WORLD EVENTS SWEEPING WORLD LEADERS TOWARD APOCALYPTIC CONFRONTATION WITH ISRAEL
Events Sweeping World Leaders Toward Apocalyptic Confrontation With Israel - By Bill Wilson, KIN Senior Analyst - www.watch.org
Wash—Feb 13—KIN—Since the beginning of 2006, a riptide of current events has been propelling the leaders of Russia, Iran and Syria toward an irreversible apocalyptic confrontation with Israel that surpasses even their own understanding and fulfills the predictions of ancient prophets.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Syria's Bashar Assad are taking public decisions that reach far beyond peaceful geo-political strategy as the path they have chosen seems to be an unalterable march to eliminate Israel using Islam as the point of the dagger hidden beneath a cloak of peace and behind the rhetoric of reason.
The prophet Ezekiel proclaimed some 2,500 years ago, "Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: and I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army…Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet…in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations…(Ezekiel 38:3-8)."
The nation of Israel was re-established from the vote of the United Nations in May 1948 (brought forth out of the nations where Jews from around the world re-gathered to form the nation after being separated throughout millennia because of the sword, or wars) and biblical scholars widely agree that Gog is the land occupied by today's Russia, Persia is Iran and Ethiopia is Northeast Africa, including Egypt, and Libya is Northwest Africa, including Libya, Sudan, Nigeria and other nations hostile to Israel. This apocalyptic battle results in these nations being miraculously destroyed where it will take seven months to bury the dead (Ezekiel 39:12) and the weapons will burn for seven years (Ezekiel 39:9)
Russia's actions, irrespective of whether Putin even understands how his decisions have coincided with prophecy, are those of a country preparing for war. Russia, once the heart of the powerful communist Soviet Union, has historically supported Islamic nations such as Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Lebanon against Israel as evidenced in the immediate 1948 fight for independence and the 1967 and 1973 wars against Israel. But today, Russia is renewing its move tip the balance of power in the Middle East boldly using Islamic fascism that aims to annihilate the tiny nation of Israel and her steadfast ally, the United States.
Putin on January 31 boasted to the world that Russia has new missiles capable of penetrating any missile defense system and said, "Russia has tested missile systems that no one in the world has. These missile systems don't represent a response to a missile defense system, but it doesn't matter to them whether that exists or not. They are hypersonic and capable of changing their flight path." Putin also said the new missiles are nuclear capable. The Russian military since has announced it is revamping and upgrading its nuclear arsenal. Russia has been at the heart of the international crisis over Iran's nuclear program as Putin has agreements to build Iran's nuclear plants and Russian engineers, as assisted by North Korean and Chinese colleagues, are known to be helping the Iranians design missile systems capable of carrying nuclear warheads long range.
In one of his boldest foreign policy moves to date, Putin took a public decision to solidify Russia's position in the Middle East by opening dialogue with yet another political body sworn to the destruction of Israel. Putin invited leaders of Hamas to Moscow for discussions. And Putin signaled to the world that there was more than just diplomacy at stake. Putin said he was inviting Hamas to Russia to hold talks, reminding the international community that, Russia has never, in Putins words, "considered Hamas a terrorist organization. Today we must recognize that Hamas has reached power in Palestine as a result of legitimate elections and we must respect the choice of the Palestinian people." Putin said it's not good to burn political bridges and that's why Russia has not "rushed to call any organization 'terrorist'."
This raised immediate red flags within the diplomatic circles at the White House since Russia, a member of the Middle East Peace Quartet also including the United Nations, the United States and the European Union, was a signatory to a statement after the Palestinian elections saying "that there is a fundamental contradiction between armed group and militia activities and the building of a democratic State. A two-State solution to the conflict requires all participants in the democratic process to renounce violence and terror, accept Israel's right to exist, and disarm, as outlined in the Road Map." Putin's move drew a sharp response from U.S. State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack on February 9, "We would urge any government that might have contact with Hamas to deliver the very clear message that was in the Quartet statement and that is that Hamas has some decisions to make. They must recognize the state of Israel, renounce terror and live up to the international obligations that the Palestinian Authority has signed up to. As a member of the Quartet, we would certainly expect that Russia would deliver that same message." Then the day after, he said, "We believe that should Russia have taken the opportunity to have chosen to have a meeting, they should take it as an opportunity to reinforce the message. Whether or not it has any effect on Hamas is going to be up to Hamas. They're the ones -- the onus is on Hamas to make certain decisions. The international community has laid out very clearly what is required of them. It's up to them to respond to that."
Despite the State Department's optimism that Russia will deliver the so-called "international message" to Hamas, several analysts believe Russia is playing a different game—one of strengthening its military ties in the Middle East—and Putin's statements say little to change that impression. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has stated emphatically that Russia will deliver the message to Hamas, it remains to be seen how strongly in private the message will be delivered and whether it will be communicated with a "wink." Relying on Russia to assist in keeping the peace in Iraq held a disastrous conclusion in the Oil for Food scandal where Putin, himself, reportedly received bribes from Saddam Hussein and Russia's influence over Iran's nuclear program has hardly yielded any legitimate hope for a diplomatic solution. Russia in general and Putin in particular, has a proven track record that supports Islamic fascism rather than the goals of western democracy.
Meanwhile, Iran's Ahmadinejad has been busy since the New Year spreading his militant philosophy throughout the Middle East. In early January, Ahmadinejad told theological students in Iran that its time for Islam to rule the world. "We must believe in the fact that Islam is not confined to geographical borders, ethnic groups and nations. It's a universal ideology that leads the world to justice. We don't shy away from declaring that Islam is ready to rule the world," Ahmadinejad said. "We must prepare ourselves to rule the world and the only way to do that is to put forth views on the basis of the Expectation of the Return." According to Mehran Riazaty, an Iranian Analyst, Ahmadinejad believes Islam must prepare the world for the return of its Shiite messiah, the Mahdi, who, on his return, will establish justice in a world consumed by chaos and corruption. Ahmadinejad believes Mahdi will come within the next two years and then will rule the world for seven years. It is very interesting that Ahmadinejad's beliefs parallel prophecies about the anti-Christ and the tribulation. The anti-Christ will rule for seven years, some believe, after a major catastrophic event will launch him into power—an event like the Gog-Magog war.
Ahmadinejad, on the eve of the Palestinian elections, met with Hamas and other terrorist groups in Syria. Hamas came away with Ahmadinejad's commitment to support the terrorist group both militarily and financially. Ahmadinejad's support was a public unveiling of what many in the intelligence community knew was happening all along, but Iran used the pending victory of Hamas to signal to the Islamic world that it would stand behind those who want to eliminate Israel and its ally, America. Ahmadinejad has repeatedly said that Hamas would receive funding from Iran and urged the terrorist organization to not buckle under pressure of the West to recognize Israel, which Ahmadinejad says, should be "wiped off the map."
Iran, too, is preparing for war. During the week of January 20, Iran begins withdrawing its money from European bank accounts. Also in late January were terrorist attacks in Israel that pointed directly to Iran and Syria as the culprits. Ynet News reported that Israeli Defense officials gathered solid evidence in the hours following the January 19th suicide bombing in Tel Aviv to show the attack was a direct result of cooperation between Iran, Syria, and Palestinian terrorists. "The attack was funded by Iran, planned by Syria, and executed by the Palestinians," Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz charged during a meeting with top security officials in Tel Aviv following the bombing. Mofaz said "we possess conclusive evidence that the attack is a direct result of the terror axis operating against Israel at all times." Defense officials were able to trace based on "unequivocal evidence," the funding of the attack to Iran. Meanwhile, the Islamic Jihad headquarters in Damascus was the one to provide operative orders that resulted in the bombing, according to the evidence. The execution of the attack was entrusted with an Islamic Jihad cell in the West Bank town of Nablus, where the suicide bomber originated.
Additionally, intelligence sources revealed in January that Iran is also supporting Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups as Ahmadinejad and Syrian President Bashar Assad are using the borders of Syria as staging grounds to send militants into both Iraq and Israel. The military alliance between Iran and Syria was shored up during a January meeting between Ahmadinejad and Assad. Emboldened, Assad's actions in Syria since the Ahmadinejad meeting prompted senior Israeli Defense Force officials from the Northern Command to report on February 9th that if Syrian President Bashar Assad continues to feel threatened by the United States and the rest of the international community, he may be pushed into a corner and decide to fire missiles at Israel. The Jerusalem Post reported that according to the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, Syria has an estimated 45 missile launchers and has probably assembled a few Scud D rockets with a range of nearly 700 kilometers - a major threat to Israel because they can be armed with chemical warheads. The IDF officers said they did not foresee a near-term war with Syria. But Assad's handling of diplomatic affairs has the IDF concerned.
While the Russian, Iranian and Syrian leaders are seemingly supernaturally dashing toward their destiny with prophecy, the United States is also playing into the prophetic conundrum. U.S. President George W. Bush expressed his unease with Iran's inflammatory rhetoric in an interview with Reuters February 2nd: "Israel is a solid ally of the United States. We will rise to Israel's defense, if need be. So this kind of menacing talk is disturbing. It's not only disturbing to the United States; it's disturbing for other countries in the world, as well." Asked whether he meant the United States would rise to Israel's defense militarily, Bush, as if having Ezekiel's words etched upon his subconscious, replied: "You bet, we'll defend Israel." The remarks puzzled analysts and historians alike, who claimed this was the first time a U.S. President publicly stated that America would militarily defend Israel against its enemies.
It is as if these world leaders have little control over the words that leave their lips or the orders they give when it comes to the question of Israel—one of the smallest nations in the world, yet the only nation that burdens the entire world. In Zechariah 12:3, the Lord says, "And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered against it.: And Zechariah 2:8 also speaks of Israel prophetically , "For thus says the Lord of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled for you: for he that lays a hand upon you, strikes the pupil of His eye."
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Wash—Feb 13—KIN—Since the beginning of 2006, a riptide of current events has been propelling the leaders of Russia, Iran and Syria toward an irreversible apocalyptic confrontation with Israel that surpasses even their own understanding and fulfills the predictions of ancient prophets.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Syria's Bashar Assad are taking public decisions that reach far beyond peaceful geo-political strategy as the path they have chosen seems to be an unalterable march to eliminate Israel using Islam as the point of the dagger hidden beneath a cloak of peace and behind the rhetoric of reason.
The prophet Ezekiel proclaimed some 2,500 years ago, "Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: and I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army…Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet…in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations…(Ezekiel 38:3-8)."
The nation of Israel was re-established from the vote of the United Nations in May 1948 (brought forth out of the nations where Jews from around the world re-gathered to form the nation after being separated throughout millennia because of the sword, or wars) and biblical scholars widely agree that Gog is the land occupied by today's Russia, Persia is Iran and Ethiopia is Northeast Africa, including Egypt, and Libya is Northwest Africa, including Libya, Sudan, Nigeria and other nations hostile to Israel. This apocalyptic battle results in these nations being miraculously destroyed where it will take seven months to bury the dead (Ezekiel 39:12) and the weapons will burn for seven years (Ezekiel 39:9)
Russia's actions, irrespective of whether Putin even understands how his decisions have coincided with prophecy, are those of a country preparing for war. Russia, once the heart of the powerful communist Soviet Union, has historically supported Islamic nations such as Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Lebanon against Israel as evidenced in the immediate 1948 fight for independence and the 1967 and 1973 wars against Israel. But today, Russia is renewing its move tip the balance of power in the Middle East boldly using Islamic fascism that aims to annihilate the tiny nation of Israel and her steadfast ally, the United States.
Putin on January 31 boasted to the world that Russia has new missiles capable of penetrating any missile defense system and said, "Russia has tested missile systems that no one in the world has. These missile systems don't represent a response to a missile defense system, but it doesn't matter to them whether that exists or not. They are hypersonic and capable of changing their flight path." Putin also said the new missiles are nuclear capable. The Russian military since has announced it is revamping and upgrading its nuclear arsenal. Russia has been at the heart of the international crisis over Iran's nuclear program as Putin has agreements to build Iran's nuclear plants and Russian engineers, as assisted by North Korean and Chinese colleagues, are known to be helping the Iranians design missile systems capable of carrying nuclear warheads long range.
In one of his boldest foreign policy moves to date, Putin took a public decision to solidify Russia's position in the Middle East by opening dialogue with yet another political body sworn to the destruction of Israel. Putin invited leaders of Hamas to Moscow for discussions. And Putin signaled to the world that there was more than just diplomacy at stake. Putin said he was inviting Hamas to Russia to hold talks, reminding the international community that, Russia has never, in Putins words, "considered Hamas a terrorist organization. Today we must recognize that Hamas has reached power in Palestine as a result of legitimate elections and we must respect the choice of the Palestinian people." Putin said it's not good to burn political bridges and that's why Russia has not "rushed to call any organization 'terrorist'."
This raised immediate red flags within the diplomatic circles at the White House since Russia, a member of the Middle East Peace Quartet also including the United Nations, the United States and the European Union, was a signatory to a statement after the Palestinian elections saying "that there is a fundamental contradiction between armed group and militia activities and the building of a democratic State. A two-State solution to the conflict requires all participants in the democratic process to renounce violence and terror, accept Israel's right to exist, and disarm, as outlined in the Road Map." Putin's move drew a sharp response from U.S. State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack on February 9, "We would urge any government that might have contact with Hamas to deliver the very clear message that was in the Quartet statement and that is that Hamas has some decisions to make. They must recognize the state of Israel, renounce terror and live up to the international obligations that the Palestinian Authority has signed up to. As a member of the Quartet, we would certainly expect that Russia would deliver that same message." Then the day after, he said, "We believe that should Russia have taken the opportunity to have chosen to have a meeting, they should take it as an opportunity to reinforce the message. Whether or not it has any effect on Hamas is going to be up to Hamas. They're the ones -- the onus is on Hamas to make certain decisions. The international community has laid out very clearly what is required of them. It's up to them to respond to that."
Despite the State Department's optimism that Russia will deliver the so-called "international message" to Hamas, several analysts believe Russia is playing a different game—one of strengthening its military ties in the Middle East—and Putin's statements say little to change that impression. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has stated emphatically that Russia will deliver the message to Hamas, it remains to be seen how strongly in private the message will be delivered and whether it will be communicated with a "wink." Relying on Russia to assist in keeping the peace in Iraq held a disastrous conclusion in the Oil for Food scandal where Putin, himself, reportedly received bribes from Saddam Hussein and Russia's influence over Iran's nuclear program has hardly yielded any legitimate hope for a diplomatic solution. Russia in general and Putin in particular, has a proven track record that supports Islamic fascism rather than the goals of western democracy.
Meanwhile, Iran's Ahmadinejad has been busy since the New Year spreading his militant philosophy throughout the Middle East. In early January, Ahmadinejad told theological students in Iran that its time for Islam to rule the world. "We must believe in the fact that Islam is not confined to geographical borders, ethnic groups and nations. It's a universal ideology that leads the world to justice. We don't shy away from declaring that Islam is ready to rule the world," Ahmadinejad said. "We must prepare ourselves to rule the world and the only way to do that is to put forth views on the basis of the Expectation of the Return." According to Mehran Riazaty, an Iranian Analyst, Ahmadinejad believes Islam must prepare the world for the return of its Shiite messiah, the Mahdi, who, on his return, will establish justice in a world consumed by chaos and corruption. Ahmadinejad believes Mahdi will come within the next two years and then will rule the world for seven years. It is very interesting that Ahmadinejad's beliefs parallel prophecies about the anti-Christ and the tribulation. The anti-Christ will rule for seven years, some believe, after a major catastrophic event will launch him into power—an event like the Gog-Magog war.
Ahmadinejad, on the eve of the Palestinian elections, met with Hamas and other terrorist groups in Syria. Hamas came away with Ahmadinejad's commitment to support the terrorist group both militarily and financially. Ahmadinejad's support was a public unveiling of what many in the intelligence community knew was happening all along, but Iran used the pending victory of Hamas to signal to the Islamic world that it would stand behind those who want to eliminate Israel and its ally, America. Ahmadinejad has repeatedly said that Hamas would receive funding from Iran and urged the terrorist organization to not buckle under pressure of the West to recognize Israel, which Ahmadinejad says, should be "wiped off the map."
Iran, too, is preparing for war. During the week of January 20, Iran begins withdrawing its money from European bank accounts. Also in late January were terrorist attacks in Israel that pointed directly to Iran and Syria as the culprits. Ynet News reported that Israeli Defense officials gathered solid evidence in the hours following the January 19th suicide bombing in Tel Aviv to show the attack was a direct result of cooperation between Iran, Syria, and Palestinian terrorists. "The attack was funded by Iran, planned by Syria, and executed by the Palestinians," Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz charged during a meeting with top security officials in Tel Aviv following the bombing. Mofaz said "we possess conclusive evidence that the attack is a direct result of the terror axis operating against Israel at all times." Defense officials were able to trace based on "unequivocal evidence," the funding of the attack to Iran. Meanwhile, the Islamic Jihad headquarters in Damascus was the one to provide operative orders that resulted in the bombing, according to the evidence. The execution of the attack was entrusted with an Islamic Jihad cell in the West Bank town of Nablus, where the suicide bomber originated.
Additionally, intelligence sources revealed in January that Iran is also supporting Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups as Ahmadinejad and Syrian President Bashar Assad are using the borders of Syria as staging grounds to send militants into both Iraq and Israel. The military alliance between Iran and Syria was shored up during a January meeting between Ahmadinejad and Assad. Emboldened, Assad's actions in Syria since the Ahmadinejad meeting prompted senior Israeli Defense Force officials from the Northern Command to report on February 9th that if Syrian President Bashar Assad continues to feel threatened by the United States and the rest of the international community, he may be pushed into a corner and decide to fire missiles at Israel. The Jerusalem Post reported that according to the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, Syria has an estimated 45 missile launchers and has probably assembled a few Scud D rockets with a range of nearly 700 kilometers - a major threat to Israel because they can be armed with chemical warheads. The IDF officers said they did not foresee a near-term war with Syria. But Assad's handling of diplomatic affairs has the IDF concerned.
While the Russian, Iranian and Syrian leaders are seemingly supernaturally dashing toward their destiny with prophecy, the United States is also playing into the prophetic conundrum. U.S. President George W. Bush expressed his unease with Iran's inflammatory rhetoric in an interview with Reuters February 2nd: "Israel is a solid ally of the United States. We will rise to Israel's defense, if need be. So this kind of menacing talk is disturbing. It's not only disturbing to the United States; it's disturbing for other countries in the world, as well." Asked whether he meant the United States would rise to Israel's defense militarily, Bush, as if having Ezekiel's words etched upon his subconscious, replied: "You bet, we'll defend Israel." The remarks puzzled analysts and historians alike, who claimed this was the first time a U.S. President publicly stated that America would militarily defend Israel against its enemies.
It is as if these world leaders have little control over the words that leave their lips or the orders they give when it comes to the question of Israel—one of the smallest nations in the world, yet the only nation that burdens the entire world. In Zechariah 12:3, the Lord says, "And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered against it.: And Zechariah 2:8 also speaks of Israel prophetically , "For thus says the Lord of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled for you: for he that lays a hand upon you, strikes the pupil of His eye."
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