Israel Braces for Iranian Counterstrike -
The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday revealed new information about the deployment of Iranian air defenses in Syria, further exposing Tehran's attempts to entrench itself militarily in the war-torn country.
In an apparent effort at deterrence, Israeli media was provided by the IDF with a map showing five Iranian-controlled bases in Syria, which would apparently constitute potential targets for an Israeli response should Iran carry out any kind of attack.
Tensions between Israel and Iran have been steadily escalating since an Iranian drone that breached Israeli airspace on Feb. 10 was shot down by the Israeli Air Force.
Israeli fighter jets later targeted the mobile control center of the T-4 air base from which it was piloted. Seven members of Iran's elite Quds Force were killed in the strike, including the commander of its drone unit in Syria.
The drone appeared to be a relatively new stealth model known as a Saeqeh, whose design was stolen from an American unmanned aerial vehicle that was captured by Iran in 2011, according to aviation analysts.
During the Syrian counterattack against the Israeli jets, one F-16 was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed in a field in northern Israel after the pilot and navigator ejected from it.
In response to that downing of the fighter jet, Israel launched a large-scale attack on Syria's air defenses, destroying between one-third and one-half of its capabilities, according to the IDF.
IDF spokesman Brigadier General Ronen Manelis reported that the Iranian drone operated from T-4 which had been armed, and was en route to carry out an attack on Israeli forces, and was not merely on an information-gathering mission.
One senior Israeli security official told The New York Times that attempted attack was unprecedented, and represented a shift in Iranian policy.
"This is the first time we saw Iran do something against Israel -- not by proxy," the senior Israeli security official said. "This opened a new period."
According to Tuesday's report by Channel 10, Iran's build up in Syria in preparation for a direct conflict with the Jewish state has included the deployment of advanced airborne weapons platforms - including drone aircraft - shipments of weapons disguised as humanitarian aid, and Iranian military flights conducted under the cover of civilian airline companies.
Fuming over the strike, Iran has vowed to exact vengeance on Israel.
Tehran is now believed to be preparing for a sustained campaign of direct confrontation with Israel, with plans to use the Iranian military's growing presence in Syria to launch attacks on targets inside the Jewish state.
For decades, the radical Islamist regime in Tehran has engaged in a de facto war with Israel via proxies - using terror groups in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon to attack Israeli civilian and military targets.
On Tuesday, however, Israeli security officials revealed that Iran is now preparing for a direct assault on Israel, using its growing military assets on Israel's northern border to strike targets inside the Jewish state.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said Monday that "Israel will receive a blow for what it did at the T4 base. The days when the Zionist regime would hit and run are over. ... I suggest to the Israelis to refrain from foolish steps if they want to continue their treacherous existence," he warned.
The IDF said Tuesday that the deployment of Iranian air defenses in Syria was personally supervised by Quds Force commander Maj. Gen. Ghasem Soleimani, one of the most powerful military figures in the Iranian regime.
Iran has access to a variety of surface-to-surface missiles, from short-range Fajr-5 rockets to medium-range Fateh 110 missiles, which have a range of approximately 300 kilometers (190 miles) to long-range Shehab ballistic missiles capable of hitting targets over 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) away.
To counter those threats, Israel has a multi-tiered missile defense system consisting of the Iron Dome for short-range rockets and mortar shells, the David's Sling for medium-range missiles and the Arrow for long-range ballistic missiles.
Israel sees Iran, which has vowed to destroy the Jewish state, as its central enemy in the region. Israeli officials have repeatedly stated that Israel will not allow Iran to entrench itself in Syria, marking it as a "red line" that it will fight militarily if necessary.
Many Bible scholars believe we may be starting to see a foreshadowing of a much larger conflict described in the book of Ezekiel in which many nations (including Russia & Iran) launch an attack on Israel and are miraculously defeated by God's direct intervention.
Iranian General: �Date Set� For Destruction of Israel
April 17 2018
An Iranian general stated that a date has been set for the destruction of Israel.
Brigadier General Kioumars Heydari, the commander of the Iranian ground forces, said in a speech that Iran�s army is �much stronger than in the past� and that Israel can no longer threaten the Islamic Republic.
The Iranian news agency Mehr reported that the general said that �the date has already been set� for the destruction of Israel.
Heydari delivered his speech ahead of Iran�s �Army Day�, which will begin tomorrow (Wednesday), on the same day Israel celebrates its Independence Day. He stressed that unlike Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region, which import weapons from the West, his country produces its own weapons.
Iran�s military budget for 2017 was $15.9 billion, an increase of almost 65% from 2014. The Revolutionary Guards budget showed the greatest increase of any Iranian military branch, rising from about $4.5 billion in 2016 to about $7 billion last year.
Iran�s Defense Minister, Brigadier General Amir Khatami also stressed on Sunday that Iran has reached the point where it produces its own military weapons and even exports them.
�We are determined to defend our country and the security of the countries of the region, and when other countries seek to create chaos in the region, we must equip ourselves to defend,� Khatami said in a debate in the Iranian parliament. �Fortunately, today we enjoy the possibility of producing better weapons than those which currently exist in the world.�
Tensions between Israel and Iran have been rising over Iran�s military presence in Syria. On Friday, the IDF revealed that an Iranian drone which violated Israeli airspace in February had been carrying explosives.
In addition, Iranian soldiers were reportedly killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike against a military airbase belonging to the Assad regime near the Syrian city of Homs last week.
On Tuesday, Israeli security officials revealed that Iran is now preparing for a direct assault on Israel, using its growing military assets on Israel�s northern border to strike targets inside the Jewish state.
Reported by: ARUTZ SHEVA: Israel National News
On Tuesday, Israeli security officials revealed that Iran is now preparing for a direct assault on Israel, using its growing military assets on Israel�s northern border to strike targets inside the Jewish state.
Reported by: ARUTZ SHEVA: Israel National News
Iranian-Backed �Sleeper Cell� Militants Hibernating in U.S., Positioned for Attack
April 18 2018
Iranian-backed militants are operating across the United States mostly unfettered, raising concerns in Congress and among regional experts that these �sleeper cell� agents are poised to launch a large-scale attack on the American homeland, according to testimony before lawmakers.
Iranian agents tied to the terror group Hezbollah have already been discovered in the United States plotting attacks, giving rise to fears that Tehran could order a strike inside America should tensions between the Trump administration and Islamic Republic reach a boiling point.
Intelligence officials and former White House officials confirmed to Congress on Tuesday that such an attack is not only plausible, but relatively easy for Iran to carry out at a time when the Trump administration is considering abandoning the landmark nuclear deal and reapplying sanctions on Tehran.
There is mounting evidence that Iran poses �a direct threat to the homeland,� according to Rep. Peter King (R., N.Y.), a member of the House Homeland Security Committee and chair of its subcommittee on counterterrorism and intelligence.
A chief concern is �Iranian support for Hezbollah, which is active in the Middle East, Latin America, and here in the U.S., where Hezbollah operatives have been arrested for activities conducted in our own country,� King said, referring the recent arrest of two individuals plotting terror attacks in New York City and Michigan.
�Both individuals received significant weapons training from Hezbollah,� King said. �It is clear Hezbollah has the will and capability.�
After more than a decade of receiving intelligence briefs, King said he has concluded that �Hezbollah is probably the most experienced and professional terrorist organization in the world,� even more so than ISIS and Al Qaeda.
Asked if Iran could use Hezbollah to conduct strikes on the United States, a panel of experts including intelligence officials and former White House insiders responded in the affirmative.
�They are as good or better at explosive devices than ISIS, they are better at assassinations and developing assassination cells,� said Michael Pregent, a former intelligence officer who worked to counter Iranian influence in the region. �They�re better at targeting, better at looking at things,� and they canoutsource attacks to Hezbollah.
�Hezbollah is smart,� Pregent said. �They�re very good at keeping their communications secure, keeping their operational security secure, and, again, from a high profile attack perspective, they�d be good at improvised explosive devices.�
Others testifying before Congress agreed with this assessment.
�The answer is absolutely. We do face a threat,� said Emanuele Ottolenghi, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies who has long tracked Iran�s militant efforts. �Their networks are present in the Untied States.�
Iran is believed to have an auxiliary fighting force or around 200,000 militants spread across the Middle East, according to Nader Uskowi, a onetime policy adviser to U.S. Central Command and current visiting fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
At least 50 to 60 thousand of these militants are �battle tested� in Syria and elsewhere.
�It doesn�t take many of them to penetrate this country and be a major threat,� Uskowi said. �They can pose a major threat to our homeland.�
While Iran is currently more motivated to use its proxies such as Hezbollah regionally for attacks against Israel or U.S. forces, �those sleeper cells� positioned in the United States could be used to orchestrate an attack, according to Brian Katulis, a former member of the White House National Security Council under President Bill Clinton.
�The potential is there, but the movement�s center of focus is in the region,� said Katulis, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.
Among the most pressing threats to the U.S. homeland is Hezbollah�s deep penetration throughout Latin America, where it finances its terror activities by teaming up with drug cartels and crime syndicates.
�Iran�s proxy terror networks in Latin America are run by Tehran�s wholly owned Lebanese franchise Hezbollah,� according to Ottolenghi. �These networks are equal part crime and terror� and have the ability to provide funding and logistics to militant fighters.
�Their presence in Latin America must be viewed as a forward operating base against America�s interest in the region and the homeland itself,� he said.
These Hezbollah operatives exploit loopholes in the U.S. immigration system to enter America under the guise of legitimate business.
Operatives working for Hezbollah and Iran use the United States �as a staging ground for trade-based and real estate-based money laundering.� They �come in through the front door with a legitimate passport and a credible business cover story,� Ottolenghi said.
The matter is further complicated by Iran�s presence in Syria, where it has established not only operating bases, but also weapons factories that have fueled Hezbollah�s and Hamas�s war on Israel.
Iran�s development of advanced ballistic missile and rocket technology�which has continued virtually unimpeded since the nuclear deal was enacted�has benefitted terror groups such as Hezbollah.
�Iran is increasing Hezbollah�s capability to target Israel with more advanced and precision guided rockets and missiles,� according to Pregent. �These missiles are being developed in Syria under the protection of Syrian and Russian air defense networks.�
In Iraq, Iranian forces �have access to U.S. funds and equipment in the Iraqi Ministry of Defense and Iraq�s Ministry of Interior,� Pregent said.
The Trump administration has offered tough talk on Iran, but failed to take adequate action to dismantle its terror networks across the Middle East, as well as in Latin American and the United States itself, according to CAP�s Katulis.
�The Trump administration has talked a good game and has had strong rhetoric, but I would categorize its approach vis-�-vis Iran as one of passive appeasement,� said Katulis. �We simply have not shown up in a meaningful way.�
Reported by: Adam Kredo � Washington Free Beacon
Syria Conflict & Bible Prophecy - Joel -
"See, Damascus will cease from being a city; it shall be a ruinous heap." (Isaiah 17:1)
Did you know Damascus is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world? Yet, despite its long history, the Bible says Damascus will come to a sudden end (Jeremiah 49:23-27 and Isaiah 17). The prophet Isaiah says Damascus will disappear, become a heap of ruins, and see its power and influence end forever (Isaiah 17:1-3). At the same time, large parts of northern Israel will also lie in ruin (Isaiah 17:3).
With current events, it's not difficult to envision the scenarios outlined in Isaiah 17. On April 14, Syrians were awoken by the sounds of about 120 missiles/bombs sent against areas of their country. US President Trump had led a coalition with the United Kingdom and France in a missile attack against Syrian President Assad's chemical weapons laboratories in response to a chlorine attack Assad allegedly perpetrated against the Syrian town of Dhouma, in which dozens of civilians were killed.
Following the strike, Syria's allies issued a joint statement saying,
"What America waged in an aggression on Syria is a crossing of red lines. From now on we will respond with force to any aggressor or any breach of red lines from whoever it is and America knows our ability to respond well".
To make matters worse, only hours later Israel bombed an Iranian base near Aleppo Syria. The rising multinational tensions in Syria burst into flames. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres explained that the Middle East is in great "peril," and that Syria represents "the most serious threat" that could easily tip the scale toward "escalation, fragmentation and division as far as the eye can see with profound regional and global ramifications."
Not only does this recent conflict have the potential of descending into full-scale war, but Iran is now preparing for a direct assault on Israel, even setting a date for Israel's destruction. But make no mistake, if Israel is attacked with weapons of mass destruction, its response will be swift and devastating. Israel is armed with nuclear weapons, and if its survival is put in question, it will not hesitate to use them. Just last week, following the bombing of an airbase that resulted in several Iranian Republican Guard deaths, including a Colonel, senior Israeli security officials threatened that if Iran strikes at Israel from Syrian territory, "Assad's regime and Assad himself will disappear from the map." They warned, "Our recommendation to Iran is that it does not try to act because Israel is determined to continue on this issue to the very end." Could this be what eventually destroys Damascus?
At the same time, current events in Syria have also firmed up the alliances for future confrontations between Israel, the West and the alliance which will eventually come against Israel (Ezekiel 38 & 39: The Magog Invasion), as the other side (Russia, Syria, Iran) threaten their own responses at both Israel and America.
Interestingly, just over a week earlier, on Wednesday, April 4, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to discuss Syria's future at a summit in the Turkish capital of Ankara. According to reports, Russia, Turkey, and Iran are working together to create "de-escalation zones" to end the seven-year civil war in Syria. See: Iran, Russia and Turkey meet to plan Syria's future - without U.S.
The presidents of the three countries pledged to cooperate on reconstruction and aid. The nations also vowed to protect Syria's "territorial integrity, according to the Washington Post.
Let me remind you that the nations involved in the invasion force that attacks Israel, identified in Ezekiel 38:5-6, are:
- Russia
- Iran
- Sudan
- Libya and Algeria
- Turkey
Look back at the bolded names on the list. Russia, Iran, and Turkey are now collaborating. Meanwhile, Libya and Algeria are already closely aligned with Russia and hostile to Israel, and Sudan is a radical Islamic Sunni state allied with Iran and Russia that is anti-Israel. The alliance of these nations makes it clear the stage is now being set for the Gog of Magog War. Syria is not mentioned as part of the invasion force that attacks Israel in Ezekiel 38, perhaps because it is destroyed by then.
Of even more significance, on February 10, an Israeli F-16D jet was shot down by Syrian military for the first time in 36 years! (See here) This was seen as a triumph in the Muslim world in that the 'mighty' technological and superior Israeli war-machine can be taken down. This event is very singular in that it has escalated the war in Syria wherein Israel is now in open conflict with Iran as a USA-copied Iranian drone was shot down over Israeli territory.
Conditions are ripe for a present day destruction of Damascus. The terrible destruction that awaits Damascus (Isaiah 17:1), northern Israel (Isaiah 17:3), and the entire Gog of Magog Alliance (Ezekiel 38:19-22), is about to be fulfilled. The pieces of the prophetic puzzle are rapidly coming together and the 70th Week of Daniel is fast approaching...
Considering the fact that Damascus is merely 136 miles away as the crow flies to Jerusalem, and only 91 miles from Megiddo, from which Armageddon gets its name in the Bible, what are the odds that such a location could have been predicted 2,000 years ago as the final stage of global war?
Destruction of Damascus & the Coming Invasion - By Vanessa Panas - http://www.raptureready.com/2018/04/18/destruction-damascus-coming-invasion-vanessa-panas/
In part one of this series, I wrote about the coming Psalm 83 war - Edom (Palestinians/Jordanians) attacking His brother Jacob (Israel). This will no doubt leave the rest of the Muslim world enraged. I believe the destruction of Damascus will be very close to the Psalm 83 war prophesied. As the Edomites come closer to entering Jerusalem, Erdogan comes closer to entering Damascus, with Iraq in his sight. This is part two of my series, the destruction of Damascus and the coming Ezekiel 38 war.
Damascus is the world's oldest continually inhabited city in the world. The Bible says Damascus will be destroyed overnight. Since this has never happened, we know it's a prophetic future event. There has been a war raging in Syria for 7 years, and yet the city of Damascus has gone relatively unscathed. Assad still runs his government from Damascus.
Isaiah 17:1-3 "Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, and it will be a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer are forsaken; They will be for flocks which lie down, and no one will make them afraid. The fortress also will cease from Ephraim, the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria; They will be as the glory of the children of Israel,' says the Lord of hosts."
Damascus was one of the first cities to receive Christianity during the ministry of Apostle Paul. There were more Christians in Damascus than anywhere else in the world at the time of the apostles. It was on the road to Damascus that Paul was blinded by Jesus. He saw and heard Jesus ask him why he was persecuting Him.
Paul, who was Saul before his conversion, was a fierce persecutor of Christians. He also approved the first stoning of a Christian, Steven, whom the apostles appointed as a deacon in the early church.
Acts 7:57:58 "...they all rushed at him (Stephen), dragged him out of the city, and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul...." And Saul was there, giving approval to his death.
After this event, Saul began his persecution. Saul began to seek out Christians from house to house, dragging off men and women to put them in prison.
Who does this today - drags Christians from their homes to imprison or kill them? Muslims. Saul was no different than a Muslim who persecutes Christians today, until he was blinded and truly able to see by the Messiah Himself. Saul, like Muslims, took up the sword to punish Christians. So it's not hard to see Jewish men in the first century having a fierce hatred towards Christians. The Jews felt that the Christians were blaspheming their God by claiming Him as the Christians' God, not only for the Jewish people but salvation for the Gentiles.
Acts 22:4-5 "I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, as also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished."
Saul's persecutions led to the death of Christian men and women living in and near Jerusalem. His hatred was fierce. While these men and women were imprisoned, he went through their letters and found other Christians living in Damascus. So he decided to set out. But something happened. God chose Saul, the persecutor of His people, to spread His Word. Jesus came to him, asking why he was persecuting Him. Saul's conversion began.
He was blinded, but then he was truly able to see when he reached Damascus. When God removed his blindness, He removed his hardened heart. His hatred for Christians left with his blindness. The fierce hunter of Christians became a fierce warrior for Christ. The hunter also soon became the hunted. Saul was now Paul, fearless in the eyes of all men in his pursuit to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Acts 9:20-22 "At once he (Paul of Tarsus) began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, 'Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?' Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ."
The Jewish people could not understand this. A Jew that hunted Christians is now telling them he is a Christian?
Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus changed the course of human history. Paul was both Roman and Jewish. God chose him to begin teaching salvation through Jesus Christ to all men, Gentile and Jew. Much of what Paul wrote in the New Testament is believed to have been written while he was imprisoned. About 25% of the NT is written by Paul. It was through Paul that the Gentiles were first hearing the gospel, and it was Paul that admonished the other apostles for not including the Gentiles in all things Christ.
The Christian roots of Damascus have long been forgotten. Unlike today, where people question the very existence of Jesus, the disciples weren't trying to prove the existence of Jesus; they were proving the divinity of Jesus. They were proving He was the Messiah, the living Son of God. There was no question He existed and no question He changed the world. It wasn't until the last couple of centuries that His existence really started to be questioned.
Syria played a vital role in the spread of Christianity. Today, it plays a vital role in terrorism. Today, there are many "Saul's" persecuting Christians.
Eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus, has been under siege and held by the rebel forces since 2011, until this month. The Syrian army recently defeated the rebels and took Eastern Ghouta back. This is the first time Assad's army has controlled Eastern Ghouta in six years.
Two weeks ago there was a chemical weapons attack that allegedly killed several dozen, including children. The question is why and who? Why would Assad, who just had a decisive victory, use chemical weapons? It doesn't add up, I'm afraid.
The US, France and Britain strike on the chemical facilities in Syria, I'm willing to bet, is the spark that will lead to the destruction of Damascus and World War 3.
This gives Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan all the more reason to march towards Damascus in the name of rooting out terrorists. The rebels have been unable to seize Damascus and have just lost Eastern Ghouta. The Turkish military under Erdogan won't be so easy to beat. Erdogan has his eyes on Israel. He has been very vocal about this, but is still a member of NATO. This leads me to believe this is why the other nations will suddenly stop and ask, wait, where are you going? He is going to Israel.
Ezekiel 38:13 "Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all its villages, shall say unto you, Have you come to take plunder? have you gathered your company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?"
Sheba and Dedan are in Saudi Arabia. Tarshish is believed by many to be Western Europe (think Brexit!), and the young lions I believe to be the United States. The U.S. has protected Israel and will continue to protect Israel and her interests. Surprisingly, Saudi Arabia is allied with Israel, just as prophesied.
The nations with the most hatred against Israel are now fully engaged in Syria. If the world was a Risk board-game, we would see one giant buildup in Syria from every nation in the world. Recep Tayyip Erdogan is leading the anti-Israeli rhetoric.
After recent remarks by Erdogan about marching to Jerusalem and accusing Israel of murdering Palestinian children, Benjamin Netanyahu replied, "I am not used to receiving lectures about morality from a leader who bombs Kurdish villagers in his native Turkey, who jails journalists, who helps Iran get around international sanctions, and who helps terrorists, including in Gaza, kill innocent people."
"That is not the man who is going to lecture us," he added.
Erdogan is reviving the Ottoman Empire. He is threatening Israel. And his invasion of Syria has also put Iraq on his radar. The Gog Magog war will be led by Turkey.
Magog was the son of Japheth, who was the son of Noah. After Noah's flood, Magog and his brothers settled in modern-day Turkey, not Russia. Gog is simply the name of the land that Magog settled. The name is in the genealogies of Genesis 10:1-3 and 1 Chron. 1:5-6.
In Bible prophecy, Magog represents the leader of Turkey.
When Assyria attacked Israel, there were two separate kingdoms within Israel. Northern Israel was headquartered in Samaria, and southern Israel, or Judah, in Jerusalem. The proposed peace plans have all included two separate "kingdoms" - a "two-state" solution. The last time Israel was divided within itself, the Jewish people were invaded, slaughtered and carried off into slavery by the "Assyrians." Israel is going to divide again, in the name of peace, and the "Assyrian" has just invaded Syria again. Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Assyria included parts of Northern Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and northwestern Iran. Erdogan is gaining power and is planning his united "Islamic army" to invade Israel. Not only are we seeing the nations of the Ezekiel 38 war starting to build up all over Syria, the Psalm 83 nations are amassing on the Israeli border in what they are calling "the right of return." May 15 is approaching, and the riots on the Gaza border are getting more violent. Will the 70th anniversary of Israel's rebirth be the beginning of Daniels 70th week?
If the inner circle of nations do indeed invade Israel's border fence, there will be a massive response from Israel. The world doesn't seem to care what is happening in Syria. The U.N. doesn't care how many children die in Syria. One Palestinian death, Hamas related or not, is worth more to the international community than all of the dead children in Syria.
I strongly believe the Psalm 83 war will precede the Ezekiel war. The destruction of Damascus may very well happen in the coming days. Whatever peace covenant Israel makes will be canceled.
Isaiah 28:14-16, 18 "Therefore, hear the word of the LORD, O scoffers, who rule this people who are in Jerusalem, because you have said, 'We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have made a pact. The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by, for we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception.'
"Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed... Your covenant with death will be canceled, and your pact with Sheol will not stand; When the overwhelming scourge passes through, then you become its trampling."
I believe the Psalm 83 war is what brings a false, temporary peace to Israel. It will halt Erdogan now, but this simply gives him more time to acquire his Islamic army from many nations, as mentioned in the Bible. Israel being victorious will enrage much of the Muslim world.
Ezekiel 38:11 says Israel will feel secure and be living in safety when they are attacked by this coalition. This cannot be said right now. In EZEKIEL 38:13 is where the other nations will question the true motives. The Palestinian motives are already known.
In Ezekiel 39:9, Israel (IDF) is clearly victorious because they will burn their enemies' weapons for seven years as energy and fuel. If this was Armageddon, then you have to explain why they would burn these weapons for energy and fuel when God's presence, in all His glory, is what illuminates the new Holy City. Ezekiel 39:9 is a reference to nuclear energy Israel will use as their own. Are these seven years the same as the tribulation's seven years? The first half is safety and peace, and the second half brings destruction.
1 Thess. 5:3 "For when they shall say, 'Peace and safety;' then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape."
Turkish President Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani met together this month over Syria. The pope has met with all three. Why is a religious leader meeting privately with world leaders that call for the destruction of Israel and the Jewish people? These are not average world leaders. These are the strongest military forces in the region. Two are anti-Christianity, Iran and Turkey, as they both deny Jesus Christ and imprison Christians!
These wars are going to be something we haven't seen in our lifetime. What better time is there for a one-world religion than after two massive "religious" wars? To bring all religions and nations together in order to prevent another slaughter in the Holy Land.
Ezekiel 39:11-12 says that the dead will be buried over a period of seven months. There would be no need to bury the dead if this war is what brings Jesus Christ's Second Coming.
Immediately after Satan's final rebellion, talked about in Revelation, is the Great White Throne of judgment (20:11-15)
I believe the Psalm 83 war will bring in the signing of a peace deal between Israel, Erdogan and an Islamic coalition. Who better to help negotiate a religion of peace than the pope? The signing of the peace deal will begin the seven-year tribulation.
After the Psalm 83 war and the peace treaty, Israel will remain a sovereign state, but they will feel safe. For a time. It's during the time of safety that the temple will be rebuilt. Jews do not believe their Messiah can come without this temple. It's hard to picture the Palestinians letting them build this temple peacefully. But for three and one half years they will have peace.
During this time Erdogan and surrounding nations will continue to plot against Israel.
There is one nation Jesus said held the seat of Satan, and that is Turkey. Psalm 83 must happen first because, during the Ezekiel invasion, Israel will be living securely. Right now, they are anything but secure.
Revelation 2:13 "I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is...."
An interesting note is there's no mention of Satan in Ezekiel 38-39, but he is in Revelation. Satan has used many kingdoms and kings throughout history to slaughter the Jews and Christians and to take the Holy Land.
The names may have changed but the people and places are the same. Antioch is where the first Gentile Church was built. The evidence for Christianity throughout Syria is evident. Syria was an important and vital country for the spread of Christianity in the first century.
During the Ottoman Empire, Christians were plundered and then killed or forced to convert. Once a major hub for trade, Damascus has indeed grown feeble.
Jeremiah 49:24 "Damascus has grown feeble; She turns to flee, and fear has seized her. Anguish and sorrows have taken her like a woman in labor."
My understanding of God's word is that Damascus' falling and Psalm 83 will happen relatively close together in time.
Ezekiel 35:10:11 "Because you have said, 'These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess them,' although the LORD was there, 'therefore, as I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'I will do according to your anger and according to the envy which you showed in your hatred against them; and I will make Myself known among them when I judge you.'"
Israel being victorious over Jordan and the Palestinians will enrage the Muslim world; they are going to want blood and swift revenge. They will begin their plotting and planning, and then something happens. Pope Francis possibly steps in performing miracles and merges all religions. But the Muslims won't do that, you say? The similarities between Islam and Catholicism are astounding. I have outlined these similarities in previous articles. These two religions make up almost 3 billion people worldwide. After the massive loss of life in Israel and Jordan, the people will beg for peace.
Daniel 9:27 "Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering."
Could it be that the pope will help broker this peace treaty? The pope is certainly shocking his fellow Catholics with the blasphemous things that he says, such as atheists can go to heaven without belief. This is not true, and they are being condemned to hell, by God, through a major religious leader's words. I have a hard time accepting that Christians and Jews will bow down to Erdogan as God. I can see weak Christians and the Jewish people waiting for their messiah, believing in a false messiah though.
The false prophet and Antichrist will begin the worst persecution of Christians and Jews that the world has ever experienced. Christians throughout Africa, Asia and the Middle East have been under a systematic Islamic genocide since the start of the Syrian war. As the world watches Syria, Nigeria has been slaughtering Christians by the thousands and demolishing villages.
Matthew 24:21 "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be."
Pope Francis has slowly been delegitimizing the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. He is now denying the existence of hell. Pope Francis called Jesus Christ a failure, yet we know He is victorious.
One end-time Islamic teaching is that Jesus will return and will declare himself a Muslim. I can easily see the pope claiming to be a Muslim. They also believe all other religions will be destroyed. Crosses will all be destroyed. The Muslim messiah will pursue the Islamic "Antichrist" into Israel to defeat him. They believe a "great" beast will rise that calls the world to worship Allah. Their messiah (Mahdi) is our Antichrist; our Antichrist is their Messiah.
We don't know exactly how things are going to unfold, but we know these things will happen. Since the moment President Trump announced the embassy move, prophecy has spiraled towards World War 3. As Christians, we know these things must take place before the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior. As Christians, we see the signs; we know Jacob's trouble is near. Stay strong and faithful in God's word. Be like Paul-a fearless warrior for Christ!
Matthew 24:4-9 "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."
Vanessa
Russia And Israel, Seven Decades On - By Ben Cohen -
Amid all the diplomatic maneuverings in the months that led up to the creation of the State of Israel 70 years ago, none are more curious than those undertaken by the Soviet Union.
It's fair to say that Soviet support was a necessary condition for the emergence of an independent Jewish state in what was then British Mandate Palestine. The Zionist leadership certainly understood this, with both Chaim Weizmann and David Ben-Gurion courting Soviet foreign ministry officials as World War II came to an end.
But until the middle of 1947, the Soviets remained firm opponents of partitioning the country into Jewish and Arab states.
The about-turn in favor of partition was announced by Andrei Gromyko, the Soviet Ambassador to the United Nations, in May 1947, in a remarkable speech that upended decades of Communist doctrine by speaking of "the Jewish people" and decrying the sight of "hundreds of thousands of Jews wandering about in various countries of Europe in search of means of existence and in search of shelter."
So began a period of two or three years when the idea of a Soviet-Israeli alliance was discussed as a serious prospect. Indeed, Gromyko turned out to be one of the most aggressive advocates of the Zionist cause at the United Nations, impatiently reminding the American delegation in March 1948 that "the only way to reduce bloodshed is to prompt and effective creation of two states in Palestine."
"If the United States and some other states block the implementation of the partition and regard Palestine as an element in their economic and military-strategic considerations," said Gromyko, expressing the sort of indignance that might come from an American delegate today, "then any decision on the future of Palestine . . . will mean the transformation of Palestine into a field of strife and dissension between the Arabs and the Jews and will only increase the number of victims."
The principal reason behind this brief flash of Soviet support for Israel was geopolitical. The USSR had come to the end of the war without a coherent policy towards the Arab world, but with a basic distrust of the pan-Arab pretensions of the newly-formed Arab League.
Moscow was also keen to hasten the decline of the British Empire in the Middle East and saw the State of Israel as a potential ally in its emerging contest with America. So for once during that terrible decade, the diplomatic stars had aligned in favor of the Jewish people, and the votes in favor of partition cast by both the United States and the USSR was one of the last examples of international consensus as the Cold War took hold.
The story ended, as we all know, with Israel firmly in the camp of the United States and the Soviet Union as the principle backer of Arab rejectionism. The Gromkyo who admitted at the United Nations in 1947 that it was "difficult to express in dry statistics" the "sorrow and suffering of the Jewish victims of the fascist aggressors" was the same Gromyko who served as Soviet foreign minister when that same world body passed a resolution in 1975 equating Zionism with racism.
In any case, Israel's leaders understood pretty clearly by the early 1950s that the Soviet embrace could easily turn into a noose. In his monumental history of the State of Israel, the late Martin Gilbert writes of an October 1955 conversation between Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett, and U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, in which the former complained that Israel had "lost everything" with regard to its relations with Soviets "without gaining a thing" from the Americans.
At the same time, Sharett was under no illusions about Soviet totalitarianism, telling Dulles that Israel only maintained an embassy in Moscow "in order to encourage the Jews of Russia to hold out--so that they can see before them a mark and token that the day will come when their link with Israel and the Jewish people will be renewed."
By the time that day actually came, Israel's embassy in Moscow had been shuttered for more than 20 years. Still, Sharett's broader hope was fulfilled as nearly 1 million Jews from the former Soviet Union emigrated to Israel in the decade following its collapse in 1990, bringing to a democratic resolution the so-called "Jewish Question" confronted by Tsarists and revolutionaries alike for over a century.
Even without the issues of anti-Semitic persecution and bans on Jewish emigration to deal with, Israel's present-day relations with Russia are complicated by many of the same issues that prevailed during the Cold War--foremost, its continued investment in Syria's Assad dynasty.
Some might argue that's a good thing, in that Vladimir Putin will act as a restraining influence on Assad and on the Damascus regime's allies in Iran. But it also demonstrates that the historically fraught relationship between Jews and Russians continues in the sphere of international politics.
Seventy years after Israel's creation, Russia remains the world power that is closest to the Jewish state's most implacable enemies, providing them with diplomatic and military sustenance--and keeping those old memories alive.
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