 |
Welcome to this edition of the Rapture Report where we will examine some interesting news coming out of the Middle East today as it could possibly pertain to the coming war of Ezekiel 38-39. As many of you know the ancient prophet Ezekiel foretold of a future end times conflict between Israel and a Russian-led Islamic coalition that will come from the north to literally "take a spoil" on the Holy Land. The prophet Ezekiel foretold that God would supernaturally intervene and destroy the invading forces. God declares that he will do this in order to sanctify his Holy name, not because Israel deserved it.
Today, the Jerusalem Post is reporting that Russia and Iran will be carrying out "naval maneuvers" for the first time. The article reported: For the first time, Russia and Iran will hold a joint naval maneuver in the Caspian Sea, The Iranian Mehr News Agency reported Wednesday. According to the report, the maneuver will include 30 Russian and Iranian ships, as well as helicopters. A senior official in the Iranian ports authority was quoted by the report as saying that the maneuver would increase the coordination between the two countries, and focus on search and rescue operations and the prevention of pollution. The Jerusalem Post could not confirm the report. Russia enjoys extensive trade ties with Tehran and has been opposed to imposing further sanctions on Iran over its uranium enrichment program.As we see from the article quoted above that the so called reasoning behind this "first time ever" naval maneuvers is to "increase coordination between the two countries, focus on search and rescue missions, and prevent pollution". While I do not come from a military background I am highly suspect that these reasons for the "naval maneuvers" are just ordinary naval maneuvers. While it is possible this could be the case, I suspect the Russians and Iranians are preparing for what is expected to be an Israeli strike on the Iranian nuclear facilities. This would seem like a more fitting reason for holding so called "first time ever" naval maneuvers between what have been ancient enemies.
For students of Bible prophecy this article could be another sign pointing to the coming fulfillment of Ezekiel 38-39 as Russia (Magog) and Iran (Persia) are listed as the two major countries in the Ezekiel 38-39 prophecies. With Iran racing furiously to the nuclear finish line in their quest to complete their nuclear program, it is not to be unexpected that we should see an increase in military cooperation between Russia and Iran. After all, there has been a lot of cooperation between the two former enemies for quite a while now as Russia has helped Iran build it's first nuclear power plant in Bushehr. To illustrate, the Jerusalem Post article went on to say:
Moscow is building Iran's first nuclear power plant in Bushehr, has provided Tehran with weapons and needs Iranian assistance on the Caspian Sea and other regional issues. In April, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov explained that Iran is "our neighbor, it's a country which can play a very important role in solving a number of acute international issues, such as the situation in Afghanistan, Iraq and different aspects of Mideast peace settlement."It is my opinion that we need to continue to watch for further developments between Russia and Iran as the window of opportunity closes on a military option for stopping the Iranian nuclear program. As we all know, the Iranians have played a great game of political chess in holding off the international community for about five years now. The Iranians have stalled talks, denied access to IAEA inspectors, etc. in their quest to gain nuclear weapons of mass destruction.
Another interesting article that caught my attention today was one where former United States Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton declared that an Israeli strike on Iran was the best remaining option to stopping Iran. For the record, John Bolton is one of the few politicians these days that has his head screwed on right and does not live in a political fog like the liberal-left does. Bolton knows just as well as we do that "talks and threats of sanctions" are not going to deter the Iranians when they are practically on the cusp of achieving their evil nuclear ambitions. The Iranians have withstood the "talks and sanctions" for five years now and they are not going to budge one "iota" as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would say.
I'm afraid the only language the Iranians understand is that of force. And as a result, the Iranian nuclear situation will be decided by whether or not Israel strikes Iran. And I have no doubt that Israel will indeed strike, I just don't know exactly when. I would imagine that we could very well wake up one morning to seeing smoking and bombed Iranian nuclear facilities on CNN. That seems to me to be a very good possibility.
The Israel National News website reported:
The U.S. administration is trying to prevent what is likely the only way to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran -- an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, said former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton. In an opinion piece in Wednesday's Wall Street Journal, Bolton said that Defense Secretary Robert Gates diplomatic efforts to convince Israelis to forego a military strike in favor of President Barack Obama's diplomacy are "doomed to fail."Bolton further stated:
"Obama has no new strategic thinking on Iran. He vaguely promises to offer the country the carrot of diplomacy followed by an empty threat of sanctions down the road if Iran does not comply with the U.S.'s requests," writes Bolton. But "there's no reason Iran would suddenly now bow to Mr. Obama's diplomatic efforts, especially after its embarrassing election in June."I have to say that I completely agree with John Bolton. US President Obama does not have a clue as to handle the Iranian situation and he is naive to think that he can just sit down with the mad mullahs in Tehran and carryout a meaningful conversation that effectively halts their nuclear program. Obama's lack of political experience is showing with each and every passing day. The "community organizer" from Chicago is simply over his head in the foreign affairs department and the people he has surrounded himself with to help guide his foreign policies are simply some of the worst anti-semites you could find. This is all a recipe for disaster as God says he will "bless those that bless you, and curse those who curse you" as it pertains to Israel.
Let us continue to watch and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. The only hope to the "Middle East crisis" is when the Lord Jesus Christ returns and rules from Jerusalem. Let us pray that this is speedily done in our generation. I encourage each and everyone of you to keep looking up as we see more and more signs that point to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ for the church.
Related News
It’s Crunch Time for Israel On Iran - Wall Street Journal (John Bolton) Former Defense Sec. Cohen: Arabs Fear Iran More Than They Hate Israel - NewsMax Russia-Iran Naval Maneuvers Begin in Caspian Sea - IsraelNN.com
