Damascus in biblical prophecy...Are we seeing the beginning of the end? - By Isaiah Anderson -
The burden against Damascus. "Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, And it will be a ruinous heap. - Isaiah 17:1 (NKJV)
The Syrian war has been going on since March 15th, 2011. Most of the nations involved in this conflict correspond with the end-times prophecy of Ezekiel 38 & 39. Russia, Iran, Turkey, and Syria are loosely allied in Syria, while America and Israel are allied against them and support the Kurdish forces in the Northeast of Syria.
The blooding seven-year war has displaced nearly half the population of Syria, either internally or externally, some estimate the dispossessed at 13 million, while the death toll is reported to be roughly half a million people killed in the fighting.
The suffering of the Syrian people is beyond comprehension. The bombing of cities, power interrupted, rival factions marauding through vast regions of Syria, including the infamous Islamic forces associated with Isis. The violence is unimaginable.
As the end of the war seems to be near, hostility between the primary nations involved has increased. It's being reported that Israel bombed an area of Damascus on Monday, September 17, 2018, while also releasing satellite images of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad palace, an obvious veiled threat to the Syrian leader.
It's also been reported that a Russia military plane was shot down during the Israeli bombing of targets situated in Damascus. 15 Russian airmen were reportedly killed in the downing of the Russian IL-20 aircraft. It's being reported Syria defensive air systems was responsible for mistakenly shooting down the plane during this attack.
Russia is expected to respond towards Israel very forcefully, possibly setting in place new military protocols that would limit Israel's ability to fly into Syria and target Iranian forces. Israel will likely reject such restriction. Is this the catalyst that could eventually lead to direct conflict between Russia and Israel?
Syria has reportedly used chemical weapon on civilians, while they vehemently deny such claims. Israel is obviously very nervous over the use of these types of dangerous weapons, especially in such close proximity to their borders. The United States is also very concerned over the use of chemical weapons, Trump even issued a clear warning that there will be severe repercussions if it's discovered they deployed such weapons in Syria.
As we see the hostilities increase and the political and military alliance developed, we can't help but notice the alignment of nations, which are described in the Book of Ezekiel, chapters 38 & 39, commonly known as the war of Gog-Magog. It's prophesied to occur on the mountains of Israel, which is the mountainous area directly bordering Israel and Syria.
As we can see, the potential for the imminent fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy of Damascus destruction in very much a real possibility, and this opens the door for Ezekiel's end-times prophesy of the Magog invasion of Israel. The Magog alliance is doomed to fail, God will rise up against this multinational force and bring violent destruction upon those involved in attacking the land of Israel.
"And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel," says the Lord God, "that My fury will show in My face. For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: 'Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.' I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains," says the Lord God. "Every man's sword will be against his brother. And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord." ' - Ezek 38:18-23 (NKJV)
The defeat of the Magog alliance will likely pave the way for the rise of the EU, who will be the logical peace negotiator between the warring nations. The revived Roman Empire is currently emerging, just as the Bible predicted.
The stage has been laid for some critical end-times prophecies to possibly be fulfilled very soon. One of these prophecies that will be ushered in is the seven-year peace agreement spoken of in the Book of Daniel. It's this peace agreement that will mark the beginning of the seven-year tribulation. The Antichrist and his revived Roman Empire will confirm the peace treaty.
As the major obstacles to global peace are removed, that being Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syria, one can easily see part of the agreement would be the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple, another major end-times prophecy, one that is already being prepared.
The Antichrist will ultimately enter the third Jewish Temple and proclaim himself to be a god, which will mark the middle of the tribulation and bring about the abominations that causes desolation.
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. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate." - Dan 9:27 (NKJV)
"Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 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. - Matt 24:15-21 (NKJV)
Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. - 2 Thess 2:3-4 (NKJV)
The signs of many end-times prophecies are coming into focus; my question is, are you ready?
If you're not born again spiritually, which comes by repenting of your sins and placing your faith in Jesus Chris and receiving the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, then you're not ready.
I beg you to consider the events being talked about in this article, we have no assurance of a normal tomorrow. Please consider the wonderful gift of salvation that's freely offered to you. God loves you and desires for you to be saved from the wrath to come, will you accept His offer?
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. - Rev 3:20 (NKJV)
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. - Romans 5:8-11 (NKJV)
Iran's Shia Crescent Is Almost Ready To Confront Israel As It Expands Into Iraq - By Sean Savage -
Situated in the cradle of human civilization, modern-day Iraq has been no stranger to gruesome bloodshed and violence in recent years. With the scourge of the Islamic State largely defeated, many hope that Iraq can now turn a page on its bloody recent past and start building for a new future.
However, Iraq's Persian neighbor, Iran, has different plans. As one of the region's major powers, Iran has been focused on taking advantage of the chaos to its west to fulfill one of the core tenants of theocratic regime: Shi'ite Muslim expansionism and revolution.
While modern Iran's involvement in Iraq goes back decades--from the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the bloody Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s to support insurgent groups in the years following the U.S. invasion--more recently, Iran has sought to leverage Iraq's majority Shi'ite Muslim population as the final piece in its corridor of control, dubbed the "Shi'ite Crescent" from Tehran to Beirut in Lebanon.
"Currently, Iran has control over numerous Iraqi [mostly Shia] political and militia organizations," Phillip Smyth, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told JNS.
"These groups generally follow the same organizational and ideological model as Lebanese Hezbollah," he explained. "Their creation and growth are part of a longer-term Iranian strategy that follows the successes they've built when it comes to influencing Lebanon. They wish to construct groups that push their ideologies, policies, and whose armed groups can be utilized."
Indeed, Iraq's diversity has been its downfall in recent decades. Stitched together by former colonial powers the British and French following World War I, Iraq is torn between three dominant groups--the Kurds, Sunni Arab Muslims and Shi'ite Muslims, who make up about 65 percent of the population.
Iran, which is also Shi'ite Muslim, has had long and complicated ties with its neighboring Iraqi Shi'ite Muslims, but has grown to fill the political vacuum left behind by recent wars to extend its domination over the community.
"Iran is deeply insinuated into Iraq's political and security apparatuses. It used the Islamic State invasion of Iraq as a pretext to establish an IRGC [Iran Revolutionary Guards Corp] military presence in the country and expand its funding, training and equipping of Iraq's major Shi'ite militias, which have since been incorporated into the Iraqi government as a direct conduit for Iranian influence over Iraq's security policy," Jonathan Ruhe, associate director of JINSA's Gemunder Center for Defense and Strategy, told JNS.
As such, domination over Iraq is seen as one of the last pieces extend its "land bridge" of Shi'ite Muslim communities from Iran to Lebanon in order to directly threaten Israel.
"Control of this land bridge would expand Tehran's ability to proliferate advanced weapons to Hezbollah, establish a second front against Israel in the Golan, and threaten U.S. and Israeli partner Jordan," said Ruhe.
"More geostrategically, it would also bolster Iranian hegemony in the heart of the Middle East, which is critical to its objective of replacing the United States as the preeminent power in the region."
Iranian build-up in Iraq
Earlier this month, it was reported that Iran had transferred ballistic missile to its Shi'ite proxies in Iraq.
According to three Iranian officials, two Iraqi intelligence sources and two Western intelligence sources, Iran has transferred short-range ballistic missiles to allies in Iraq over the last few months. Five of the officials said it was helping those groups to start making their own," Reuters reported.
Among the missiles transferred include the Zelzal, Fateh-110 and Zolfaqar, which have ranges of about 200 kilometers (125 miles) to 700 kilometers (435 miles), putting both regional foes of Iran, Saudi Arabia and Israel within striking distance.
"If these reports are indeed true, it represents the next logical step in Iran's efforts to replicate and expand the threat posed to Israel from Hezbollah's Iranian-made missile arsenal in Lebanon," said Ruhe. "Iran is pursuing a similar project in Syria, which has prompted Israeli airstrikes to prevent Syria becoming a second front for threatening Israel with precision missiles."
"In putting new missiles in Iraq capable of reaching Israel, Iran would be presenting Israel with a dilemma: escalate its preventive campaign against Iranian proliferation of strategic weaponry by forcing Israel to expand its strikes to another country, or allow Tehran to establish yet another way to threaten Israel?" he asked.
Will Israel attack Iraq?
Already, Israel has signaled that it would not tolerate this new Iranian front in Iraq, as it has done with hundreds of airstrikes on Iranian military assets in Syria during its seven-year civil war.
"We are certainly monitoring everything that is happening in Syria, and regarding Iranian threats, we are not limiting ourselves just to Syrian territory. This also needs to be clear," Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in reference to Iran's buildup in Iraq earlier this month.
"I am saying that we will contend with any Iranian threat, and it doesn't matter from where it comes ... Israel's freedom is total. We retain this freedom of action," he added.
Israel, of course, is no stranger to carrying out an attack on Iraqi soil. In 1981 Israel's air force destroyed the Osirak Iraqi nuclear reaction near Baghdad.
However, the United States, which has about 5,200 troops in Iraq as part of its mission to stabilize the country and defeat the Islamic State, reportedly warned Israel not to carry out any airstrikes in Iraq.
American officials were reported to have told Israeli defense officials to "please leave Iraq to us," Israel public broadcaster KAN reported.
Yet Ruhe remains unconvinced that America would target Iran or Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.
"To date, the United States has demonstrated a desire to coexist, however uneasily, alongside Iranian-backed forces in Iraq as part of the overarching goal of restoring a semblance of political and military stability to Iraq, and minimizing risks and burdens to U.S. forces operating there," he said.
For Smyth, an attack by Israel in Iraq would be a "major escalation" from how the Jewish state has targeted these groups in the past.
"The farthest strike [likely launched by the Israelis] was near the Syrian-Iraq border some weeks ago. Of course, this may have been a signal by Israel to the militias that as soon as they enter Syria, they will be subject to Israeli attacks.
"However, going directly into Iraq would be a move in the direction of saying that all of these targets on the table, and it could have much harsher repercussions for U.S. forces."
As such, Ruhe sees any Israel attack on Iranian proxies in Iraq as part of a broader campaign.
"It seems more realistic to envisions Israeli forces attacking Iranian proxies in Iraq--either as an expanded part of its counter-missile campaign against Iran in Syria, or as part of a major conflict between Israel on the one hand and Iran and it proxies [including Hezbollah] on the other," Ruhe said.
"Indeed, Israel has made clear at least since Netanyahu's Munich speech in February that if attacked, it would address the Iranian threat in its totality--region wide, and not just from Syria."
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