WORLD AT WAR: 3.12.22 - Shadows of Tribulation.... LOTS OF INFORMATION

Shadows of Tribulation - By Daymond Duck - https://www.raptureready.com/2022/03/06/shadows-of-tribulation-by-daymond-duck/ I am not a prophet, but as of Feb. 28, 2022, here are a few of my opinions on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Implications Globally •The global birth pains are increasing in frequency and intensity. •The price of oil and natural gas is increasing. •Inflation will continue to increase, making global hyperinflation and an economic collapse more likely. •Inflation will increase food prices, causing famine to spread in Ukraine and other parts of the world. •The supply-chain crisis will grow worse, making shortages worse. •Western weakness will embolden China, Iran, Turkey, and others, making wars and rumors of wars more likely. •Western nations will use this crisis to increase their calls for a more powerful New World Order (NWO; world government). •The EU (revived Roman Empire of Iron) will now strengthen its military, increase in power, become the leader of the so-called free world, and pavethe way for the rise of the Antichrist. •Germany has decided to change her laws, triple her military spending, and that will strengthen the EU. •The EU has agreed to send $500 million of military aid to Ukraine. Implications for Russia •Russia is seeking more influence in the NWO but will fail. •The severe sanctions and restrictions on Russia’s banks are causing the Russian Ruble to collapse, credit cards are no good, there are runs on Russianbanks, and the Russian stock market closed on Feb. 28, 2022. •The U.S. has decided to give Ukraine $350 million of military aid. •Germany has decided to give Ukraine 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 stinger missiles and to allow other nations to ship weapons through Germany toUkraine. •Germany is looking at returning to nuclear energy to get off Russian oil. •The expense of keeping Russian troops in Ukraine to subdue the Ukrainian people long-term will continue to strain the Russian economy. •Russia’s economic problems will increase her need to seek better ties with Iran, Turkey, and others. •Russia’s need to seize a prey (the silver and gold; cattle and goods) from Israel will increase. •God may be putting the hook in Gog’s jaw, setting the stage for the Battle of Gog and Magog, the defeat of Russia and her allies, and the announcementthat Israel’s God is God. Implications for the U.S. •America’s global influence will continue to decline, increasing the likelihood that the U.S. will surrender its sovereignty to the UN. •The price of gasoline, utilities, food, etc., will continue to increase, and the shortage of goods will continue to increase. •When Russia and her allies begin their move toward Israel, the U.S. will not help Israel. Simply put, I believe: •The likelihood of a world government by 2030 or sooner has increased. •The likelihood that the Battle of Gog and Magog is close has increased. •The likelihood that the U.S. will decline and surrender its sovereignty has increased. •The likelihood that the Rapture is close has increased. Here are more recent stories. One, concerning Jerusalem being a cup of trembling and a burdensomestone for the whole world and concerning the Battle of Gog and Magog: Israel has had a good relationship with both Russia and Ukraine, and Israel was trying to stay neutral on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but the Biden administration was pushing Israel tocondemn Russia. On Feb. 23, 2022, Israel caved, broke its neutrality, and expressed support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Israel’s support for Ukraine must have angered Russia because Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN soon told the UN Security Council that Russia does not agree with Israelisovereignty over Jerusalem, including West Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. Russia also deliberately notified Israel that Russia believes the Golan Heights are part of Syria. Some prophecy teachers view this as a big step towards the Battle of Gog and Magog. If this is a big step towards the Battle of Gog and Magog, Damascus will probably be destroyed in one night first, and the Psalm 83 War, if there is one, will take placeabout the same time. It is difficult to say what will happen at this time, but know that the Battle of Gog and Magog will be God’s doing, and He can trigger the Battle of Gog and Magog anytimeHe wants (Ezek. 38:4). Two, on Mar. 1, 2022, Israel announced that it is in favor ofa UN resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Israel also announced that it would immediately send two planes to Ukraine that will be loaded with humanitarian aid (blankets, coats, sleeping bags, medical supplies, tents,water purification kits, etc.), but no military aid. This could further anger Putin. (More:On Mar. 1, 2022, Russian bombs destroyed a radio tower and damaged the famous Jewish holocaust memorial in Kyiv. What Putin was thinking is not clear, but some believe he was trying to send a subtle message to Israel.) Three, concerning the Mark of the Beast: on Feb. 23, 2022, itwas reported that the World Economic Forum (WEF) has released a report called “Advancing Digital Agency: The Power of Data Intermediaries” that says vaccine passports could be the basis of a new global ID system that could involve putting chips in people worldwideby 2026. When asked about it, WEF Chairman Schwab said the chips would be put in our clothes first, but they would eventually probably be put in our brains or skin. According to the report, a digital ID could be a requirement for entering places such as bars or restaurants. Four, on Feb. 24, 2022, it was reported that the World Health Organization (WHO) is teaming up with a German telecommunications company to create global digital Covid-19 vaccinepassports (electronic vaccination certificates). One WHO official said a global system is needed because Covid-19 affects everyone. Critics are not concerned about how this system will start out, but they are very concerned about what it will evolve into. Five, concerning deceit: on Feb. 20, 2022, the NY Times reportedthat the CDC has admitted to concealing information about adverse reactions to Covid-19 vaccinations. The CDC has been understating the number of deaths and injuries because they thought some people would refuse to be vaccinated if they knew the truth. Think about it; people have been fired, vilified, censored by the media, etc., for telling the truth because it contradicted the CDC’s lies. Even worse, Pres. Biden still intends to try to force every U.S. citizen to be vaccinated. Six, Trump made the U.S. energy independent, and Biden deliberatelystarted destroying that as soon as he took office. The U.S. now imports about 595,000 barrels of oil per day from Russia (should I add that this is one reason why the price of gasoline, food, etc., keeps rising?). In essence, the Biden administration is helping finance Russia’s war against Ukraine. At one time, Ukraine was a nuclear power. Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in exchange for an agreement (called the Budapest Memorandum) that the U.S., UK, and Russiawould guarantee Ukraine’s security (should I add that it appears that America’s promise to guarantee Ukraine’s security was worthless?). Seven, on Feb. 23, 2022, a U.S. State Dept. spokesperson, NedPrice, said Russia and China also want a world order, but the world order they want would be different from what the U.S. and other western nations want. Michael Snyder, former CIA agent and Publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, said this is an admission that the U.S. and others also want a world order, and he believesthe Russia-Ukraine war is about the structure of the New World Order. I have long believed that Russia and China are trying to gain more power, territory, and influence in the world because they want to head up or dominate the New World Order. According to the Bible, the New World Order will be dominated by the EU, but Russia may soon try to enhance her power by attacking Israel. And during the Tribulation Period,China may try to enhance her power by leading the Kings of the East into a war in the Middle East. Eight, concerning God causing Jews to return to the PromisedLand at the end of the age: there has been a drastic increase in applications for Ukrainian Jews to relocate to Israel, so the Jewish nation is making plans to receive about 10,000 Jews in the near future. Nine, many readers have seen live updates of events in Ukraine (buildings burning, troop movements, interviews, etc.) This technology will soon allow the whole world to see the bodies of the Two Witnesses lying in the street in Jerusalem and to see the Second Coming of Jesus. Finally, are you Rapture Ready? If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believethat Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this. ---------------------------------- Russia threatens to crash world food supply by withholding fertilizer - By Mike Landry - https://www.wnd.com/2022/03/russia-meets-western-sanctions-head-threatens-crash-world-food-supply-withholding-fertilizer To fight against Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, Russia might stop exporting fertilizer. That’s a serious threat to the world’s food supply, given uncertainties regarding fertilizer even before the war erupted last month. The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade recommended halting fertilizer exports until suspensions on transportation in and out of Russia are lifted, according to the Russianstate news agency TASS, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday. The world's biggest container ship operators, A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S and Mediterranean Shipping, have stopped serving Russian ports. “The ministry had to recommend Russian producers temporarily suspend export shipments of Russian fertilizers until carriers resume rhythmic work and provide guarantees thatRussian fertilizer exports will be completed in full,” the Russian ministry said in a statement, according to Reuters. Russia produces 50 million tons -- 13 percent of the world supply -- of potash, phosphate and nitrogen for fertilizer, the report said. “Failures in fertilizer shipments could have a direct impact on national security in several countries and cause serious food shortages for hundreds of millions of peoplealready in the medium term,” the ministry said. Russia’s biggest fertilizer companies export to Asia and Brazil, Reuters reported. Fertilizer issues have been of concern even without the fighting in Ukraine, and costs have been rising “astronomically,” according to the Texas Farm Bureau. In August 2021, fertilizer prices were expected to go up by 10 percent. By January, the predicted increase rose to 80 percent. “Coupled with the current COVID supply chain issues, this will further stress the production environment for agriculture across the country,” according to Joe Outlaw, co-directorof the Texas A&M University Agricultural and Food Policy Center. Other reasons for the price increases are unclear, Outlaw said. Corn is fertilizer-intense, according to a December presentation by the CME Group on Bloomberg Markets and Finance, which, like Outlaw, blamed supply chain issues for increasedfertilizer costs. "Global fertilizer prices remain at record high levels. Uncertainty regarding the availability and pricing of key fertilizers and the ultimate impact on the global acreagemix is a big concern among grain traders,” the report said. And it’s more than fertilizer. Even without a refusal by Russia to export, the Ukraine conflict could threaten the world’s wheat supply through destroyed farmland and disruptedtransportation, according to CNBC. "What price are you going to pay for those chicken wings?” said John Kilduff, Again Capital founding partner. “And it’s going to be sky high and potential sticker shock -- that’s the issue with this situation.” Like it or not, the world economy is tightly interconnected. With production moved offshore to countries viewed as having a competitive advantage, companies dependent upon just-in-time inventory management, and the belief in the freemovement of people and capital around the world, there are some questions: What happens when there is a pandemic, when disgruntled truckers shut down a domestic border or -- and did anybody take this into account -- when there is a war? In the sleek plans of interconnectedness the globalists cooked up a few decades ago, did anybody voice those five critical words: What could possibly go wrong? Day by day, we’re finding out. -------------------------------- The War In Ukraine Is Going To Trigger The Biggest Global Food Crisis That Any Of Us Have Ever Seen Before- by Michael Snyder - http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/the-war-in-ukraine-is-going-to-trigger-the-biggest-global-food-crisis-that-any-of-us-have-ever-seen-before/ By the end of 2022, we are going to witness very serious shortages of food in many parts of the globe. In fact, World Bank President David Malpass is openly admitting thatwe are now facing “a huge supply shock” as a result of the war in Ukraine. Of course, we were already moving into a global food crisis even before the war erupted. According to the UN, worldwide food prices in February 2022 were 20.7 percent higher than theywere in February 2021, fertilizer prices have gone absolutely nuts, crop production is down all over the planet due to crazy weather patterns, and supply chain problems caused by the pandemic continue to create ongoing headaches. But now World War 3 has erupted,and that is going to push this rapidly growing global food crisis to a level that none of us have ever seen before. Under normal conditions, Ukraine exports tremendous amounts of food and is considered to be one of the most important “breadbaskets” on the entire planet. Unfortunately, everything has changed now, and this has pushed the global price of wheat up 55 percent since a week before the invasion happened… Ukrainian farmers have been forced to neglect their fields as millions flee, fight or try to stay alive. Ports are shut down that send wheat and other food staples worldwideto be made into bread, noodles and animal feed. And there are worries Russia, another agricultural powerhouse, could have its grain exports upended by Western sanctions. While there have not yet been global disruptions to wheat supplies, prices have surged 55% since a week before the invasion amid concerns about what could happen next. Ifthe war is prolonged, countries that rely on affordable wheat exports from Ukraine could face shortages starting in July, International Grains Council director Arnaud Petit told The Associated Press. I really don’t like that “shortages starting in July” part. That definitely sounds rather ominous. Right now, the global price of food is the highest that it has ever been, and Russia and Ukraine normally account for “nearly a third of the world’s wheat and barley exports”. Now that exports from Russia will be greatly reduced and exports from Ukraine will be virtually non-existent, some countries will almost immediately be facing extreme stress. For example, just consider Lebanon. The Lebanese normally get 60 percent of their wheat from Ukraine… War-ravaged Syria recently announced it would cut spending and ration staples. In nearby Lebanon, where a massive explosion at the Beirut port in 2020 destroyed the country’smain grain silos, authorities are scrambling to make up for a predicted wheat shortage, with Ukraine providing 60% of its supply. They are in talks with the U.S., India and Canada to find other sources for a country already in financial meltdown. Very high food prices caused riots all over the Middle East in 2011, and now we are moving into a food crisis that will be far greater than anything that we experiencedback then. Things are going to be very challenging in Europe as well, because Ukraine normally provides almost 60 percent of the corn that Europeans use… Ukraine supplies the EU with just under 60% of its corn and nearly half of a key component in the grains needed to feed livestock. Meanwhile, crops all over the world are in surprisingly poor shape because weather conditions have been so strange. Earlier today, I was stunned to learn that it is being projected that China’s winter wheat crop could be “the worst in history”… The condition of China’s winter wheat crop could be the “worst in history”, the agriculture minister said on Saturday, raising concerns about grain supplies in the world’sbiggest wheat consumer. And the USDA is reporting that a whopping 71 percent of all winter wheat in the United States has been affected by drought… A limited supply of soft white wheat, the primary type of wheat grown in the Inland Northwest, has helped lead to a six-year low for wheat exports from the United States.That’s according to the USDA wheat report for February. The report also states that 71 percent of U.S. winter wheat is being hit by drought in 2022. We struggle to feed the entire world even in the best of years, and this definitely is not going to be one of the best of years. Another factor that is going to drive up the cost of food is soaring energy prices. On Sunday, the national average of a gallon of gasoline in the United States crossed the four dollar threshold… Gasoline prices surged to the highest level since 2008 on Sunday, as crude oil supply fears stemming from Russia’s war on Ukraine increase the impact on consumers at thepump. The national average for a gallon of gas hit $4.009 on Sunday, according to AAA, which is the highest since July 2008, not adjusted for inflation. Prices have been risingat a fast clip. Consumers are paying 40 cents more than a week ago, and 57 cents more than a month ago. Of course the price of gasoline is much higher in some parts of the nation than in others. For example, at one gas station in Los Angeles consumers are now paying about seven dollars a gallon to fill up their vehicles… The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles County rose to $5.247 on Saturday, but some gas stations in the area have even higher prices. The Shell gas station located at Olympic Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in Mid-City was advertising regular unleaded at $6.99 a gallon. The price for premium was listed at$7.29 a gallon. I suppose that I should stop warning about “seven dollars a gallon” for gasoline, because it is already here. So many of the things that I have warned about have alreadyhappened, and things are only going to get worse from here. In fact, I think that it won’t be too long before some Americans are paying ten dollars for a gallon of gasoline. Would do you think that will do to our economy? This war is going to end up deeply affecting every man, woman and child on the entire planet. If you were waiting for things to “return to normal”, you can stop waiting, because a perfect storm has arrived and things are definitely not going to be “normal” for theforeseeable future. -------------------------------- Have some discernment - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought with it some extreme thoughts and confusion among the Christian community. Some are hailing Russian dictator Vladimir Putin asa hero for fighting against the Globalist Agenda. Some are saying that Putin is a madman. The mainstream news media, the Hollywood elite, and globalist-supporting politicians are using their platforms to promote American involvement in yet another war. Thepropaganda machines in both Russia and Ukraine are operating at full tilt with polar opposite accounts of the situation. Joe Biden and his administration are stuck in the mode of just describing the situation because they don’t know what to do. Have some discernment. Putin is not a champion for good. He never has been. Just because people think his mother was a Christian, doesn’t make Putin a good guy with a white hat. Yes, Putin isagainst the “Globalist Agenda.” He always has been. Not because of some noble value, but because he has his own new world order goals—where there is no dollar as currency; where Russia, China and Iran rule the world, including the United States, with theirbrand of communism, socialism or theocracy. Putin’s goons have assassinated journalists and political leaders who oppose his agenda. He is former KGB and has systematically built back the former Soviet Union with a new communist twist. He is a bully not tobe trusted. The globalist agenda depends on war to expand. And America is all too eager to be the world’s policeman. Democratic and Republican politicians alike are supported financiallyby the war machine defense contractors and all of them are far too eager to follow the mantra: “War is good business. Invest your sons and daughters” so that they can profit on the maiming and death of our young people—all in the name of freedom. The government,led by unscrupulous politicians and bureaucrats, is happy to take your tax money and redistribute it to fund the war machine—Can you say Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam? The financial benefits of the globalist war machine line the pockets of all globalist politiciansirrespective of party. The corporate media wants another war that will boost their ratings and fill their pockets. The Biden’s and their cronies have made hundreds of millions of dollars through corruption in Russia, Ukraine, and China. Biden is compromised with his dealings in all threecountries. Neither Putin nor Biden are just. Millions of Ukrainians have been displaced; thousands of civilians killed. Christ prophesied in Matthew 24:6, “And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that you are not troubled.” The Christian duty isto preach the gospel, ease the suffering in the name of Christ—not advocate for creating more suffering. We are to stand for justice. None of this Russian situation is good. Plead the cause of the poor and needy, seek God’s peace in this perilous time. Aboveall, have some discernment. ---------------------------------- The Great Illusion – Pete Garcia - https://www.rev310.net/post/the-great-illusion Understanding Russia and China’s penchant for violent revolutions, shadowy secrecy, and a multi-generational distrust of the west, why would these two nations announce tothe world a ‘no limits’ partnership at the beginning of the 2022 Beijing Olympics? Was this simply to give the current world order a giant middle finger, or is there something more nefarious at play? Or both? Given Russia’s ongoing military provocations in Ukraine and China’s ominous threats towards Taiwan, it would seem this is far more serious than just bluster. But it begsa huge question, as to why they would paint a bull-eyes on their own backs by making a public announcement like this? If military conquest was always their intent (Ukraine, Taiwan), why tip their hand? Haven’t they read Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, chiefly thatall warfare is based on deception? Why telegraph your moves before you make them? I think the question is answered with the sober realization that the US is on its way down, and although we may not recognize it, other nations have. I think we are seeingthe same level of respect now from Russia and China that the Germans showed the British between the 1930s and 1940s. Ironically, instead of a Neville Chamberlain, we have a Joseph Biden. So perhaps the question regarding China and Russia’s telegraphed actionsisn’t why now, but rather, why not? Now, this article is by no means giving an excuse for what Putin has done in Ukraine, or what China plans to do in Taiwan, but if we are looking at provocations as objectivelyas possible, then the street goes both ways. As far as autocratic threats, has the West taken a good hard look in the mirror to see how it’s handled the draconian pandemic response, its medical mandates, and increasingly Orwellian censorship of free speechand assembly? Assessment In 1910, Angell wrote a book titled “The Great Illusion.” In it, he wrote that industrialization, modernization, and capitalism disincentivized war between modern westernnation-states. He reasoned that because the cost of war was too high, thus unprofitable, war was unlikely to ever happen again. Even the periodical of note at that time, the Economist, was smitten. In 1913, they heralded, “War Becomes Impossible in CivilizedWorld.” However, by June of 1914, the world would be engulfed in its First World War. The theory championed then by Angell was similar to the one we hear being bantered around today. There has never been a war between two countries with a McDonald’s in them.Nonsense. As a matter of record, there are 60 McDonald’s franchises in Ukraine, and 847 in Russia. Somehow, the sway of the “Golden Arches” was not enough to quell the expansionist desires of one Vladimir Putin any more than a single mcnugget would appeasethe hunger of a ravenous bear. Apologies upfront for the length of the quote, but I needed to set the context by quoting from this amazing 2014 article titled, “World War One: First war was impossible, then inevitable.” The real “Great Illusion,” of course, turned out to be the idea that economic self-interest made wars obsolete. Yet a variant of this naïve materialism has returned. Itunderlies, for example, the Western foreign policy that presents economic sanctions on Russia or Iran as a substitute for political compromise or military intervention. The truth, as the world discovered in 1914 and is re-discovering today in Ukraine, the Middle East and the China seas, is that economic interests are swept aside once thegenie of nationalist or religious militarism is released. As I pointed out in this column, Russia has in past conflicts withstood economic losses unimaginable to politicians and diplomats in the Western world -- and the same is true of Iran and China. Though historians continue to debate World War One’s proximate causes, two key destabilizing features of early 20th-century geopolitics created the necessary conditionsfor the sudden spiral into all-consuming conflict: the rise and fall of great powers, and the over-zealous observance of mutual-defense treaties. These features are now returning to destabilize geopolitics a century later… Today, Russia is a declining power and China is rising, while the United States is trying to maintain the 20th-century balance of power, with Europe and Japan as juniorpartners. Under these conditions, both rising and declining powers often conflict with nations currently in control… Rising and declining powers naturally tend to unite against the status quo leaders. In 1914, for example, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire did this againstFrance, Britain, and Russia; today it is logical for China and Russia to collaborate against the United States, the European Union, and Japan… …Which brings me to the clearest lesson from 1914: the pernicious nexus of treaties and alliances that commit great powers to fight on behalf of other countries. This turnedlocalized conflicts into regional or global wars -- and did so with terrifying speed and unpredictability… Consider this statement by General Sir Richard Shirreff, formerly NATO’s second most senior military officer at a debate about Russia: “Everyone surely agrees that we wouldbe ready to go to war to defend Britain’s borders. Well, as a NATO member, Britain’s borders are now in Latvia.” It may seem almost impossible that Washington would go to war against Beijing to defend some uninhabited Japanese islands. Or against Moscow over some decrepit mining townsin Donbas, if Ukraine ever joined NATO. In early 1914, though, it seemed almost impossible that Britain and France would go to war with Germany to defend Russia against Austria-Hungary over a dispute with Serbia. Yet by June 28, war moved straight from impossibleto inevitable -- without ever passing through improbable. Four years later, 10 million people had died. (my emphasis) A century ago (to the year) after the Bolsheviks officially cut ties with their Tsarist past, a dying Vladimir Lenin handpicks Josef Stalin to be the new secretary-generalof the Bolshevik party. He would go on to become one of, if not, the greatest tyrants of the twentieth century. Here again, a century later, we see the shadowy pretenses come off as another Vladimir (Putin) removes all pretenses of going along to get along.The era of coexistence between the East (Russia and China) and the increasingly globalist-west, is over. The Timeline to Conflict (Abbreviated) Author’s note: For the sake of brevity, if the leader’s titlesays “Pro-NATO” assume significant cooperation and progress towards NATO membership. Pro-Russian, then a pulling away from the west towards Russia •1991: Collapse of the Soviet Union •1991-94: Presidency of Leonid Kravchuk (1991-94) NATO relations were formally established in 1992 when Ukraine joined the North Atlantic CooperationCouncil after regaining its independence (this was later renamed the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council) •1994: Ukraine was the first post-soviet country to conclude a framework agreement with NATO in the framework of the Partnership for Peace •1994-2005: Presidency of Leonid Kuchma (Pro-NATO) •2004: Orange Revolution (this was caused by massive election fraud and corruption for pro-Russian presidential candidate-Yanukovych). Election overturned,re-voted, and Yushchenko elected •2005-10: Presidency of Viktor Yushchenko (Pro-NATO) •2008: Russia invades Georgia, creates to pro-Russian quasi-states •2010-14: Presidency of Viktor Yanukovych (Pro-Russian) • -fled to Russia amid the Euromaidan uprising in Feb 2014 •2014: Euromaidanuprising (Dec 2013-Feb 2014) •2014: (August) Russia invades and takes over Crimea •2014-19: The Interim Yatseniuk Government takes over •2014-19: Presidency of Petro Poroshenko (Pro-NATO) •2018: NATO added Ukraine in the list of NATO aspiring members •2019: Presidency of Volodymyr Zelensky (Pro-NATO) •On 14 September 2020, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky approved Ukraine's new National Security Strategy, "which provides for the developmentof the distinctive partnership with NATO with the aim of membership in NATO." •2021: (April) Russia begins buildup of troops on Russian-Ukraine border •2022: (Feb 24) Russia begins an invasion of Ukraine from three sides (East, North, and South) Motivations Russia: So what was the straw that broke the Russian camel’s back? Aside from the unceasing push of NATO eastward, and the relentless wooing of the West to Ukraine, it wouldseem it was President Zelensky’s unabashed intentions to join NATO. But national security concerns aside, the two underlying reasons behind the why of Putin’s obsession with Ukraine are these in order of precedence: 1. Reuniting Ukraine back into the Russian sphere of controland influence (i.e. Alexandr Dugin’s Fourth Political Theory of a greater Russian Eurasia) 2. Ukraine, and more importantly, Kyiv, holds religious andhistorical importance to Russia and the Eastern Orthodox faith, which means they are equally important to Putin 3. Keeping EU dependent upon Russia for energy (natural gas) 4. Russian influence domination of the Middle East Ukraine: Clearly, western Ukraine’s motivation for NATO membershipis collective protection from the West. Zelensky, and other pro-NATO president’s don’t want what happened to Georgia, to happen to them. Thus, they have played the over-eager candidate to an uninterested suitor all these years. The motivation from the Westwould be to hold off on Ukraine membership for another 20-25 years if possible. Ukraine carries with it a lot of baggage in the form of political and economic corruption, contested territories (Donbas Region) in the east, and a guaranteed war should they beaccepted into NATO. This is something the rest of NATO is willing to take on at the present. United States: The US motivation is to weaken Russia’s influencein Europe, primarily in the way of energy dependence. Nordstream 1 provides somewhere around 40% of Europe’s energy (natural gas) needs. Nordstream 2 pipeline would have provided another 40%, making 80% of Europe’s energy imports dependent upon good to fairrelations with Russia. That was an unacceptable proposition for the Americans from Obama to Biden. China: The People’s Republic of China, like Russia, are tiredof the West running the world. For them, this is their century to dominate and feel like they are on the cusp to take it. From their belt and road initiative (BRI), to their stratospheric buildup of science and military, they are (as of 2015) considered anear-peer threat to US hegemony. They study history and know that just as all the European powers rose and fell, America is in decline and we are funding (through imports) their ascendancy. Financially speaking, the US could do little to hurt China. However,China has its own existential problems, like the massive gender imbalance in the population (male to female), aging populations, shady financials, non-existent transparency, and weakening markets in the west. The West: The western world has largely decided to boycott and ban any dealings with Russia. International corporate giants like Nike and Apple have also genuflected a standingaway from any dealings with Russia. This author is curious to know if these same companies will remain true to their convictions when China takes over Taiwan. Furthermore, with Russia siding with them, it’s likely our sanctions won’t hurt the Russians either.The priorities for the West largely lie with windmill threats (think Don Quixote) like man-caused climate change, social justice, white supremacy, and a million other politically correct issues. With a weak US president at the head of Western Civilization,and an aging military incapable of sustaining two major simultaneous conflicts, along with a host of European boutique-armies, the Chinese, Russians, and Iranians realize that now is the time to strike. Globalists: For those dedicated New World Order types like theRockefellers, Obamas, Clintons, Bushs', Rothschilds, Soros, World Economic Forum devotees, Bilderbergers, Club of Rome, etc., this current crisis is the best of all possible scenarios. This is just a theory, so I'm not wholly wedded to it, but it seems plausibleto say the least. If I were an NWO type, and I needed American subservient, and the two other global malcontents either neutralized or substantially weakened, I would just pit the three against each other and watch them destroy themselves. Sounds like theplot right out of the movie, The Sum of All Fears. Macro View Even more than the above-mentioned motivations is the question of global dominance between post-nationalist entities like Russia and China, and the globalists. The Westwants to usher in the “Great Reset” and the United Nation’s Agenda 2030, but Russia and China are having none of it. That is why George Soros recently turned against China in a very public way, and why the World Economic Forum is solidly standing behind Ukraineand Zelensky. There are two visions for the way ahead according to the world. There is the coming global government, and the multi-polar super-states with Russia and China at the helm.At least, that is the way men like Putin and Xi Jinping see it. For them, this is the World War I moment, except, they have all the momentum behind them. They see the US in decline and are beginning to make their moves to accelerate that decline. They know the US Dollar (the world’s current global reserve currency) is on the outs, and they are trying to stay ahead of the curve. They are minimizing their ties anddebt to the dollar, and are ready to bring online their own Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC) to take the place as the global reserve currency. Conclusion History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes. Mark Twain The great illusion isn’t that the economies drive peace, or that the US is in control (it isn’t and we aren’t). The great illusion is not economical or even geopolitical.It’s the biblically derived conclusion that unredeemed men think they are running world affairs. Regardless of whether you are an Egyptian Pharaoh, Babylonian King, Roman Caesar, US President, or global dictator, man does not control anything, but God. Hesets the boundaries and the times for which nations rise and fall, not we mere mortals. According to Scripture, there are two major wars left to happen. The first is the Gog-Magog War, and the second is the Armageddon Campaign. I tend to side with the AndyWoods Version of the players and actors in Gog-Magog, which means, Rosh (proper noun) means Russia, Magog (the nations formerly aligned under the Soviet Union) as well as the African, Turkish, Persian, and Asian cohorts joining in on the invasion. And thesedo so with no one to stop them. If you haven't watched the below teaching by Dr. Andy Woods, please do so. It provides an excellent, biblically-based, well-balanced teaching on Ezekiel 38-39. WATCH: https://youtu.be/dEmQvaESzxI Although the EastMed Pipeline Project is suspended, for now, it is my understanding that somehow this pipeline project eventually comes to fruition. It will begin shippingEurope's energy needs from the Israeli Levant Basin through Cyprus, to Greece, and into southern Europe will come to supplant the defunct Nordstream pipelines. This, along with Israel's tactical strikes against the Iranian nuclear project will certainly beenough cause to turn Russia’s ire to the south. They will turn their focus against Israel, and they will find no shortage of Israeli enemies that will join in the fracas, only to find out, that they are no match for God’s divine providence. This brings the question back to my original point of why we are seeing what we are seeing with regards to Russia and China. The question really boils down to either whynow or why not? I’ve always subscribed to the idea that given the exceptional nature of our nation's existence, the US collapse at the Rapture of the Church is what triggers the global order to be overthrown in the blink of an eye. And I still believe that.However, if what I said is true with regards to the nations today, then our day of redemption must be all the sooner. Because in Ezekiel 38-39, God's focus is not on the Church (where it is today), but back on this covenanted land and people, to whom He owes,seven final years. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; Acts 17:26-27 VISIT: PROPHECY WATCHER WEEKLY NEWS: HTTP://PROPHECY-WATCHER-WEEKLY-NEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM -------------------- China, Taiwan, and Bible Prophecy - by Terry James - https://terryjamesprophecyline.com/2022/03/07/china-taiwan-and-bible-prophecy/ A number of questions have come in with the worry over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s Vladimir Putin seems to be in the process of fulfilling the Gog-Magog prophecyin the opinion of some of those among whom have sent emails, etc. Of particular interest in this regard is Russia’s sending the warning to Israel that Russia no longer considers the Golan, etc., to be Israel’s sovereign territory. i.e.,apparently, it’s now open for Russia’s taking it over because of Israel’s dealings with Syria in some perceived unjust way. Putin took unkindly to Israel saying they supported the Ukrainian people in opposing Russia’s assault on their nation. During all this perhaps stage-setting for the Gog-Magog attack of Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39, another powerful player of prophetic dimension is starkly in view. The developmentsin the regions east of the Euphrates, the oriental world, are indeed worth delving into in terms of likely prophetic progression. I refer to the matter of the persistent probing into Taiwan’s air space with military jets. The actions are intended not only to intimidate but to see just how not onlyTaiwan itself but how the western powers – particularly the U.S. – will react and respond. Of course, China is the culprit in all this. Taiwan’s monstrous neighbor, under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP,) has had for many years a festering hatredfor that democratic republic just miles off China’s coast. They are now making that hatred manifest for the world to see. Vladimir Putin’s daring invasion of Ukraine has, without a doubt, given China’s despot, Xi Jinping, the evidence he needs that confirms America’s weakness of leadership.The current presidential administration’s perceived inability to deal with Putin and his aggression with military action or even with other effective means to deter Russian incursion have no doubt caused Xi Jinping to become more aggressive by the day in probingTaiwan’s vulnerability. The buildup of China’s aggressiveness has been coming more clearly into the picture of events shaping for prophetic fulfillment for several years of late. The building ofartificial islands in the South China Sea, for example, has been part of this buildup. They have thus challenged navies and anyone other who passes through that sea, even though that is legally, in terms of maritime law, open waters for movement of ships fromaround the world. China has proclaimed it as its sovereign waters and has threatened military action even against U.S. naval ships. So among the questions I’ve gotten through email and in personal conversations as well as on TV and radio interviews is: “Do you think China will attack Taiwan and takeit over?” People who are well-versed in Bible prophecy already can see the proverbial handwriting on the wall when it comes to Russia. They are fairly certain the Russian actions,with their taking of Ukraine (or at least parts of it at this point), is a sure signal that it might be all setting up the Gog-Magog assault at some point. Russia’s aforementioned threatening of Israel, denying the Jewish state’s sovereignty in the matterof the Golan, strongly adds to the evidence that the Gog-Magog attack must be somewhere in the not-too-distant future. But China is another matter. The questions concerning its intentions, etc., are not issued with any certainty that they see potential prophetic fulfillment within the mattersinvolved. “Will China attack and take over Taiwan?” The question has been ruminating within the aging gray matter and within my spiritual neurons that want to know, too. Here is my assessment, or at least my best epiphany, if that’s the correct term. I do believe that because of this American presidential administration’s weak actions and reactions to most everything that involves aggression, China will decide to takeTaiwan. If they wait until the midterm elections in this nation, they will face much stronger opposition if, as expected, there is a complete rout of the Democrat Party, particularly in the House of Representatives. If they await the presidential election of 2024, their prospects for successfully taking the Taiwan island-state without use of nuclear weapons might be even more greatlydiminished. Bible prophecy tells of the massive force of 200 million troops that will cross the dried-up Euphrates River at the end of the Tribulation period. This force is called thekings of the east. I have always believed that China, who now can easily put together that size force, joined by all the other “kings of the east” in that oriental part of the world, will be the lead nation in the demonically-possessed horde. I believe thatChina will be the King of the kings of the east in that attack that will kill one-third of people on earth. If this generation is at the very end of the Church Age (Age of Grace) – as many of us believe the world is – all prophetic progression must soon come together in preparationfor the wind-up of history this side of the Tribulation and the Triumphant Return of Christ. Just as the Gog-Magog forces seem to be coming together at present, so, too, the things in the oriental world must be coming together. China, by bringing Taiwan into its hegemonic embrace, is almost a certainty in firming up the kings of the east assault force. Xi Jinping, or whomever is the Chinese leader,will soon be bringing all of those oriental nations that are now independent, sovereign countries into their orb through whatsoever means necessary. I don’t believe those means will be nuclear – at least not this side of the Rapture of the Church. That would throw the world into configuration other than prophesied bythe Lord Jesus as recorded in Matthew 24:36-42 and Luke 17:26-30. It would not be business as usual if there were nuclear exchanges all over the world, or, I believe, even on a limited basis. No matter the way things will play out within the near term, the God of Heaven is in complete Control. We can be absolutely certain of that Truth. And He will take Christ’sBride, the Church, out of this doomed world because of its rebelliousness before His Wrath must fall. Here again is how to avoid that coming Judgment and Wrath. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heartman believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10: 9-10). ---------------------------- Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine – Todd Strandberg - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ When the USSR fell apart in 1992, the nation of Ukraine found itself in possession of thousands of nuclear weapons. To prevent these weapons from falling into the handsof terrorists, an agreement was arranged that all former Soviet states would hand their nuclear material over to Russia for safekeeping. Back in 1994, Ukraine decided to give up those weapons in exchange for the U.S., U.K., and Russia guaranteeing the country’ssecurity. The agreement is known as the Budapest Memorandum. Today, Ukraine’s leaders probably think they should have held on to a few nuclear missiles. The threat to Ukraine from Russia is not something that just recently popped up. Vladimir Putin has amassed more than 150,000 Russian troops at the Russian border of Ukrainesince last year. The build-up began on the 90th day of Biden’s presidency, and no one was really paying attention. There was no alarm at the State Department when Putin had no compunction about stating that Ukraine should not exist at all. Putin’s strategy is reminiscent of Hitler taking over the Sudetenland. Hitler was worried sick about Germans that lived in areas of Czechoslovakia. They were being pursuedby the evil Czechs, and he demanded they become part of Germany. Within months, all of Czechoslovakia fell under Hitler’s control. Putin has already taken over Ukraine territory in the 2014 Crimea invasion. The Republic of Crimea declared its independence from Ukraine following a disputed referendum,and then Russian Troops moved in. The fighting is not going well for the Russian side. Many of the Russian troops appear to be poorly trained. Some captured soldiers said they were never told they were goingto invade another country. By Western standards, things look bad for Putin, but I see him using the same tactics he used to win against Islamic groups in Syria. He will just keep bombing until there is nothing left standing. If he loses 10,000 troops, soldiers,it won’t matter to him one bit. The fighting has done wonders to unify NATO. Member nations are having a let’s arm Ukraine party. The Dutch government is sending rocket launchers for air defense. The Estoniansare sending Javelin antitank missiles. The Poles and the Latvians are sending Stinger surface-to-air missiles. The Czechs are sending machine guns, sniper rifles, pistols, and ammunition. And Germany, long allergic to sending weapons into conflict zones, is sending Stingers as well as other shoulder-launched rockets. Germany has also decided to vastly increaseits military budget, which oddly enough was reduced to near zero after their defeat in World War I and II. Hey, I guess you can’t have WW III without Germany. Since we don’t want to get into a nuclear war with Russia, sanctions are the preferred weapon against Putin. In sanctions announced last week, the U.S. and its allies arealso targeting “technology exports” in the oil refining sector, which they say could help the U.S. move toward its goal of “degrading Russia’s status as a leading energy supplier over time.” Money accounts by Putin and his thug underlings have been lockedup. Many companies are taking their own action. Nike and Apple closed their online stores in Russia. The world’s biggest shipping lines, MSC and Maersk, suspended containershipping to and from Russia. Airplane giants Boeing and Airbus have both stopped supplying parts and support to Russian airlines. Many booze shops have stopped selling Russian Vodka. Putin has a $650 billion cash hoard to help him weather the sanctions. He also knows that nations still need to buy his oil, which has soared 20% since he invaded Ukraine.Putin recently sold all of Russia’s U.S. bonds and has accumulated a large horde of gold. The willingness of Putin to evade Ukraine has to be related to Joe Biden’s presidency. He has watched the weakness of the deteriorating President. He watched America’s disastrouswithdrawal from Afghanistan last summer. After 20 years of war, Putin saw the U.S. abandon Afghanistan again to the Taliban – a withdrawal that made the Soviet retreat from the same country 30 years earlier lookorderly. Biden has not been on top of the Ukraine situation—any more than he has been on top of anything. Just last month, he seemed to be saying he would allow Russia to take a portion of Ukraine. Two days before Putin acted, Biden said Putin had decidedto invade its neighbor, which Putin obviously took as an open invitation. Former televangelist Pat Robertson came out of his retirement to weigh in on the situation. According to him, Vladimir Putin is being willed by God to conduct the invasionas a way of triggering the End Times. I always expect Pat’s theology to mess up, but in this case, I generally agree with him. Putin is the perfect match for the Gog leader. Ukraine may make Putin so isolated that he tries to change the game by launching anattack on Israel and being joined by a host of demonically inspired Muslim nations. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness inhigh places” (Ephesians 6:12). ---------------------------------- Gog, Magog, and Ukraine - By Hal Lindsey � www.hallindsey.com In a recent column entitled, �Rumors of War,� I explained why the Russian-led invasion of Israel detailed in Ezekiel 38 and 39 will include Ukraine. These passages givethe leader of this coalition the symbolic name, �Gog.� Could Putin be Gog? He sure could. Is he? We simply don�t know. Some believe that he is, and that the choice to go into Ukraine was not really his at all. They say God is �compelling� him. Ezekiel 38:4 speaks of God putting hooks inGog�s jaws to draw him into a war against Israel. But Ukraine is not Israel. God did not put hooks in Putin�s jaws, forcing him to attack Ukraine. Still, the prophetic significance of Russia�s move into Ukraine cannot be denied. And it does not end with the fact that Ukraine will join Russia as a part of the Ezekiel38 coalition. The war is also impelling Europe to arm itself. In recent years, at the urging of the United States, Europe�s NATO nations made token increases in their defense budgets. But they clearly preferred for US taxpayers to shoulder the cost of theirdefense. Putin changed that. Today, Europe is looking to arm itself. Previously neutral countries are suddenly hoping to join NATO. During the Cold War, Finland and Sweden were famouslynonaligned. Soviet atrocities were not enough to get them to stand with other western nations against the Soviet Union. But now, they see Putin as willing to attack any nonaligned, nonnuclear power. By joining NATO, they would instantly put themselves underthe protection of American, French, and British nukes. Putin�s action in Ukraine also puts pressure on the European Union to arm itself. The EU has always been an economic and political entity. For years, several key leadershave wanted to also make it a military power. Now, with Putin�s help, that idea has new momentum. A central command and control over all the armies of Europe would, in an instant, make the EU a global military power. The Bible says that such power will oneday be handed over to Antichrist. Despite �green new deal� politics, the real world still depends on fossil fuel. That fact looms large over Putin�s war. In recent years, we learned that Israel has an abundanceof natural gas. The Israel-to-Europe gas pipeline is scheduled for completion by the end of 2025. At that point, Israel becomes a major threat to Russia�s natural gas monopoly in Europe. That gives �Gog� a major incentive to one day attack Israel. Bible prophecy also speaks of economic instability (especially inflation) and a general atmosphere of chaos and fear in the last days. Those things were already happening,but they have been made dramatically worse by Putin�s war. We need to have compassion on those who are suffering. And we need to know that this war will almost certainly have a negative impact on the rest of us. But we also needto trust God with our lives. When we escape the fear that threatens to engulf us, it will give us space to see with awe the God who told us about these things thousands of years in advance. He told us about technology that would not be invented or even imagineduntil our generation. He told us about national alliances before the nations involved had even been founded. And He told us that in all these things, to rest in Him (Psalm 37:7). --------------------------------------------------------------- The Economic War Between The United States And Russia JustShifted Into Overdrive - by Michael Snyder - http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/the-economic-war-between-the-united-states-and-russia-just-shifted-into-overdrive/ Economic conflicts have a way of becoming shooting wars, and so we should all be deeply alarmed by what we are witnessing. With each passing day, authorities in the UnitedStates and authorities in Russia are imposing even more measures which are intended to punish the other side economically. Thankfully, our militaries are not shooting at one another yet, but an economic war has already started and it just shifted into overdrive. OnTuesday, Joe Biden announced that his administration has decided to ban all imports of Russian oil and natural gas� �Today I am announcing the United States is targeting the main artery of Russia�s economy. We�re banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy,� Biden said at theWhite House. �That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at U.S. ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin�s war machine.� About the same time, the government in the UK also announced that it will be banning Russian oil� The U.K. government will ban all imports of Russian oil, its latest sanctions move against Vladimir Putin�s administration over the war in Ukraine. The measure � taken in concert with the U.S. � will be phased in over the rest of 2022, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said. The ban applies to refined products suchas diesel � which the U.K. relies on Russia for about a third of its imports. It won�t apply to natural gas. Will these moves hurt the Russians? To a certain extent. The rest of Europe has not joined the U.S. and the UK in this boycott yet, and Russia will always be able to sell massive quantities of oil and natural gas to China. In response to this latest move, Vladimir Putin signed an order which will ban the export of certain raw materials� Within hours of Joe Biden announcing a far-reaching ban on all US imports of Russian oil � while warning Americans that gas prices are about to �go up further� � VladimirPutin is reported to have signed his own counter-measure decree. Russia�s RIA news agency is reporting that the new decree blocks all exports and raw materials from Russia �of certain materials� � with state media reports noting the specificlist will be made public in two days. We will have to wait and see what specifically will be on that list, but I have a feeling that it will definitely include nickel. On Tuesday, trading of nickel was suspended after it suddenly more than doubled in price� The London Metal Exchange on Tuesday suspended the trading of nickel after prices more than doubled to surpass $100,000 per metric ton. The LME said in a statement that trading will be suspended for at least the remainder of the day. A global shortage of nickel is going to severely hurt industries all over the planet. And of course Russia could decide to cut off all oil and natural gas exports to the western world as well. If that happens, natural gas prices in Europe would soar to catastrophiclevels, and the Russians are warning that we could eventually see the price of oil reach $300 per barrel� Russia has threatened to close a major gas pipeline to Germany and warned of $300 oil prices if the West goes ahead with a ban on its energy exports. �It is absolutely clear that a rejection of Russian oil would lead to catastrophic consequences for the global market,� Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak saidMonday in an address on state television. �The surge in prices would be unpredictable. It would be $300 per barrel if not more.� Unfortunately, we are not talking about a short-term crisis. Western powers are never going to forgive Russia, and Russia is never going to forgive the western powers. So a lot of the moves that are being implemented now are likelyto be permanent. And that is truly a nightmare scenario. Right now, many Americans are complaining about the rising price of gasoline. On Tuesday, it hit another brand new record high� After rising dramatically following Russia�s invasion of Ukraine, the price of gas has reached a new record, topping an all-time high that stood for nearly 14 years. As of Tuesday morning, the average national price for a gallon of regular gasoline touched $4.17, according to AAA, the highest price ever, not accounting for inflation.That was up from $4.07 on Monday and $3.61 a week earlier. But this is just the beginning. Not too long from now, $4.17 for a gallon of gasoline will look like a rip-roaring bargain. Needless to say, higher gasoline prices are going to be very painful for average American families that are just trying to survive from month to month. According to YardeniResearch, the average household �will spend an additional $2,000 per year in gasoline on top of an extra $1,000 in food expenses� in 2022� The latest research note from Yardeni Research estimates the average household will spend an additional $2,000 per year in gasoline on top of an extra $1,000 in food expenses.Adding this all up, the typical household will spend $3,000 less this year on other things. Ouch. Speaking of food, the war in Ukraine has absolutely paralyzed shipping in the Black Sea, and it has essentially resulted in �a shutdown of the world�s second-largest grainexporting region�� The war in Ukraine has severely hobbled shipping in the Black Sea, with broad consequences for international transport and global supply chains. Dozens of cargo ships arestranded at the Ukrainian port of Mykolaiv, shipping trackers said. An estimated 3,500 sailors have been stuck on some 200 ships at Ukrainian ports, according to London-based shipping tracker Windward Ltd. More ships are stranded around the globe than at anypoint since World War II, maritime historians said. The result is a shutdown of the world�s second-largest grain exporting region. Ukraine accounts for 16% of global corn exports, and together with Russia, 30% of wheat exports. As I have explained to my readers many times, we struggle to feed the entire planet even in the best of years, and this is definitely not going to be one of the best ofyears. Global hunger was rapidly spreading even before we got to 2022, and Time Magazine is reporting that the price of wheat has risen by a whopping 70 percent over the past fewmonths� The war has already driven wheat prices 70% higher in Chicago this year and is threatening to upend global food trade. Russia and Ukraine are vital suppliers of grains,vegetable oil and fertilizers, which means that supply disruptions will be felt all over the world. Wheat prices have surpassed levels last seen during the 2008 global food crisis�which helped spark widespread protests�and a United Nations index of food priceshit a record in February. What we are witnessing is going to have a devastating impact all over the planet. For example, Egypt imports more wheat than anyone else in the world, and they normally get almost all of it from Russia and Ukraine� Egypt � the world�s largest wheat importer � gets roughly 60% of its wheat from Russia and 25% from Ukraine, JPMorgan analysts wrote in a research note last week. So what is Egypt going to do now? Meanwhile, the price of fertilizer continues to soar to unprecedented heights, and experts are assuring us that a �global food crisis� is dead ahead� �Half the world�s population gets food as a result of fertilizers� and if that�s removed from the field for some crops, [the yield] will drop by 50%,� Svein Tore Holsether, head of agri company Yara International, told theBBC. Known as �the breadbasket of Europe,� Russia and Ukraine export around a quarter of the world�s wheat and half of its sunflower products, such as seeds and oil. �For me, it�s not whether we are moving into a global food crisis � it�s how large the crisis will be,� said Holsether, noting that increasing gas prices were causing a steep rise in the cost of fertilizer. I wish that I could get everyone to understand how serious this is. The global food crisis that you have been hearing about for years has now arrived, and the poorest areas of the planet are going to be hit the hardest. This war in Ukraine could have been avoided so easily, but there is no turning back the clock now. A chain of events has started that nobody is going to be able to stop, and things that were once considered unthinkable will soon become commonplace. ----------------------- Gog,Magog, and Ukraine By Hal Lindsey In a recent column entitled, �Rumors of War,� I explained why the Russian-led invasion of Israel detailed in Ezekiel 38 and 39 will include Ukraine. These passages give the leader of this coalition the symbolic name, �Gog.� Could Putin be Gog? He sure could. Is he? We simply don�t know. Some believe that he is, and that the choice to go into Ukraine was not really his at all. They say God is �compelling� him. Ezekiel 38:4 speaks of God putting hooks in Gog�s jaws to draw him into a war against Israel. ButUkraine is not Israel. God did not put hooks in Putin�s jaws, forcing him to attack Ukraine. Still, the prophetic significance of Russia�s move into Ukraine cannot be denied. And it does not end with the fact that Ukraine will join Russia as a part of the Ezekiel 38 coalition. The war is also impelling Europe toarm itself. In recent years, at the urging of the United States, Europe�s NATO nations made token increases in their defense budgets. But they clearly preferred for US taxpayers to shoulder the cost of their defense. Putin changed that. Today, Europe is looking to arm itself. Previously neutral countries are suddenly hoping to join NATO. During the Cold War, Finland and Sweden were famously nonaligned. Soviet atrocities were not enoughto get them to stand with other western nations against the Soviet Union. But now, they see Putin as willing to attack any nonaligned, nonnuclear power. By joining NATO, they would instantly put themselves under the protection of American, French, and Britishnukes. Putin�s action in Ukraine also puts pressure on the European Union to arm itself. The EU has always been an economic and political entity. For years, several key leaders have wanted to also make it a military power. Now,with Putin�s help, that idea has new momentum. A central command and control over all the armies of Europe would, in an instant, make the EU a global military power. The Bible says that such power will one day be handed over to Antichrist. Despite �green new deal� politics, the real world still depends on fossil fuel. That fact looms large over Putin�s war. In recent years, we learned that Israel has an abundance of natural gas. The Israel-to-Europe gas pipelineis scheduled for completion by the end of 2025. At that point, Israel becomes a major threat to Russia�s natural gas monopoly in Europe. That gives �Gog� a major incentive to one day attack Israel. Bible prophecy also speaks of economic instability (especially inflation) and a general atmosphere of chaos and fear in the last days. Those things were already happening, but they have been made dramatically worse by Putin�swar. We need to have compassion on those who are suffering. And we need to know that this war will almost certainly have a negative impact on the rest of us. But we also need to trust God with our lives. When we escape the fearthat threatens to engulf us, it will give us space to see with awe the God who told us about these things thousands of years in advance. He told us about technology that would not be invented or even imagined until our generation. He told us about nationalalliances before the nations involved had even been founded. And He told us that in all these things, to rest in Him (Psalm 37:7). -------------------- What�s Next? � Randy Nettles - https://www.rev310.net/post/what-s-next What�s next on God�s prophetic timeline? With Russia on the move in Ukraine, many see The Gog-Magog war of Ezekiel 38-39 as the next piece of the biblical puzzle to be revealed.Others see the Rapture of the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17) to be the next prophecy to be fulfilled. Still, others, who don�t believe in the pre-Tribulation Rapture, believe the appearing of the anti-Christ is imminent (Daniel 9:27 & Revelation 13). Whileall these prophecies are in sight, I believe the next major biblical event to be fulfilled is the prophecy found in Isaiah 17, the destruction of Damascus, Syria. �Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. The citiesof Aroer are forsaken; they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid� (Isaiah 17:1-2). Isaiah 17 is titled �A Proclamation against Syria and Israel� in the Bible. Both Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel were defeated by Assyria in the 8th century BC.However, Damascus was never destroyed to the extent where it was no longer a city and became a �ruinous heap.� In fact, Damascus makes the claim of being the world�s oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Therefore, Isaiah 17:1-2 awaits a futurefulfillment. It�s interesting to note that the Hebrew gematria for Damascus Syria equals 999. The number 9 represents judgment or finality and appears to be especially harsh for theJews. Here are a few examples: �In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes� (2 Kings 17:6). �In the ninthyear of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and they besieged it� (Jeremiah 39:1). �In the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so thatthere was no bread for the people of the land� (Jeremiah 52:6). �About the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?� (Matthew 27:46). There have been eight tragic events for the Jewish people that have occurred throughout history on the 9th day of Av, (5th month on the Jewish calendar) known as Tisha B�Av.It has become known as a day of fast or mourning. See: https://www.raptureready.com/2019/07/14/dog-days-of-summer-randy-nettles/. Most scholars believe Israel will be the cause of Damascus� demise in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack by Bashar Al-Assad, tyrant of Syria; or Putin could do it and blame it on Assad or Hezbollah. It would be ironic (but not for God) if the chemicalattack against Israel and the destruction of Damascus, Syria (by the military might of the modern nation of Israel) happened on the 9th day of Av. That would make the 9th tragic event that occurred on the 9th day of Av in the history of Israel. The theory is that Saddam Hussein, tyrant of Baghdad Iraq, did in fact have huge stockpiles of chemical weapons all along, but they were never found because he secretlysmuggled them into Syria days before the 2003 invasion of Iraq. If Syria were to use weapons of mass destruction, such as chemical weapons, against the Jewish people, Israel would respond with their own W.O.M.D such as a tactical or neutron bomb. A weaponof this magnitude could certainly cause Damascus to cease being a city, thus fulfilling Isaiah 17:1. There have been increasing military activities in and around Damascus as of late. Hezbollah and Iranian forces are turning an old military base south of Damascus into adrone training and operations center to protect from Israeli airstrikes, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Could these drones be used for offensive weapons to deliver their payload of chemical weapons against the Jewish people? If Israel were to destroy Damascus it would certainly infuriate Russia and Iran and greatly obstruct their military and strategic goals. It is also possible Israel willattack Iran�s nuclear facilities before they can produce a nuclear bomb which will be used against the Jews. �With JCPOA restrictions in place the United States estimated in 2015 that it would take Iran 12 months to produce enough nuclear fuel for a bomb shouldit decide to abandon the deal and seek a workable weapon. Today that estimate has shrunk to about one month as Tehran has installed more centrifuges in its nuclear centers, enriched uranium of a far higher quality than allowed under the original nuclear pactand restrained international inspectors� access to Iranian nuclear facilities.� {2} These military actions by Israel against Syria and Iran could be the fuse that ignites the Gog-Magog war. It will be the excuse that Russia and its coalition will use toinvade Israel �to take plunder and to take booty� (oil and gas reserves, minerals, etc.) as Ezekiel describes in Ezekiel 38:12-13. According to Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, in his book The Footsteps of the Messiah, the nations that comprise this coalition are: 1.Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal � Russia and includes parts of Iran and Turkey 2.Persia � Iran 3.Cush � Ethiopia 4.Put � Somali 5.Gomer � Germany 6.Togarmah � Armenia/Turkey 7.Many peoples with you *Note:Not a single Arab nation participates in this invasion for some reason. While some of the nations listed are Moslem, they are not Arab. Gog could be the title of the ruler of the coalition, such as Kaiser or czar, and not his name. Some have even suggested Gog is the name of a demonic prince of Rosh, Meshech,and Tubal; like the demon prince of the kingdom of Persia that withstood the angel (for 21 days) sent to Daniel before Michael the prince of the kingdom of Israel helped him (Daniel 10:13,20). �For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities,against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places� (Ephesians 6:12). Regarding where this invasion originates from, God tells Ezekiel to prophesy and say to Gog, �Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peopleswith you� (Ezekiel 38:15). However, the American Bible Revised Edition Version says, �leaving your base in the recesses of Zaphon, you and many nations with you.� Also in chapter 39, the word/name Zaphon is also substituted for the far north. �I will turnyou around, even though I urged you on and brought you up from the recesses of Zaphon and let you attack the mountains of Israel. 10 times the word Zaphon is used in the Old Testament by the American Bible Revised Edition Version. Zaphon is basically a mountainon the Syrian-Turkish border near what used to be the port city of Ugarit. It is now called Mount Aqraa or Jabal al-Aqraa, and Mount Casius to the Greeks. The Canaanites in the region believed it was where the storm god Baal-Hadad lived. Zaphon became a metonymand then the word for the direction �north� in the Hebrew language. The port city of Ugarit was originally located near what is now Latakia, Syria. Latakia has recently been the target of two Israeli air raids in the month of December 2021.Recently Russia has been deploying large troops to this important port city on the Mediterranean Sea. It would certainly enrage Russia if Israel was to kill Russian troops by means of an airstrike in Latakia, Syria. �Currently, Damascus and Homs are beingprotected by Hezbollah and other Shiite militias. Holding this territory is essential for the regime, Hezbollah, and their Iranian backers. Meanwhile, Latakia represents less of strategic interest for Iran, as contrasted with Russia, which wants to maintaina presence along the coast more than in Damascus or the Golan Heights. As for the influx of Russian troops, they are needed to protect the city given the present weakness of Syrian forces. Russia is also fortifying its position along the southern Turkish border,with the ultimate goal of preventing Sunni Syrian forces from gaining access to the sea.� {1} Latakia, Syria could be the location from where Russia will amass its coalition and �hook-up� with Iranian, Turkish, and other military forces. Gog will then lead them totheir ill-fated journey towards Israel to start the Gog-Magog war. This invasion to take �booty� will not work out exactly the way Gog envisions, as it will go horribly awry. On that day of destiny, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will fight for the childrenof Israel when no other nation will. Of course, when God fights for you, no one else is needed. �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 thefire 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 onthe 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 swordwill 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 Myselfand sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord� (Ezekiel 38:18-23). For seven months the house of Israel will be burying the invaders, in order to cleanse the land. Indeed all the people of the land will be burying, and they will gain renownfor it on the day that the Lord God is glorified. I believe the Gog/Magog war of Ezekiel 38-39 takes place shortly after the Rapture of the Church, but before the seven-year Tribulation (aka Daniel�s 70th Week). However,if true, then it will occur at least three and a half years before the start of the Tribulation and seven years before the �in the midst� moment of the abomination of desolation as described in Matthew 24:15-22. This is because, according to Ezekiel, the Jewswould burn the weapons of the armies of the nations that attacked them for a period of seven years (Ezekiel 39:9-10). Simultaneous to and juxtaposed with this same period of time is the warning Jesus gives in His Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:15-17). Here, He warned that when they (thatgeneration) see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, they should flee to the mountains. He said that the Jews living in Israel should not waste time getting items out of their house, not even their clothes, but to flee for their lives.Now, if this is the case, then the Jews that are fleeing will not be bothering to burn weapons or continue doing any type of cleanup operations in a post-Magog War world. The weapons should have already been burned up by this time. I suppose it�s possible some of these weapons might be smuggled out of Israel before the abomination of desolation occurs and the Jews are hunted down by the anti-Christ.At this mid-point of the seven-year Tribulation, the remnant Jews will flee to the ancient rock fortress of Petra located in Bozrah, a region in southwest Jordan, where they will be supernaturally protected by God for 1260 days. If some of these weapons weretaken to Petra ahead of the A.O.D., they would probably be used as fuel instead of weapons of defense. In Grant R. Jeffrey�s book, Appointment with Destiny � Armageddon, he notes that many Russian weapons are manufactured using a material known as Lignostone. Prepared fromcompressed wood-product, this material was developed in Holland to be used as fuel. The Russians discovered that this uniquid substance was as hard as steel, and light and pliable, almost invisible to radar. These unique characteristics encouraged the Russianmilitary to utilize this material in many military vehicles and weapons. Lignostone burns at very high temperatures and can be readily used as an alternative fuel. Many scholars believe the Gog/Magog war will start on Kislev 24 of the Jewish calendar. Haggai describes this war in a very similar way that Ezekiel does with the Gog/Magogwar, with a massive earthquake and with the various peoples/nations fighting amongst themselves. Haggai even gives the date� the 24th day of the 9th month. Compare Haggai 2:18-22 with Ezekiel 38:18-22 (they even have the same numbered verses � 18-22). �Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the Lord�s temple was laid � consider it: Is theseed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you. And again the word of the Lord came to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month (9th), saying, Speakto Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying: I will shake heaven and earth. I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them; the horses and their riders shallcome down, every one by the sword of his brother� (Haggai 2:18-22). This invasion by Russia and the coalition of various nations, and the end result, is described not only in Ezekiel and Haggai but in the end verses of Isaiah 17 as well.Three Old Testament prophets/witnesses have prophesied about this war. Surely it will come to pass. The reason it is located at the end of the 17th chapter of Isaiah is because it takes place after the destruction of Damascus, Syria in the first part of thechapter. It is the excuse Russia and company will use to come against Israel and take plunder and booty. �Woe to the multitude of many people Who make a noise like the roar of the seas, And to the rushing of nations That make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters! The nations will rush like the rushing of many waters; But God will rebuke them and they will flee far away, And be chased like the chaff of the mountains before the wind, Like a rolling thing before the whirlwind. Then behold, at eventide, trouble! And before the morning, he is no more. This is the portion of those who plunder us, And the lot of those who rob us� ((Isaiah17:12-14). I am not dogmatic about the order of end-time prophecies, but I think the Isaiah 17 prophecy could be fulfilled shortly before the Rapture of the Church. Of course, theRapture is an imminent event that could occur anytime and doesn�t need anything to occur before it happens. I also believe the bombing of Iran�s nuclear facilities will happen at about the same time as the destruction of Damascus. Israel has vowed to neverallow Iran to have a nuclear weapon by whatever means is necessary. At this stage, the �means� mean military strikes on Iran�s nuclear facilities. The Gog/Magog war will occur soon after these earth-shattering events. After the Rapture (and maybe even before), the United States of America will no longer be a dominant world power. Russia will exert its military might (as it is doing now)even more in reclaiming lost territory that was part of the old Soviet Union until God puts hooks in the jaws of Gog and turns him (and his host) around towards Israel (Ezekiel 38:4). After the Gog/Magog war, Israel will once again enter into a covenant relationship with God, although they will still not accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah (for the mostpart). �I will set My glory among the nations; all the nations shall see My judgment which I have executed, and My hand which I have laid on them. So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day forward� (Ezekiel 39:21-22). TheJews will earnestly seek to build a third temple in Jerusalem at this point. The defeat of Russia, Iran, Turkey, Germany, and the other nations of Ezekiel 38-39 will leave a power vacuum amongst the nations of the world. The 10 kings/kingdoms/regionswill immediately fill this power vacuum and fill the void, becoming the dominant world power. Even China will become a part of this one world order. The anti-Christ will emerge soon after this and will eventually kill three of the ten rulers. The remainingseven kings will then give him their authority and he will become the king of the world. His evil reign will be short-lived, however, as it will only last for 3.5 years before the true King of the world, Jesus Christ, returns and �fires him.� �Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered to fight against the one riding the horse and against his army. The beast was caught and withit the false prophet who had performed in its sight the signs by which he led astray those who had accepted the mark of the beast and those who had worshiped its image. The two were thrown alive into the fiery pool burning with sulfur. The rest were killedby the sword that came out of the mouth of the one riding the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh� (Revelation 19:19-21). �It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God� (Hebrews 10:31). Amen, even so, come Lord Jesus! Randy Nettles nettlesr@suddenlink.net Endnotes: {1} www.washingtoninstitute.org � Latakia is Assad�s Achilles Heel by Fabrice Balanche {2} foreignpolicy.com � How Close is Iran to Getting a Nuclear Weapon by Colum Lynch -------------------- The West Declared Economic War On Russia, And Now Russia Is Striking Back In A Major Way- by Michael Snyder - http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/the-west-declared-economic-war-on-russia-and-now-russia-is-striking-back-in-a-major-way/ Did you think that the Russians were just going to sit back and take whatever economic sanctions that western powers decided to dish out? Of course the Russians were goingto strike back, and they definitely have the ability to cause quite a bit of pain. Unfortunately, economic wars have a way of becoming shooting wars, and if leaders on both sides continue to escalate matters we could soon cross a point of no return. As itis, relations between western governments and the Russians have totally broken down. The Russians are never going to forgive us, and western governments are never going to forgive them. So that means that many of the economic �punishments� that are now beingimplemented are likely to be permanent. Without a doubt, the sanctions that have been imposed on the Russians have done a lot of harm. The Russian ruble has collapsed, there have been extremely long lines at ATMmachines and banks, and economic activity inside the country has been greatly disrupted. But anyone that thought that we would get out of this unscathed was just being delusional. In recent days, a whole host of western corporations have announced that they are pulling out of Russia, and the Russians are now saying that they could simply seize allof their assets� Russia said it could seize the assets of Western companies that have suspended operations in the country. Dozens of American, European and Japanese companies from almost every sector of the economy have abandoned joint ventures, factories, stores and offices in the last twoweeks in response to Russia�s invasion of Ukraine and the ensuring sanctions. Over the past few decades, western corporations have built up an enormous presence in Russia, and now much of that could be taken away without any compensation at all. Ouch. The balance sheets of some companies are about to get �adjusted� in a major way. Do you think that their shareholders will feel good about achieving a �moral victory� even though it means losing so much shareholder value? Many major financial institutions in the western world are about to get hammered as well. According to CNN, very little of the $121,000,000,000 that Russian entities owe to western banks is likely to ever be repaid now that war has started� International banks are owed more than $121 billion by Russian entities, according to the Bank for International Settlements, which suspended Russia�s membership on Thursday.European banks have over $84 billion total claims, with France, Italy and Austria the most exposed, and US banks owed $14.7 billion. Goldman Sachs (GS) earlier disclosed that it had credit exposure to Russia of $650 million in December 2021. U.S. banks only stand to lose 14.7 billion dollars, and that will definitely hurt. But the amount of exposure that European banks have could potentially be absolutely devastating. The Russians are also hitting back by restricting exports. On Thursday, the Russian government released a list of over 200 different items which will not be allowed to beexported� �The list includes technical, telecommunication and medical equipment, vehicles, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment � more than 200 items in total, including railwaycars and locomotives, containers, turbines, metal and stone processing machines, monitors, projectors, consoles and panels,� the Kremlin statement says. �This measure is necessary to ensure stability in the Russian market.� A lot of the items on that list don�t really matter, but the fact that Russia has now decided to suspend fertilizer exports is a really, really big deal� On Thursday, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said Russia decided to suspend fertilizer exports. This comes when global food prices are at record highs,and European fertilizer makers are struggling to produce nutrients ahead of the spring growing season, increasing global food inflation risks. President Vladimir Putin said the fertilizer export ban was a move to ensure stable domestic food prices. This is another sign of growing protectionism worldwide as countriesgrapple with soaring food prices. Putin said fertilizer markets are deteriorating, making food a lot more expensive. In previous articles, I have explained that even before the war started some types of fertilizer had doubled in price, some had tripled in price and some had actually quadrupledin price. Now fertilizer prices are likely to soar even higher, because the Russians are a major player in the fertilizer industry� .. on the eve of the sowing season, European (& American) farmers are left w/t Russian fertilizers. RUS share in the world market is a little less than a 1/3 of the worldproduction of potash fertilizers, about 10% of nitrogen fertilizers & about 20% of complex fertilizers. This move is especially going to be painful for farmers in Europe. Without fertilizer from Ukraine or Russia, they are going to be facing a �supply shock� of epic proportions. We will also want to watch how Russian export restrictions affect the tech industry� Today, #Russia accounts for 80 % of the market for sapphire substrates � thin plates made of artificial stone, which are used in opto- & microelectronics to build up layersof various materials, such as silicon. They are used in every processor in the world � AMD & Intel are no exception. #Russia�s position is even stronger in special chip etching chemistry using ultra-clean components.RUS accounts for almost 100% of the world�s supply of some rare earth elements used for these purposes When I ran for Congress, developing U.S. sources of rare earth elements was a hot button issue for me. Sadly, not much progress has been made since that time. Today, the U.S. remains exceedingly dependent on foreign sources. China actually dominates the global market farmore than anyone else does, and so if we ever go to war with China we are going to be really, really hurting in this area. Before I end this article, I want to give an update on the price of gasoline. The average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States has now shot up to $4.31, and in Los Angeles some consumers are now paying nearly 8 dollars a gallon� Gas prices are now nudging $8-a-gallon in Los Angeles, with drivers forming lines at Costco pumps across the US to fill up ahead of potential further increases. Snaps taken at a Mobil gas station beside on the border of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood on Wednesday afternoon displayed eye-watering prices of $7.95 for premium gas. In this case, this is something that we have largely done to ourselves. Ever since he entered the White House, Joe Biden has pursued policies that have driven up the price of gasoline, and now the war has caused worldwide panic. Biden is trying to beg the Saudis to pump more oil, and he may be successful. But as I have repeatedly warned, the long-term outlook is exceedingly bleak. Gasoline prices will eventually go much higher than they are now. Food prices will eventually go much higher than they are now. And the shaking of our financial system has only just begun. The Biden administration wanted a showdown with the Russians, and now they have it. Unfortunately, their foolishness is going to cost all of us dearly. ----------------------------- The Czar Overplayed His Hand: Possibly Prophetic- By Dr. Donald Whitchard - https://www.raptureready.com/2022/03/09/the-czar-overplayed-his-hand-possibly-prophetic-by-dr-donald-whitchard/ A Possible Prophetic Series of Events This past February, I had the pleasure of being the guest preacher at Twin Oaks Baptist Church in Wagoner, Oklahoma. The first Sunday, I presented a message on the fourtypes of soil Jesus taught about in Mark 4:1-20. After that, I was at a loss as to what to preach for the remaining three weeks. I sought the LORD in prayer as to what to present, and I was impressed to speak on the events that are to occur in the future,such as the Rapture of the Church, the Judgment Seat of Christ, the Tribulation, the Second Coming of Christ with the saints, and the millennial reign and eternal state (John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation,Chapters 4:1-19:11-21; 20:11-15, Chapters 21 and 22). However, my plans changed when the news of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia occurred. I felt another impression from the LORD to preach on the Gog- Magog War of Ezekiel,Chapters 38-39 on Sunday, February 27th, and how Putin�s action may have started a possible prophetic chain reaction that could signal the final days and the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. I posted the possible series of events on my Facebook page and wrote them out as part of my sermon, which was supposed to be posted on Twin Oaks� Facebook page but somehowwas �blocked� afterward. I am convinced that sinister forces are trying to keep this and other Bible-based teachings, including the Gospel itself, away from the public. I want to share with you the possible list of upcoming events that might have been triggeredby the irrational actions of �Czar� Vladimir Putin. 1.Ukraine was the �breadbasket� for both the Russian Empire and the former Soviet Union. Seizing this country means control over the production anddistribution of grain products and other natural resources. Stalin had seized farms and crops from Ukraine almost a hundred years ago as punishment for not falling in line with the Communist system, and the people starved to death as a result. Putin coulddo the same and not only deprive Ukraine of food supplies but their European neighbors as well. You can�t put up resistance when you and your family are starving and under submission. 2.The seizure of Ukraine along with the Crimean Peninsula gives the Russian navy the necessary access to a warm water port and the establishment ofmilitary bases that would be close to Russia�s ally Turkey. Turkey�s leader, Recep Erdogan, would be more than willing to allow Putin�s forces to establish additional bases of operation near Istanbul, which has access to the Mediterranean Sea. 3.Although Turkey is a member of NATO, they are in turn hostile to the personnel and presence of the American Air Force Base at Incirlik. They cannotbe trusted or relied upon to mount any kind of defense or retaliation against Russia. Russia also has bases in Syria, a neighbor of Turkey. Russia, Turkey, Syria, and Iran � these nations all have one thing in common: they hate the Jewish people and the nationof Israel and want it to be destroyed. 4.Vladimir Putin openly declared on Russian state television that Israel must give up its claim on the strategically important Golan Heights and thatJerusalem and the �West Bank� are the property of the �Palestinians,� who operate the terrorist group Hamas to the south (Gaza Strip) and are allied with the Iranian terrorist group stationed in northern Lebanon (Hezbollah), both enemies of Israel. 5.Russian naval and military bases located in these areas pose a major threat to the American Navy�s Sixth Fleet, which patrols the Mediterranean Sea.Should Russian vessels mount an attack or threat, our armed forces would be at a severe disadvantage due to the numbers of personnel having been discharged from duty due to refusals to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Right now, our defense forces are at an all-timelow and at their weakest. We do not have the resources for any kind of successful retaliation should the Russian military engage in any activity. America does not have an adequate means to help Israel, and our present government is indifferent, if not hostile,toward Israel. 6.Russia has a monopoly on the production and distribution of natural gas to both Eastern and Western Europe. Therefore, any threat posed by NATO wouldbe of no use if the energy along with food supplies and trade is blocked by the actions of Putin. The United States has major deposits of natural gas and fuels, but they have been blocked by regulations imposed upon them by the current administration. Russiawill not allow any competition from America or anyone else to break his energy stranglehold on Europe as of now. 7.If America cannot intervene, Israel is an alternative source of natural gas that could be shipped to the European nations to thwart Putin�s pipelinesand singular distribution of energy. A major natural gas field was discovered in Israel several years ago with a total capacity of 20 billion cubic feet, more than enough to supply both them and any other nation with years of alternative energy sources andwould cut into Russia�s supply chain as well. 8.With a hatred for the Jews that goes back centuries in Russia, Putin sees Israel�s potential to ship their natural gas as a threat and makes it atarget for invasion and destruction. Israel will, in turn, defend itself against this action. This will be the chance Israel�s Arab neighbors will take to aid Russia and destroy their mutual enemy once and for all. Ezekiel 38 and 39 tell of the invasion of Israel by nations to the north (Rus) � Russia and the nations of Put (Libya), Persia (Iran), Togarmah (Turkey and the Islamic nationsthat made up southern Russia), along with Egypt, Cush (possibly Arabia or Sudan), Gomer, (possibly Germany with its rising antisemitism), and Ethiopia (the African Islamic nations). It could very well be that, in the coming months or sooner, these events mightfall into place that start with Putin�s war on Ukraine. Also, note that in Ezekiel 38 and 39, God Himself will destroy these nations with all His wrath. If this is the case, know that our redemption is indeed drawing near (Luke 21:28)! In all things, be ready. Be sure that you truly know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior(Romans 10:9-10) today. donaldwhitchard@gmail.com -------------------------------------------------- Play It Again Sam -by Bill Perkins - https://compass.org/play-it-again-sam/ All you see on the major news is how terrible Russia is. The major TV and newspapers are in unison crying foul while spreading fear into the hearts of Americans about Russiastarting a nuclear war. They're scaring the beejeebees out of so many people it wouldn't surprise me if we started seeing ads for backyard fallout shelters. But it it doesn't pass the sniff-test when all the networks and major newspapers are using the same phrases to condemn Russia. It makes you wonder if they're up to something. Haven't we heard this before?� I'm pretty sure if you take all the headlines from two years ago and insert "Russia" in place of "Covid," you have the latest fear-flaming tactics by the Globalists/Satanists. Yes, innocent people are suffering and dying in the Ukraine, which is always a heartbreak. Many are evangelical Christians and Jews trapped with no place to go.(5) As Believers we can never ignore or condone the tragic suffering of innocent people. But that makes it even more incumbent on us to seek to investigate and understand allthe factors that contribute to this war. Russia is trying to take back over the country they've dominated for decades. But just like in the United States, many of the Ukrainian leaders are politically and Satanically corrupt. Ask Hunter Biden who's been paid no telling how much for his influenceas the son of Joe Biden. Ukraine is home to huge sex trafficking operations. And it's being reported that there are numerous Big Pharma involved bio-labs scattered around the country.(4) The United States, James Baker, under Bush 1, promised Russia that NATO would not advance one inch past the western boundary of Ukraine. So much for State Department promises(ask the American Indians about government promises). But the main reason the Globalists/Satanists are mad at Russia is not because they're invading Ukraine. Like everything else going on, this is about control, world controlin the last days. Here's the dirty little secret you won't hear on the news� Russia refuses to be controlled by the New World Order. They created their monetary system to function outsidethe prying eyes of the world financial system controlled by Rothschild, Rockefeller, et al. The Globalists/Satanists can't have that! This fact was confirmed when Kira Rudik, a Ukrainian member of the Parliament, flatly stated on Fox News that the Ukrainian citizens are not only fighting Russia to savetheir country but also to "Save the New World Order."(1) It will be hard to put that cat back in the bag. The non-mainstream news is screaming about the silliness of making Russia the bad guy.(2) Another reason the news is cheering for Ukraine over Russia is because Ukraine is home to a lot of dirt on the Bidens, Clintons, Obamas, et al. These scumbags have used Ukraine as their personal piggy bank for a long time.I'm sure they felt it was time to pull the plug and drain the evidence. Finally, what could be better to get people's minds off Biden's failures than war with Russia! Being worried about a nuclear attack could get our minds off lots of things. Things like skyrocketing inflation; millions of illegals streaming across our borders; a trillion dollars in military equipment abandoned in Afghanistan; back to energydependence on the Middle East and Russia; the unchecked crime surge across America; va((ines that aren't working and instead are killing people; and the woking of our kids in public schools. Yes, Biden, Obama, Soros, Schwab, Gates, et al, need a war to cover their evil deeds. Mike Adams of Brighteon has been saying for months they want a war with Russia so theycan blame a U.S. cyber attack on Russia.(3) A cyber attack would conveniently take down all the alt-right communicators so they can 100% control the news. Don't think for a moment this isn't being considered. The ultimate goal of the Globalists/Satanists is to institute a new digital currency. That would give them ALL control. They'll eventually get there, but probably not before the Rapture. So between now and then, if nothing else, they want to keep the "fear" coming that the sky's falling.Hey, they used fear to lock down the entire planet so now they'll use it whenever they need to. Yep, this is indeed a rerun of the same ole song. The Globalists/Satanists are relentlessly moving forward with their quest for total world control, just as prophesied inthe Bible. It won't end well for them. But it will end very well for us. CQLJ! BP (1) https://leohohmann.com/2022/02/28/ukrainian-mp-we-are-not-only-fighting-for-ukraine-we-are-fighting-for-the-new-world-order/ (2) https://vladtepesblog.com/2022/03/01/a-different-view-of-the-ukraine-situation-from-the-point-of-view-of-a-russian-ukranian/ (The above has an F-bomb about half-way through) (3) https://www.brighteon.com/9bbe4b05-e399-4c8b-851c-5b4355500a14 (4) https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ukraine-orphanages-feeder_b_7344882 (5) https://www.jpost.com/christianworld/article-698210 -------------------------------------