Israel and Iran both deploy ships to the Red Sea area

In an interesting development both Israel and Iran have deployed warships to the Red Sea area.  Israel is acting in response to terrorist threats from the area.  The ships were sent to patrol the area and to try to prevent terrorists from coming in through Egypt. 

According to Iranian leadership, Iran's 15th fleet (consisting of several warships and a submarine) has been deployed to the Red Sea area to show her force on the seas and to thwart pirates.  I find it a little to coincidental that Iran's ships have been deployed at the same time as Israel's. 

I feel certain this mutual deployment will only cause already sky-high tensions between the two nations to escalate even further.  It seems likely that a confrontation between the two nations will happen sooner rather than later. 

Iran will be part of the Islamic coalition to attack Israel in the Gog-Magog war of Ezekiel 38-39.  Their involvement in this future military campaign does not preclude the possibility of an earlier confrontation between these two states.  In fact, a confrontation between the two could further set the pieces in place for this future battle.  (For example: the Islamic coalition of Ezekiel 38-39 could rise against Israel in response to an attack by Israel on Iran to knock out its nuclear capabilities.) 

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4115781,00.html

Palestinian protests could put international pressure on Israel

One of the goals of upcoming Palestinian protests in Israel for statehood is to turn the opinion of the international community to a very pro-Palestinian position.  The hope is that with such a shift in opinion might come sanctions and pressure on the Israeli people. 

The book of Zechariah tells us that the day will come when all nations will come against Israel.  It's possible the seeds for this event are beginning to sprout before our eyes. 

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/insideisrael/2011/August/Israel-under-Attack/

New concerns in Syria

There are growing concerns over the presence of WMDs in Syria from officials in Israel and the United States. The concern is over these weapons falling into the hands of radicals.  Israel is hoping for democratic reform in Syria, but if the turmoil there leads to a radical Islamic regime, we could see the a combination of circumstances that will bring about the destruction of Damascus prophesied in Isaiah 17.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/08/27/us-israel-monitor-syrias-suspected-cache-weapons-mass-destruction/

Great commentary to read

I found this commentary on the state of affairs in the Middle-East and how they could be setting the stage for the soon fulfillment of Ezekiel 38-39.  I can't word things any better than this, so I have linked it for your review. 

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/insideisrael/2011/August/Ezekiel-38-and-39-On-the-Horizon/

Lost in the shuffle on the Libya news

This news item seems to have been lost in the shuffle of all that is transpiring in Libya. 

http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-4112032,00.html

Jerusalem has gone on high terror alert due to intelligence reports that an attack was planned on the city.  This would seem to be an opportune time to strike with so much of the world's attention focused on Libya.  Let's continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. 

BREAKING NEWS: The latest on Libya

I have been glued to the television for the last couple of hours watching as the Libyan rebels have moved into Tripoli and word has come out that Qaddafi has fled to Algeria.  This is obviously one of those times where through the medium of television we are able to watch history unfold before our eyes.  As I have been watching these events take place, I have been pondering the question: how does this fit into the spectrum of end-time prophecy and end-time events?  I don't know that I have all of the answers, but there are a couple of interesting points to take note of. 

First, Ezekiel 38:5 lists Libya as one of the nations that will be part of the coalition to come against Israel in the War of Gog and Magog.  It was never a stretch of the imagination to see this taking place with Qaddafi in power.  I do not think this changes now, it may even seem more likely. 

I am amazed as I sit here and listen to the talking heads discuss on television what kind of government will arise to take Qaddafi's place.  They throw around the word democracy in hopeful, reverential tones.  If recent history (e.g. Egypt) is any guide, we can expect to see an even more radical Islamic government seize power.  Don't be surprised to hear more and more in the coming days about the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya. 

This article from March will address that issue further:

 http://articles.cnn.com/2011-03-25/world/libya.islamists_1_moammar-gadhafi-libyan-regime-benghazi?_s=PM:WORLD

Here is a link that provides a good overview of the Muslim Brotherhood:

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Terrorism/muslimbrotherhood.html

Second, Daniel 11:43 states that Libya will follow after the Antichrist.  Some have interpreted this verse to mean that Libya will be overtaken and controlled by the Antichrist.  Either way what is happening today could play into both scenarios.  If it means simply that Libya follows the Antichrist, then that fits with a radical Islamic government following an Islamic leaders.  If it means Libya comes under the Antichrist's control, a nation mired in turmoil, which is what Libya is right now, would be easy pickings. 

I believe what we are witnessing today is not only historic, but also a significant milestone in the setting of the table for end-time prophetic events to be fulfilled. 

Violence escalating in Israel

The recent violence in Israel has been escalating and Israeli officials fear it could still worsen.  Instances like this always deserve the attention of end-times prophecy students.  It's episodes like this that could lead to the war described in Psalm 83.  Also, violent outbreaks like this put renewed emphasis on producing a peace agreement.  The pieces continue to be put into place that will one day bring forth the fulfillment of end-time prophecy. 

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4111523,00.html

Terror attacks in Israel

Israel suffered from another terrorist attack today close to their southern border near Egypt.  Incidents like this are exactly why asking Israel to return to pre-1967 borders is insane.  Israel suffers enough from terror attacks like this with the borders they have now.  A return to pre-1967 borders would be indefensible for Israel.  Let's all pray that our leaders realize the importance of Israel's right to exist, defend themselves, and have defensible borders. 

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/08/18/israel-radio-says-second-bus-attacked-by-gunfire/?test=latestnews

Israel condemned by quartet

The quartet (the U.S., U.N. E.U., and Russia) looking to bring peace to the Middle-East has condemned Israel for its plan to build more housing units in Jerusalem.  Of concern to the quartet was that Jerusalem was referred to as a "core issue that must be resolved" in future peace talks. 

First of all, Israel has every right to build these housing units in their nation.  No nation on earth, including those in the quartet, would stand for outside forces telling them what they could and could not build in their nation.  Second of all, Jerusalem is not a "core issue to be resolved."  Jerusalem was given to the descendants of Abraham by God.  It is His city, and any attempt to divide the city, as well as the land, will bring the disfavor of God on those responsible. 

I was displeased to see the U.S State Department issuing a statement saying they were deeply concerned with what was happening.  We need to pray for our leaders to come down on the right side of this issue. 

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4109758,00.html

Syria

A lot of the news coming out of the Middle-East recently as dealt with the growing unrest in Syria and the crackdowns by Syrian President Bashar Assad.  How does what is happening in Syria fit in with end-time prophecy? 

Isaiah 17 tells us that Damascus will be destroyed.  Obviously this involves Syria.  What is not known is how or when this destruction will take place.  I have always assumed Damascus would be destroyed in a war with Israel.  I still hold to this opinion, but the growing violence has caused me to wonder if Damascus could be destroyed in some sort of civil uprising.  As I said, I still think it will happen in a skirmish with Israel, but only time will tell. 

Whatever is happening in the nation can only serve to further set the table for the events of the last days to unfold.  I have included a link to an article on the situation in Syria.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/08/16/clinton-passes-up-chance-to-call-on-assad-to-step-down/

A date to watch

I have been writing here for some time about the planned move by the Palestinians to petition the U.N. for statehood, thus bypassing the peace process.  All information on this indicated it would happen sometime in September.  Now we know the date.  September 20 is the date set as of now for the Palestinian request to be presented to the U.N. 

It's critical for believers to pray for our leaders to stand beside Israel when this happens. 

http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=233625

The economic wave of the future

The article I have linked below is a little old (2007), but I think it is as timely now as ever.  I believe one trend to keep an eye on in the future is the push for regional currencies and eventually a one-world-currency.  With the economic situation here in the United States, we have already heard of world leaders, especially Vladimir Putin of Russia, calling for the world to move away from the dollar as the world's reserve currency. 

In my opinion the first step to a one-world-currency will be the establishment of several regional currencies.  The one discussed in the article below is the "amero."  The amero is the proposed currency for North America.  I have been told the idea of the amero has been widely reported on in Canada, but is virtually ignored by the media here in the U.S. 

Obviously you have to be careful what you read, but if you want to learn more about the amero, google it and you may be shocked by what you find. 

http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=43860

Here is a link to a short video from CNBC about the amero.  I apologize in advance for some of the language in the comments section.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hiPrsc9g98

End-times technology

It's easy with everything going on in Israel to sometimes overlook other news items that demonstrate the fact we are living in the end-times.  The following article is an example of one. 

The article details a new "electronic skin tattoo" that sure does sound like it could be the method used, possibly in a refined form, to implement the mark of the beast. 

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.6e1e2ad90e2d94b12b6258b7e9c5b33d.611&show_article=1

Trouble brewing for Netanyahu?

The growing dissatisfaction among Israelis toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the Israeli economy is apparently spreading to other leaders in the nation. 

The possible scenario discussed in the following article is one that I raised the possibility of days ago in this blog.  That scenario is a fracturing of the government in Israel due to unhappiness over the economic situation in Israel. 

In my mind these are perilous times for the Israeli government.  Prime Minister Netanyahu has been solid on defending the borders of Israel.  The worst thing that could happen would be for someone else to come to power who would not have the resolve of Netanyahu. 

Christians all over the world should keep the leadership of Israel and its economy in their prayers. 

http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=233434

Mid-East nuclear talks

A group of Middle-East nations, including Israel according to some reports, may be sitting down soon with the U.N.'s nuclear agency to discuss a nuclear weapon free Middle-East. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has called the report that Israel will attend incorrect, and I hope this is so.  I believe nothing good could come of this meeting for Israel. 

The United Nations is notoriously anti-Israeli.  Any kind of truces or conclusions reached by this group would almost certainly be to the detriment of Israel.  Take this excerpt from the article linked below for example. 

Arab countries and Iran are aware of the potential of using the 2012 U.N. conference as a platform to pressure Israel to fulfill their long-standing demands: joining the nonproliferation treaty, acknowledging that it has nuclear weapons and allowing IAEA inspectors to probe their atomic activities. 

This seems like a move by Arab countries to use "diplomacy" to damage Israel's nuclear program.  The Israeli nuclear weapon program is very important to Israel.  It is their greatest deterrent to an attack from surrounding Arab-Muslim nations. 


Let's pray for our leaders to take a stand for Israel, and their right to defend themselves if such a meeting does take place.

 http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/08/10/israel-arab-nations-back-nuclear-talks/#ixzz1Uf4bpZHG

Israel declares war on Iran...sort of

Israel has created a cyber military unit to go to war with Iran.  This is due to growing Israeli concern that a conventional attack would not stop Iran's program. 

I personally think this is a good idea.  Israel needs to go on the attack so to speak before they are attacked.  However, I have to wonder what this could lead Iran to do.  I doubt it would take much provocation for Ahmadinejad to start lobbing missiles at Israel.  We should continue to pray for Israel's protection and safety. 

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/08/07/israeli-military-plotting-to-cripple-iran-in-cyberspace/

Saturday a day of prayer for the U.S.

There will be a massive rally this Saturday in Houston, Texas to dedicate a day of prayer for our country, the United States of America.  As we as Christians pray for our leaders, the debt and, and the future of our country, let's not forget to pray that our leaders have the wisdom to stand by Israel. 

The stealth threat to Israel

In the midst of neighbors that hate them and a looming Iranian nuclear threat, Israel could be dealing with a stealth enemy that will harm them from within.  That enemy is the state of the Israeli economy.  The following article relates the growing dissatisfaction in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over economic issues. 

Here is how I foresee that these economic problems COULD hurt Israel in dealing with their security and the Palestinian statehood issue.  There could be no one stronger on security issues to lead Israel than Netanyahu.  However, if he were to lose his coalition in the government and therefore lose his position, he could be replaced by someone who will not stand as strong against the Iranian threat, the threat of a Palestinian state, or anti-Israeli sentiments in the government here in the U.S.  A weaker leader could lead to compromise that would leave Israel with indefensible borders and looking weak in the eyes of the international community. 

We as Christians need to pray for the leaders of Israel to have wisdom in leading their country not just in security issues, but economic issues as well. 

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0711/bibi_approval_rating_plummets.php3?printer_friendly

Thank God

An Israeli official has denied the report from Israel's Channel 2 that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ready to negotiate from pre-1967 borders.  As stated before, those would be indefensible borders.  Any person or nation pressuring Israel to negotiate from the standpoint is asking Israel to put themselves in a position where they could not defend themselves.  I'm sure this would come closer to cursing Israel than blessing Israel in God's eyes. 

The following article contains the denial of the Channel 2 report.  Also, it gives a very good, easy to understand explanation of what the Palestinians are hoping to accomplish by petitioning the U.N. for statehood next month.  It also gives a good explanation of the likely U.N. response. 

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/insideisrael/2011/August/Israeli-Official-No-Return-to-1967-Borders/

Russia's Putin slams U.S. economy

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called the U.S. a "parasite" on the global economy.  He went on to blast U.S. economic practices.  In his remarks he talked about the need for the world economy to have other reserve currencies besides the U.S. dollar. 

I think these comments are significant for a couple of reasons.  First, the growing call among nations for other reserve currencies could well be the first step toward a one-world-currency which will appear in the future.  Second, Russia will be a major player in end-times events (Ezekiel 38-39).  Putin seems like the kind of leader who wants to lead Russia back to prominence and rebuild the old Soviet empire, thus further setting the stage for end-times events. 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/01/us-russia-putin-usa-idUSTRE77052R20110801

Israel may be ready to negotiate with pre-1967 borders

According to an Israeli television report, Israel may be ready to negotiate with the Palestinians according to pre-1967 borders.  If true, this is a dramatic shift in policy for Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  I have to wonder what caused him to change his mind.

If a peace deal is reached, I am sure there will be many people who will wonder if this is the agreement discussed in Daniel 9:27.  That is the agreement between the Antichrist and Israel.  If such a deal is reached, and we the church are here to see it then the answer is no. 

What this could be then is a peace deal that could bring about the peace and security that Israel is foretold to be enjoying in Ezekiel 38 prior to the Gog-Magog War. 

Whatever happens, if some sort of deal is reached then it will be a significant event and more than likely a major shaper of future end-times events. 

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/08/02/tv-israel-agrees-to-negotiate-over-pre-67-lines/

I thought this was interesting

A preview of things to come?

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/08/02/end-times-texas-lake-turns-blood-red/?test=faces

Firefight between Israeli and Lebanese soldiers

There was a skirmish today between Israeli and Lebanese soldiers along the border of the two nations.  It seems for now to be an isolated incident, but you never know when something like this can escalate into a major confrontation. 

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/08/01/lebanese-israeli-troops-exchange-fire-on-border/

Israel not ready for mass protests

There is a Palestinian plan underway to launch mass demonstrations against Israeli settlements in the West Bank on the eve of the September 20 U.N. vote on Palestinian statehood.  There is more detail in the following story from foxnews.com. 

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/08/01/palestinians-set-date-for-mass-demonstrations/

In what could be a related story, the Jerusalem Post is reporting that a high ranking Israeli official is concerned the IDF might not be ready for massive Palestinian protests if the U.N. does grant the Palestinian request for statehood. 

http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=231798

With the upcoming vote and demonstrations that will be associated with it, I think it is likely we will see the outbreak of some sort of violence in the Middle East.  How extensive it is and how long it lasts remains to be seen.