had an Israeli government relinquished what the religious population universally regarded as ' holy land ' promised to the Jews by God.  For the first time since the Jewish state was founded , Israel had voluntarily uprooted its own people  &  ceded land to the Palestinians.

It was a turning point for the Zionist project ,  So who was the man behind this withdrawal ?  The Lion of God - Ariel Sharon !!  What a stunning turn around.  Sharon who had led Israel to such amazing victories ,  was now  ‘ withdrawing ’ from the land ,  promised to Israel by God himself.
Thus saith the Lord GOD ;  I will even gather you from the people & assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered   &   I will  ‘  give you  ’  the land of Israel.
In 2002 , Ariel Sharon controversially ordered the construction of the security barrier - an 18ft high combination of concrete wall & chain fence that snakes through the West Bank  ( fore-told 2000 yrs ago !! )

Because ,  even because they have seduced my people ,
saying , Peace  :  &  there was no peace  &  one built  up a wall  &  lo others daubed it with untempered morter  Ezekiel 13 v 10

Sharon promised ' peace '.   Sharon built  ' a wall '
Verse 13  tells us  the wall  will be  destroyed by God

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD ;  I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury & there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger  &  great hailstones in my fury  to consume it.

So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered morter  &  bring it down to the ground ,  so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered  :  &  it shall fall  &  ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof :  &  ye  shall  know  that  I am the LORD.

Thus will I accomplish ' my wrath ' upon the wall  &  upon them that have daubed it with untempered morter  &  will say unto you , The wall is no more, neither they  that daubed it
Ezekiel 13 v 13-15

Incredibly . . . these verses above , clearly describe
' FUTURE EVENTS '  all  fore-told  in Bible Prophecy !!
Ariel Sharon was instrumental in securing the whole land of Israel.  His conquests in 1967 & 1973 ensured Israel's survival in the land given to them by God '.  Given his extraordinary exploits ,  it is clear God was undoubtedly with him in these victories.   But in his old age Ariel Sharon trod a different path . . . .
​
In  2003  he promised to create a Palestinian state


We may ask if Gaza is part of the land that God had promised ?  We are told clearly in :

Exodus 23v31  " I will set thy bounds from the Red Sea even unto the sea of the Philistines  &  from the desert unto the river : for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand & thou shalt drive them out before thee"
The sea of the Philistines = Gaza .
NOVEMBER  2005  --  ARIEL SHARON  PLOTS  ' THE FINAL SHAPE OF ISRAEL '

Sixty years after the state of Israel was created ,  Ariel Sharon  -  who as a military general in successive wars since 1948  played a leading role in the expansion of Israel's borders ,  now as a politician  -  was finalising plans to further  divide the land   &  set the country's  elastic frontiers in stone.

With the withdrawal of Gaza complete ,  Sharon planned to complete the process by finally dividing the land of Israel in two.   This is where it gets interesting . . .  ( All this recorded in the UK’s Daily Telegraph )  At about 3 pm on January 4th 2006 a man called Otniel Schneller was ushered into Ariel Sharon's office.   He was a senior cartographer  -  known as the map maker.   He had the ‘ final plans ’ for the future borders of Israel.   The plans detailed the withdrawal this time not of Gaza , but of the vast majority of the West Bank  &  some parts of the Holy City , Jerusalem.   The meeting lasted 1½ hours  -  at the end of it , Sharon agreed the map would form the basis of Israel's disengagement from the West Bank  &  the creation of a Palestinian State.   Two hours later Sharon suffered a massive stroke  &  went into a coma.  Co-incidence ??

The area of the  ancient Philistines  was ' included ' in the land.  But in  Aug/Sep 2005 Sharon sent in soldiers who physically pulled Jews out of the land ( & parts of the West Bank ).  The picture above shows soldiers weeping as they removed their own people.  As Exodus 23 says , it was God who drove out the inhabitants of the land. But now here was an Israeli leader  -  the first in history  -  to give away  ( voluntarily ! )  land given to the Jews by God.

Ought ye not to know  ,  that the LORD God of Israel  ‘ gave ’  the kingdom over Israel
to David . . .  for ever ,  even to him  &  to his sons by a covenant of salt ??  2 Chron 13 v 5

Ariel  Sharon  should  have  known  this  -  but  it  was  about  to  get  worse  . . .


' ARIEL '  . . .  IN BIBLE PROPHECY    

Woe  to Ariel ,  to Ariel   . . .

For the LORD hath poured out upon you
the spirit of  ' deep sleep '
&  hath  ' closed '  your eyes

Isaiah 29 v 1-10
The coma lasted almost exactly 8 years.  Ariel Sharon died on Saturday January 11th 2014.  Throughout the Bible record the number ' 8 ' represents ' change ' or ' a new beginning '.  Was Ariel Sharon's death a fore-warning of dramatic change for both Israel  &  the whole world ,  &  a new beginning  with the coming establishment of God's Kingdom on earth ??


‘ Ariel ’ is a name that means ‘ Jerusalem ’.  Ariel  is mentioned in this context  in only ‘ ONE ’ chapter  in the entire Bible .  Isaiah 29  speaks of Ariel being ' the city ' where David lived. It speaks prophetically of Jerusalem  being ' brought down to the ground ' ( ' Levelled ’ )

But amazingly ,  this ancient Bible passage also speaks of  ‘ the leaders ’ falling into a deep sleep.   This condition will be the catalyst for the terrible time of trouble  soon to befall , not just Jerusalem & Israel , but will also engulf ALL nations culminating in God's righteous judgments on mankind.  So we can see the remarkable cirumstances of Ariel Sharon's personal demise ( all foretold over 2,500 years ago in God's Word )  unmistakably  ' foreshadow '  global events soon to unfold.
THE RABBI ,  THE NOTE  &  THE MESSIAH  

In 2005 ( while Ariel Sharon was at the height of his power & busy withdrawing from Gaza )  Israel's most loved  &  venerated Rabbi pronounced that the Messiah would not come until  AFTER  the death of Ariel Sharon.

Rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri wrote a cryptic note in  September 2005  that he requested should only be opened one year after his own death. One year is the traditional mourning period , during which certain privileges are accorded the family out of respect for the deceased. More importantly, condemnation of actions of the dead cannot be placed on the family after this time period , so Kaduri was likely protecting his family from the backlash he thought may come from his note.

Rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri died just 24 days after Sharon's stroke in 2006 at the age of 108.   Over 300,000 people attended his funeral.  By the time Kaduri’s note was opened on 28 January 2007 , Ariel Sharon had been in a coma for over 12 months.   In the note he had left ,  Rabbi Kaduri had revealed that the true ' Messiah ' was in fact  Jesus !!!  ( Yehoshua  or  Yeshua )  All this was reported in  Israel Today ( April 7 , 2007 ).

Now , 8 years later  &  following the recent death of Ariel Sharon , many in Israel  &  around the world are asking whether the Messiah will come soon
 . . .  A  ' WARNING '  of  COMING  GLOBAL  JUDGMENT

We also know one scriptural precedent for a significant death before world-wide judgment. There has only ever been one world-wide judgment  before.   The next one is coming soon .  The first one was at the time of the flood.   Just  BEFORE  the flood came , a man died whose name was ' Methusaleh '.   His name means " his death shall bring judgment "   He definitely died in the year of the great flood  &  just before  the flood came. His own name spelt out judgment was coming & served as a warning of impending judgment to those around him.  Given the remarkable circumstances of his life & his death , Ariel Sharon might be a similar person.   His own name predicts what is coming . . .  judgment concerning Jerusalem  . . . namely  ‘ the levelling ’ of  ‘ Jerusalem ’.  Sharon who led Israel to capture & expand the land ,  also became the leader who gave some of it away  &  tried to divide it in two.   He has recently died at the very time the world is pushing for division again in 2014 as US-led ‘ Peace Negotiations ’ near their conclusion  &  we see Israel edging closer to a final deal to trade ' Holy Land ' for the false promise of peace.  So , is all this pure chance ??  or is God's hand behind these things ??   You decide .
The world at that time was destroyed , being flooded with water.

But by His word ,
the present heavens & earth are being reserved  for fire
kept for the day of judgment  &  destruction of ungodly men

God is patient toward you , not wishing for any to perish
but for ' all ' to come to repentance.

    2 Peter 3 v 6-7

bible prophecy Psalm 83

 

Psalm 83

3 With cunning they conspire against your people; 
   they plot against those you cherish. 
4 “Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation, 
   so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.”

Ahmadinejad, president of Iran is leading an alliance of Israel's enemies towards an attack on Israel. He is developing a nuclear capability, thought to be related.

 5 With one mind they plot together; 
   they form an alliance against you— 
6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, 
   of Moab and the Hagrites, 
7 Byblos, Ammon and Amalek, 
   Philistia, with the people of Tyre. 

Note the last two can be related to Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

8 Even Assyria has joined them 
   to reinforce Lot’s descendants.

Assyria was a border area including todays northern Iraq and Iran.

Iran has funded and trained Hezbollah and Hamas fighters, arming Lebanon and Gaza with 10,000's missiles and rockets, many via Syria.

In January 2011 Hezbollah and Iran took control of the government in Lebanon.


Following events in Egypt in February 2011 Iran is working with its allies to ?link with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and secure North Sinai as part of a future Palestinian State. Egypt has been responsible for securing Israel's southern border and this is now vulnerable.

Top 10 Signs '​ of ​ CHRIST'S RETURN

 

​Top 10 Signs '​ of ​ CHRIST'S RETURN

There is  simply  NO DOUBT  . . .  the Lord Jesus Christ will  soon  return to the earth !!!
To provide you with  ' the facts '  we listed TEN of the most notable global signs warning of the Lord's imminent return​
​
  Over 2,000 years ago , the Bible precisely described events  &  conditions that would precede the Lord's coming.  Please read through the ' Top10 Signs '  &  consider the amazing accuracy of the parallel Bible passages  . . .  THEN decide for yourself

SIGN # 1 -- JERUSALEM ... Centre of Coming World Conflict​​​
The Holy City ,  Jerusalem ,  historically is the home of 3 global religions ( Christianity ,  Judaism & Islam ).  No other city in the world has caused so much controversy & bloodshed. For over 2,000 years , the Bible has " fore-told " it would become the center of world wide contention.  In 1967 Israel re-claimed its ancient capital Jerusalem ( after nearly 2,000 years ).  In the 46 years since , the Palestinians have waged an often violent struggle to arrest control of Jerusalem. The fight for Jerusalem in the past decade has escalated , culminating in Sept'2011 with the Palestinian bid for statehood before the United Nations , setting the scene for the  final dramatic conflict  before Christ's return.

Zechariah 12v2-9
Behold ,  I will make   JERUSALEM  a  ' cup of trembling '  unto all the people round about , when they shall be in the siege ​both against  Judah  &  against Jerusalem.  In that day  will I make   JERUSALEM  a  ' burdensome stone '   for all people  :  all that burden themselves with  IT  shall be cut in pieces ,  though  all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.  And it shall it come to pass  in that day ,  that  I  will  seek to destroy  ALL the nations  that come against  JERUSALEM

SIGN # 2 -- DISTRESS OF NATIONS
Turmoil is spreading around the world.  With the USA , China  &  multiple European economies in debt crises ,  global stock markets reeling ,  global food shortages  &  skyrocketing prices ,  climate  &  energy crises  around the globe ,  mass protests & uprisings  world-wide  ,  political & corporate corruption rife ,  inequality & injustice everywhere  &  NO solutions to these burgeoning dilemmas  -  mankind's overwhelming problems threaten to bring the total collapse of the global community.  These ' exact conditions ' have long been predicted in God's Word the Bible &  herald the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ from heaven.

Luke 21v25-27
There shall be  ' SIGNS '  in the sun  &  in the moon  &  in the stars  &  upon the earth  DISTRESS OF NATIONS  with PERPLEXITY  the sea  &  the waves roaring.  Men's hearts failing them FOR FEAR  &  for looking after those things which ARE COMING on the earth for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.  And  THEN  shall they see  the Son of man  coming in a cloud with power  &  great glory


SIGN # 3 -- IMMORALITY ~ VIOLENCE ~ UNGODLINESS
Human civilization is in steep decline.  The corrosive effects of  ' unrestricted immorality '  in recent years  is  evidenced by  self-indulgence ,  materialism ,  dishonesty ,  greed  , sensuality ,  sexual promiscuity , alcoholism , drug abuse  &  violence in every level of society.  Throughout the world ,  society is breaking down under the morass of human dysfunction.  This  deterioration of social values  has been seen in the global move to legalise homosexuality  &  same-sex marriages - described in God's Word , the Bible as " an abomination ".  The descent into an abyss of immorality & violence by mankind ,  is the ' direct result ' of  society's denial of God's existence  &  the abandonment of His Laws  &  Commandments.  It is this immorality  &  godlessness which will  precipitate  God's judgments on mankind as foretold in the Scriptures.

2 Timothy 3v1-4
In THE LAST DAYS perilous times shall come ... For men shall be ' lovers of their own selves ' ,  covetous ,  boasters ,  proud ,  blasphemers ,  disobedient to parents ,  unthankful ,  unholy ,  without natural affection ,  trucebreakers ,  false accusers ,  incontinent ,  fierce ,  despisers of those that are good ,  traitors ,  heady ,  highminded ,  ' lovers of pleasures '  more than  lovers of God.

SIGN # 4 -- MIDDLE EAST REVOLUTIONARY TURMOIL
2011 saw unparalleled historic events - most notably the massive political  &  social upheaval in the Middle East.  With the ' Arab Spring ' rattling through more than 14 separate nations in the Arab World ,  overthrowing longstanding governments  &  dictatorships  ( Tunisia , Egypt , Libya )  &  throwing others into chaotic civil wars ( Syria , Yemen )  it has created a  maelstrom of political dynamics  transforming this already volatile region into a tinder-box of instability   &  strategic uncertainty.  In 2013 ,  the continuing emergence of brutal terrorists groups such as  Al Qaeda , Al Nusra , ISIS , Ansar Al-Islam  has  further escalated the violence , bloodshed &  suffering in this troubled region.   These events are the  prelude  to the final global conflict , long prophesied in the Bible  &  centered around God's people , the tiny nation of Israel.

Revelation 16 v 12 - 16

 ​STAGE 1 - Mid.East Uprising

v12   And the sixth angel poured his vial upon the great river ​Euphrates  &  the water thereof was dried up ,
         that  ' the way '  of  the kings  OF THE EAST  [ Middle East " Arab Spring " ]​​  might be  prepared                              ​
​  ​
​STAGE 2 - Political Uprising

v13   And I saw  three unclean ' SPIRITS ' like frogs  come out of the mouth of  THE DRAGON  [ Russia ]  &  out of the mouth of  THE BEAST [ EuroUnion ]  & out of the mouth of  THE FALSE PROPHET​  [Papacy ]​​
​
​STAGE 3 - Global Revolution

v14   For they are the ' spirits ' of devils  [ Spirit of REVOLUT'N ]  working ' miracles ' which GO FORTH unto  the kings of  THE EARTH  &  of  THE WHOLE WORLD  [ Arab Spring ~ 'Occupy' & 'Austerity' Protests ]​​​​ ​ to  gather them  to the battle of that  Great Day of God Almighty
​
​STAGE 4 - Christ's Return

v15   Behold , I COME AS A THIEF.  Blessed is he that  watcheth & keepeth his garments , lest he walk naked  &  they see his shame  &  He gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue ARMAGEDDON​
​Note​​ :  3 unclean " spirits "  [ Liberty + Equality + Fraternity = " Democracy " ]  -  originating  from 1789 French Revolution ( ie. " Frogs " )​



SIGN # 5 -- RISE OF RUSSIA & VLADIMIR PUTIN
With the iron-fisted  Vladimir Putin  reclaiming Russia's Presidency in 2012  &  a mandate of ' supreme power ' of Russia until 2024 - a resurgent Russian economy , rapid growth & advancement of Russia's military machine has emboldened Mr Putin , who continues to re-shape the international political landscape with his aggressive foreign policy , often challenging & defying US , European & United Nations initiatives - particularly in the Middle East - by supporting pariah states Iran , Syria , Lebanon & the Palestinians.   Mr Putin has signaled his quest for ' world dominance ' by his plan​ to create a ' Eurasian ' axis of powers ( extending from Portugal to China ) to rival the US & European alliances.  Russia's stealthy acquisition & control of energy pipelines provides a formidable stranglehold over most European nations  &  is key to Russia's strategic plans & consistent with her  increased involvement in the Middle East  as she ' eyes ' huge energy reserves discovered recently near Israel

Daniel 8 v 23-25
IN THE LATTER TIME  of their [ man's ] kingdom ,  when the transgressors [ sinners ] are come to the full ,  A KING  of  '  fierce ' countenance  &  understanding dark sentences , shall stand up.  And  his power shall be mighty , but not by his own power  & he  shall destroy wonderfully  &  shall prosper  &  practise  &  shall destroy  ' the mighty '  [ USA ? ]  &  ' the holy people ' [ ISRAEL ]  Through  his policy also  he  shall cause craft to prosper in his hand  &  he  shall magnify himself  in his heart   &  ' BY PEACE '  shall destroy many :  he  shall also stand up against  the Prince of princes [ Christ ]  but he shall be broken  without hand


SIGN # 6 -- EUROPEAN UNION
Since its formal creation on 1st December 2009 ,  the European Union has had a short ,  turbulent history as European leaders have struggled to merge their national economies together as a ' United States of Europe '.  Over the past 4 years , the EU's development has been severely jeopardized by a string of spiraling economic debt crises that have ravaged many EU nations ( Greece , Spain , Portugal , Italy , Ireland )  &  driven strong EU nations to their knees.  In a desperate effort to save the EU  &  its stricken Euro-zone currency , EU policy makers are aggressively pushing for a rapid acceleration towards a single centralized EU government  -  usurping power from individual states.  As the European financial crisis deepens , resistant states are being  ' forced to comply '  to survive.  Recent moves to create a central EU " military " force have also alarmed some sovereign member states  &  regional nations  raising the specter of a new emergent regional threat.

Revelation 17 v 11-14
THE BEAST  [ Euro Union ]  that  was  &  is not ,  even he is the eighth  &  is of the seven  &  goeth into perdition.  And  THE TEN HORNS  which thou sawest are  TEN KINGS ,  which have received no kingdom as yet ;  but ​receive ' power ' as kings  one hour  with  THE BEAST [ Euro Union ].   These have  one mind &  shall  give their power & strength  unto  THE BEAST​ [ Euro Union ].   These shall make war with THE LAMB  [ Lord Jesus Christ ]  &  THE LAMB  shall overcome them :   for  He  [ Lord Jesus Christ ]  is  Lord of lords  &  King of kings :   &  they [ Believers ]  that are with Him are called  &  chosen  &  faithful

SIGN # 7 -- ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION ​in​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ The Holy Place
In a dramatic fulfilment of Bible Prophecy ,  the ' individual ' clearly referred to in the Bible records of  Daniel , Matthew  &  Mark  as the  " Abomination of Desolation " the Catholic Pope ,  ​on the  12th May 2009   made the  ' FIRST EVER ' Papal visit  INTO ' THE HOLY PLACE '  in  Jerusalem.  No Roman Catholic Pope in history had EVER  ' STOOD INSIDE '  the HOLY PLACE  until  Pope Benedict's historic visit to the site in  May 2009 when he actually entered  into  the revered building.  The purpose of this prophecy  ( given by Jesus Christ himself )  was to provide a  ' clear signpost '  to the faithful believers ,  of the  imminency  of the time of Great Tribulation to come ,  just before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ from heaven.   We have now seen the unmistakable fulfillment of this prophecy  &  await the beginning of the ' Time of Trouble ' foretold

Matthew 24 v 15-21
When YE  therefore  shall see the  ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION  [ Catholic Pope ]  spoken of  by Daniel the prophet ,  ' STAND IN '  The Holy Place ,( whoso readeth , let him understand  : )   Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains :  Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house :   Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes ... For  '  THEN '  shall be  GREAT TRIBULATION ,such as was  NOT  since the  beginning  of the world  to this time ,  no ,  nor ever shall be.

SIGN # 8 -- ' FALSE CHRISTS , PROPHETS & RELIGIONS '
While man's advances in technology & communications , have in recent years enabled a world-wide awareness of the Bible ,  it has also resulted in an explosion of divergent  &  at times ,  extreme array of faiths & religions  -  extending  from  ' the fundamental '  to  ' the fraudulent '.   Recent years have seen an unprecedented number of religions , sects  &  cults around the world , many even claiming to be the manifestation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Invariably these fraudulent scams masquerade in the name of religion to exploit their followers & in many instances have ended in heartbreak & tragedy.  God's Word  fore-told  this would be a ' clear signal ' of the nearness of the ' true Christ ' from heaven

Mark 13 v 22-26​
For  FALSE CHRISTS  &  FALSE PROPHETS  s​hall  rise  &  shall  shew signs  &  wonders , to seduce ,  if it were possible ,  even the elect .  But take ye heed :  behold ,  I have fore-told you all things.  But in those days  ' after '  that  TRIBULATION ,  the sun shall be darkened  &  the moon shall not give her light , And the stars of heaven shall fall  &   the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.  And  THEN  shall they see  THE SON OF MAN  coming  in the clouds with great power  &  glory

SIGN # 9 -- NATURAL DISASTERS
2011 to 2013  have been ' Years of Natural Disasters ' almost  unparalleled in human history.  With the three-fold disaster in Japan ( earthquake - tsunami - nuclear ) being the epicenter of this incredible period of cataclysmic events around the globe. The frequency of earthquakes has risen dramatically in recent years ,  while many nations have in the last 2 years suffered their  worst ever natural disasters  ( Australia - Floods / Brazil - Flood-Mudslides / NZ - Earthquakes / Thailand - Floods / Philippines - Typhoon ). USA above all has experienced the ' most bizarre ' series of catastrophic disasters through 2011-2013 including its ' worst ever ' Tornado season in 2011 , historic flooding in many states , unprecedented earthquakes , huge wildfires , record heatwaves , severe droughts , epic blizzards  &  2 catastrophic hurricanes ( Irene - Sandy ) which shut down 20% of the USA & caused hundreds of billions of dollars in damage.  It is NOT just " co-incidence " all these disasters are happening  in parallel  with the US Govt's policy of supporting  the dividing of Israel  ( God's Land ) as a 2-state solution

Jeremiah 25 v 31-33   ( Amplified Version ) ​​
 " The tumult  will resound to the ends of the earth , for  the LORD  will bring  CHARGES AGAINST THE NATIONS  [ as all nations move to divide Israel ] He will bring  judgment  on  ALL MANKIND  &  put  the wicked  to the sword " declares the LORD.  This is what the LORD Almighty says  . . . ." Look !  DISASTER is spreading  FROM NATION  to  NATION  ;  A  MIGHTY STORM  is rising from  THE ENDS OF THE EARTH. "

SIGN # 10 -- SIGNS & WONDERS
Aside from the incredible series of natural disasters in 2011 & 2012 , the scriptures also forewarned there would be extra-ordinary " Signs & Wonders " immediately prior to the Lord's return as a warning & encouragement to those who believe. Signs & Wonders both in the ' LITERAL ' heavens & earth , such as stunning volcano eruptions & ash clouds extending around the globe , rare lunar & solar eclipses , mysterious mass deaths of birds & fish , ' freak ' tornadoes in unheard of regions ( Italy ~ NewZealand ~ Portugal )  &  devastating earthquakes.  These natural events , being  symbolic  of events in  the  METAPHORICAL ( ' political ' )  heavens &  earth that would shake the world​.   ' Seismic ' global events such as the  Arab Spring - Global Financial Crisis - Debt Crises - Occupy Protests - Austerity Protests  . . . .  all  unprecedented  &  all heralding the Master's soon return

Joel 2 v 30-32​
I will shew  ' WONDERS ' . . .  in the heavens  &  in the earth  . . .  BLOOD​ & FIRE  &  PILLARS OF SMOKE .  The  SUN  shall be  turned into darkness  &  the  MOON  into blood  ,  BEFORE  the great  &  the terrible  DAY of the LORD come.  And it shall come to pass ,  that whosoever  shall call on the  name of the LORD  shall be delivered :  For   in mount Zion  &  ​in Jerusalem  shall be deliverance , as the LORD hath said

The great 'Blood Moons' deception

 

The great 'Blood Moons' deception

There are 2 videos recently published by Rugby Christadelphians on their rather strangely named Bible Truth Prophecy Video Vault channel on YouTube entitled The Coming FOUR Blood Moons and Bible Prophecy Concerning Israel.

The modern notion of the blood moons in the Rugby Christadelphians video is lifted entirely from an American evangelist named Mark Blitz who apparently looked at NASA data for eclipses in the hope of finding something to tie in to bible prophecy.  He found the series of four full lunar eclipses happening on 2014-15 all fall on Jewish feast days! Passover and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) in both years.  The video tell us that this is beyond co-incidence!

But it's not really beyond co-incidence at all. It is design! The Jewish calendar is based on lunar months always starting with the new moon, and Passover and Sukkot are celebrated on the 15th day of the month - at the time of the full moon.  The only time when a lunar eclipse can occur!  Since a lunar eclipse can occur in any month you would expect that about 1 in 6 chance in any given year of it occurring on one of the feast days.  Not really a long shot! 

But there are four in a row on Jewish feast days?  Well, this would be expected to occur from time to time given the way the Jewish calendar works.  And of course it has happened before, and Blitz again looked at the data of two previous concatenations of lunar eclipses and feast days and noted that it happen in 1493-94 and in 1949-50.  He couples these dates respectively with the Jews being expelled from Spain, and the establishment of modern Israel.  It's a pity that the banishment of the Jews from Spain happened in 1492 and modern Israel was established in 1948, making these signs from heaven a little tardy to say the least!

The video then tells us that even more remarkable is the solar eclipse that will happen in 20 March 2015 - 1st Nisan in the Jewish calendar - the day Israel was set free from bondage in Egypt.  A sure sign to Israel that something is about to change! One slight problem with this is that if you put that date into the Hebrew to Gregorian date converter here you find that 20 March 2015 is equivalent to 29 Adar 5775 - the day before 1 Nisan.  Again, not such a great sign after all!

The real clincher is that NONE of this eclipses will be particularly noticeable in Israel - and if they are God's sign to Israel wouldn't he make sure that they were?  The first of the three lunar eclipses are totally invisible from Israel, only the last will be seen at all as a partial eclipse.  A partial eclipse does not make a blood red moon! 

The Solar eclipse - this great sign to the world - will only be seen in totality if you are in the Norwegian Sea, all the way up to the North Pole.  The only place it will be visible from land is on the Norwegian Island of Svalbard - which has a population of less than 3000 souls.

If this is God's great sign that "something is about to change" you would think he might consider making it visible to rather more people!

At about 4:20 the video tells us that "The blood moons are a Sign to Israel" quickly followed by a picture of the western wall in Jerusalem like the one at the head of this post with a huge red moon in the sky.  By now I won't have to tell you that that picture is utterly bogus!

The plain facts of the matter are that eclipses are natural phenomena that we have a good understanding of and are able to predict.  By pattern seeking and some confirmation bias Mark Blitz has spun a story about these perfectly normal natural events being "signs" to Israel and to the world that the second coming is near, and the Rugby Christadelphians have been taken in.


I have a notion that many Christadelphians would share the view that the whole blood moons yarn is bogus and would probably want to disassociate themselves from the nonsense put out by the Rugby Christadelphians Bible Truth Prophecy Video Vault.  Would any Christadelphian readers care to comment?