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| From left to right: President Hassan Rouhani of Iran, President Vladimir Putin or Russia, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey |
If you compare current events with Bible prophecy, as I do, then you might think this is an exciting time to be alive. If you don't follow Bible prophecy, but you pay any attention to the news coming out of the middle east, then you're probably very disturbed or even frightened by what's happening in the world.
This last couple of years have been interesting to me because, for the first time in my life, I can see Bible prophecy that was given thousands of years ago about to come to pass. If you don't care much about Bible prophecy or think it's a waste of time or only something that crazies get excited about, then let me tell you this: There's a reason that between one fourth and as much as one-third of the Bible is prophetic. It's because God wants us to know what He's going to do so we'll believe in Jesus and be ready for the Lord's return.
Jesus said:
Russia has built a naval port in the region and Iran has made it clear they have no intention of leaving Syria. Russia is in Syria for only one reason. They want to control the oil in the region. In case you haven't heard, Israel has discovered vast quantities of oil and natural gas in the Golan Heights and off its Mediterranean coast. When Russia leads the axis of evil to invade Israel, their motivation will be to take control of Israel's wealth (Ezekiel 38:13).
Iran has built a military base near the Syrian border, only 30 miles (48 km) from the Golan Heights, which is a place that's strategic to Israel's defense. They're also constructing a highway from Iran into Syria that they'll be able to use to quickly move troops and weapons from Iran into Syria. Iran has been shipping military hardware to Syria for months and Israel continues to destroy those weapons. Iran has long vowed to annihilate the Jews because the Jewish people won't submit to Islam. And the president of Turkey wants to establish himself as the leader of an Islamic Caliphate.
In 2018, Iran flew a surveillance drone into Israel. Within 2 minutes of entering their air space, Israel shot it down. Just to prove that Israel won't tolerate Iran's aggression, Israel sent four F16s to destroy about half of the anti-aircraft systems around Damascus. One of the F16s was shot down by the same anti-aircraft systems that Israel was destroying but the plane crashed in Israeli territory and the pilots ejected to safety. Although hurt, both pilots are doing okay.
This is the time to wake up, Church. It's time to get ready because the King of King and Lord of Lords draws near.
This last couple of years have been interesting to me because, for the first time in my life, I can see Bible prophecy that was given thousands of years ago about to come to pass. If you don't care much about Bible prophecy or think it's a waste of time or only something that crazies get excited about, then let me tell you this: There's a reason that between one fourth and as much as one-third of the Bible is prophetic. It's because God wants us to know what He's going to do so we'll believe in Jesus and be ready for the Lord's return.
Jesus said:
I have told you now before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe.We're expected to be aware of prophetic events as they unfold. About two thousand years, the Jews weren't ready for the first coming of Jesus, even though they had been giving ample signs to watch for. We don't have to make the same mistake. After all, Jesus made it clear that He expected the Pharisees and Sadducees to know the times and seasons. Don't you think Jesus expects the same from us?
John 14:29 (NET)
Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.
He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.
Matthew 16:1-3
The prophetic time clock is nearing midnight
Some time ago, I wrote about a future war that the prophet Ezekiel foretold more than 2,500 years ago. It's commonly referred to as the Ezekiel 38 war. In this war, Israel will be attacked by a coalition of nations, led by none other than Russia. The other key members of this coalition will be Iran and Turkey. These countries have never been aligned with each other before but they're now not only allies, but they all have military forces in Syria, which is on the northern border of Israel. The very place where the prophet Ezekiel said they would enter the holy land to attack Israel.Russia has built a naval port in the region and Iran has made it clear they have no intention of leaving Syria. Russia is in Syria for only one reason. They want to control the oil in the region. In case you haven't heard, Israel has discovered vast quantities of oil and natural gas in the Golan Heights and off its Mediterranean coast. When Russia leads the axis of evil to invade Israel, their motivation will be to take control of Israel's wealth (Ezekiel 38:13).
Iran has built a military base near the Syrian border, only 30 miles (48 km) from the Golan Heights, which is a place that's strategic to Israel's defense. They're also constructing a highway from Iran into Syria that they'll be able to use to quickly move troops and weapons from Iran into Syria. Iran has been shipping military hardware to Syria for months and Israel continues to destroy those weapons. Iran has long vowed to annihilate the Jews because the Jewish people won't submit to Islam. And the president of Turkey wants to establish himself as the leader of an Islamic Caliphate.
Iran's aggression
In addition to its old tricks of funding terrorist groups, and its rush to build a nuclear bomb, Iran is preparing for war with Israel. In addition to building military bases along Israel's border that I mentioned earlier, Iran has also built weapons factories in Syria and Lebanon (both are neighboring countries to Israel). Israel's greatest security concern is the factories inside Lebanon where Iran is attempting to retrofit thousands of missiles that are already in Lebanon with guidance technology that will greatly increase their accuracy of hitting the target. There's only one reason they're doing this. To prepare for a war with Israel.Israel's response
The Jewish state isn't taking this aggression lying down. During a visit to Moscow, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made this clear to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“If Iran is not stopped,” Netanyahu reportedly told Putin, “then Israel will stop it.”
Netanyahu told Russian President Vladamir Putin that Israel will put a stop to the building of advanced missiles in Lebanon. This, of course, means military action. Netanyahu has also vowed that they won't allow Iran to entrench along their border. Israel has already stuck an Iranian military base near its border but Iran stubbornly continues to build up its military presence in Syria.In 2018, Iran flew a surveillance drone into Israel. Within 2 minutes of entering their air space, Israel shot it down. Just to prove that Israel won't tolerate Iran's aggression, Israel sent four F16s to destroy about half of the anti-aircraft systems around Damascus. One of the F16s was shot down by the same anti-aircraft systems that Israel was destroying but the plane crashed in Israeli territory and the pilots ejected to safety. Although hurt, both pilots are doing okay.
The drums of war
An Israel Defense Forces chief once warned that we're seeing the calm before the storm. It seems that the calm has passed and the storm is rapidly approaching. It's only a matter of time before someone makes a really bad decision and sets this tinderbox that is the Middle East, into a roaring blaze. I think it's a good possibility that this will involve the utter and total destruction of Damascus (see Isaiah chapter 17), which could very well be the spark that leads to the Ezekiel 38 war.This is the time to wake up, Church. It's time to get ready because the King of King and Lord of Lords draws near.
Related posts
References
- Fox News: Syria warns Israel of 'more surprises' as tensions boil over following Iranian drone incident
- Jerusalem Post: Signs of war
- Jerusalem Post: Iranian 'winter' coming to northern border, analyst warns
- BBC News: Iran building permanent military base in Syria - claim
- VOA News: Israel Dealt 'Severe Blows' to Iranian, Syrian Targets
- YouTube: Middle East Current Events Update, Feb. 14, 2018
- YouTube: Prophecy Update: War between Israel and Syria?
Recommended reading
- Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39
- Isaiah chapter 17
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