Global SITREP C12:16: The United States Presidential Election 2016

31 August 2016: What has the United States Presidential Election of 2016 got to do with Bible prophecy? Potentially, a great deal. Most folks know I am one who sees the USA in Bible prophecy through Ezekiel 38:13; we're one of the "young lions" (Heb:kĕphiyr) of the merchants of Tarshish. I also see the US present during the 70th Week through the overwhelming military power wielded by the Western (some say "Revived Roman") Antichrist. It's not a far stretch  to see a "Revived Rome" as coming from the already extant world socialist Global Oligarchy.

Suddenly there are reports, speculations and rumors flying seemingly out of nowhere regarding our scheduled November 8th Presidential election. What happens if one of the candidates dies suddenly. What happens if some or many of the 9,000 electoral jurisdictions run in and by the 50 states get hacked? These and other questions are all simultaneously present in the US media, even the few outlets we can still believe are reporting a semblance of truth. There's a real reason for this, and its not unfounded hyperbole or rhetoric. 

The United States does not have a federally-controlled election system, but one which is controlled by the states themselves. State election boards, in other words, report the result of our cast ballots on November 8th which elects the apportioned 538 Electoral College electors of each each state who actually cast the votes to elect the President and Vice President.

Director of the FBI (DIRFBI) James Comey made issued a public statement on the hacking and potential for future hacking of state election boards computer systems yesterday. Read this link for the details. The DIRFBI's statement followed a flash alert the FBI cyber division issued on 18 August regarding hack breaches of the Illinois and Arizona electoral systems this summer.   Yesterday also, this report appeared in the Washington Examiner, again, click the link for the details. After reading these reports your hair should be standing up in the same way mine was last evening. 

One the one hand, we want Homeland Security to be leading the defense of all of our nation's critical infrastructure. On the other-hand, a critical federal agency nearly 8-years in the grasp of the untrustworthy Obama Administration does not provide a comfort zone of reassurance. Just the opposite in my view. Number one, it would be unConstitutional (Art. I, Section 4) for the 50 states to cede this kind of reserved power to an agency of the federal government. Secondly, and if it happens, then we will have all seen in real-time the manner in which total control can be achieved over our sovereign political processes. Watch it.

Remember, the DNC was hacked, as well as Hillary's private server. Leaks were occurring everywhere, especially on Wikileaks. But Wikileaks weren't the hackers, they released the data that was hacked for public consumption and situational awareness. How many were paying attention? DNC staffer Seth Rich was found murdered in Washington, District of Corruption, when he was supposed to be enroute to a debriefing by the FBI about an ongoing investigation into the Clinton Foundation according to an article posted by the GatewayPundit on 9 August.  

These are all links in the same chain, and we won't have long to wait to see exactly how each link connects to the one next to it.

Global SITREP C11-16: The Levant Status Report

The Levant

26 August 2016: There's no beating around the bush on this one. The situation in the Levant, as well as in Mesopotamia (Iraq) is not good. In fact it is more than just not good, it is critical to the point of a major military conflagration as we have been expecting for some time now. 

In Iraq, both the jihadists of Islamic State and Al-Qaeda are literally screaming to their adherents to prepare for intense all-out war. War has been raging in Iraq incessantly since Obama's ill-advised withdrawal of US boots 5 years ago. Now US boots and US Special Forces are back in the thick of it in Iraq, just as the awaited Battle for Mosul is gearing up. Islamic State-controlled territory in Iraq is heavy around Mosul, but has been atrophied to nothing more than thin ribbons of land along major highways to the Syrian border.

In next door Syria, Islamic State is essentially telling its fellow jihadists in Iraq the equivalent of "you're on your own." Also and of major importance, the Turkish army launched an impromptu (planned and organized within a week) armored invasion of Syrian territory just east of the Euphrates River. This invasion's sole purpose, as Erdogan claims, is to keep Kurdish forces from establishing a line of contiguous territories along Turkey's southern border. The thing is, that's just a straw-man. Turkey's armored forces (tanks and APCs) invaded Syria near the town of Jarabulus in order to stake its own claim with its own favorite Turkoman jihadist militia employed as a proxy force. The Kurds had moved the the overwhelming bulk of their forces back to the east side of the Euphrates River a week ago. This Turkish action has absolutely nothing to do with NATO or the US-led Operation Inherent Resolve against the Islamic State.

On the coastline there is every indication that a third Lebanon War could erupt with little or no warning.  Israel's greatest threat, as revealed in the IDF's publicly revealed strategy whitepaper 12 months ago (August 2015), is not focused on the threat posed by Iranian nuclear weapons or the ballistic missiles designed to carry them to Tel Aviv. Israel's military focus is on Hezbollah in Lebanon. This fact was recently reinforced by IDF Chief of Staff (Lt. Gen.) Gadi Eizenkot who declared Hezbollah to be "the most serious threat to Israel." This is without having to state the obvious that Hezbollah is fully under the control of the IRGC's Quds Force which takes its orders directly from the Iranian Ayatollah.

If you're a long-time or a newly arrived reader of Eschatology Today, then you implicitly understand all of the many prophetic implications of these real-world realities. Which of these is the first prophetic domino is an easy question to answer, it's where the war is already in progress, and that's pretty much from the coastlines of Israel and Lebanon all the way to the Persian Gulf. Just as Bible prophecy has foretold.

Global SITREP C10-16: EZEKIEL 38/39 - PRIMARY INVASION ROUTES

A still image, taken from video footage and released by Russia's Defense Ministry on August 18, 2016, shows a Russian Sukhoi Su-34 fighter-bomber based at Iran's Hamedan Air Base dropping bombs over the Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor. Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation/Handout via REUTERS TV

Final Update 23 August 2016: Russian braggadocio about its Syrian combat air operations launching from their Iranian hosts Hamedan (a/k/a Nojeh) Air Base caused all kinds of really embarrassing legal problems for the Ayatollah's regime. Turns out that the Iranian constitution forbids the basing of foreign troops on Iranian territory. So the Iranians had to inform their allies from the north to take everything they just brought down into Hamedan Air Base back up to Mozdok Air Base in Russia.

In order to save face, the Russians promptly made their own announcement that the unprecedented bombing missions were objectively mission complete and all Russian units were returning to their home base in Russia, but... they would return to Hamedan Air Base in the future "if circumstances warranted." 

Russian Major-General Igor Konashenkov, in his own words: "Further use of the Hamedan Air Base in the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Russian Aerospace Forces will be carried out on the basis of mutual agreements to fight terrorism and depending on the prevailing circumstances in Syria." 

Interesting. "Depending on the prevailing circumstances in Syria." I wonder, would the fulfillment of Isaiah 17, the destruction of Damascus and the destruction of the country, be the kind of circumstance this Russian major-general is referring to?  I imagine next time the Russians will keep their lips zipped and adhere to the tried and true military concept of OPSEC (OPerational SECurity).

While considering such a turn of events being possible in previous months and even years, I had not given express consideration in thought to the final fulfillment of Isaiah 17 serving a type of trip-wire or trigger for the start of Ezekiel 38/39 and the Battle of Gog/Magog. That was last night. 

Upon rising this morning I was suddenly made aware of the fact that we've discussed this exact concept on Eschatology Today many times previously, as in a flood of prophetic fulfillments occurring in a precise sequence, like dominoes toppling over other well-positioned dominoes. Yes, that's what I have long believed the Lord's prophetic word teaches. However, now we have a Russian major-general, although he does not realize it, hinting at the exact same thing. Interesting things we are watching in real-time on a day-to-day basis. 

"Therefore be you also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes." (Matthew 24:44)

Ezekiel 38/39 Primary Invasion Routes

19 August 2016: As mentioned previously on Eschatology Today, but this time with due emphasis, the running assessment is that when the primary military forces under the leadership of "Gog of Magog" detailed in Ezekiel 38/39 commence their attempted airborne invasion of Israel, they will utilize the air corridor that has been firmly established for Russian Federation Air Force missions into Syria since November 2015.

This air corridor was more firmly established this spring when the Russian military launched cruise missiles out of the Caspian Sea against rebel targets in Syria. The air corridor from the north entered Iranian airspace and turned to the west, crossing into Iraq before entering Syria. 

This same air corridor is now being used in air strikes by Russian TU-22M3 heavy bombers and SU-34 strike aircraft against targets in Syria. These strike aircraft which originate at Mozdok Air Base in Russia (see image below) use the Caspian corridor enroute to Hamedan Air Base in northwestern Iran. They then fly west across Iraq and into Syria. The primary OSINT sources I have used in compiling detailed data for this SITREP are The LongWar Journal and The Aviationist.

Russian air combat missions. Image:LongWar Journal

Source: The Aviationist/Babak Taghvaee

The utilization of this specific air corridor is due to the very real geo-political and military realities that are extant in the Middle East/Southwest Asia. They will likely remain as such, if not increase in the wake of future prophetic events as detailed by Isaiah 17 and Psalm 83, and not necessarily in that particular order. These maps speak volumes through the visual data they contain. A relatively short extension of this Russian air corridor into what will be at that time Israel's territory east of the Dead Sea is a very simple and non-strenuous mental exercise based upon the text of Ezekiel 39:11-16.

However, the most significant thing to notice at present is that the Russian air corridor absolutely avoids Turkish airspace by a very wide margin. Intellectual honesty requires one to concede that this fact is not due to overwhelming Turkish air power or anti-aircraft defensive capabilities, but is solely due to NATO airpower manifest in Turkey and the Middle East in general. Last week this NATO airpower was on full display when pairs of stealthy American F-22 Raptor appeared seemingly out of nowhere to confront Syrian SU-24 Fencers on at least two occasions, within Syrian air space, quickly causing the latter to flee rather than stand their "ground" over Syrian soil. Such is the overwhelming technological capability of sixth-generation fighter aircraft over older fifth-generation fighters.

This kind of overwhelming NATO airpower also vividly demonstrates the inherent weakness of forward-deployed Iranian air power. The most recent example of this occurred in March 2013, when obsolete IRGC fourth-generation F4E Phantom jets were scrambled with orders to intercept and shoot down an American MQ-1 Predator drone detected flying a reconnaissance mission in international airspace over the Persian Gulf. The Iranian air controllers and pilots of the intercepting Phantom jets were totally unaware of the presence of American F-22 Raptors escorting the MQ-1. So unaware were they that one Raptor pilot flew underneath the Iranian Phantoms, checked out his opponent weapons load, and only revealed his very close presence by suddenly popping up just off the left wingtip of the lead Iranian Phantom, and calling the stunned Iranian pilots with the now famous radio greeting, "you really ought to go home."

So, to home they went for a change of underwear and to live to fly another day. As we know from Bible prophecy they will be back, but at that time, and far too late to make any real difference, they'll just wish in the last seconds of their life on earth they'd just stayed home. 

Finally, after offering prayers to a false god this past Friday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani displayed atypical Persian arrogance and national pride in issuing this declaration: "Our missile power is at such a level that we are able to destroy all our targets at any operational range." 

Eschatology Today cordially invites President Rouhani to read the text of Jeremiah 49:35, within which the true, living God of all creation completely contradicts his declaration with His own irrevocable prophetic word:

"Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the foremost of their might.'"

Global SITREP C9:16: Continuing Wars and Rumors of Wars

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council to discuss additional security measures for Crimea after clashes on the contested peninsula, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, August 11, 2016. Sputnik/Kremlin/Alexei Druzhinin/via REUTERS

12 August 2016: In a comment posted three days ago in the previous SITREP the rumors circulating regarding the possibility of a resumption of military action by Russia against the Ukraine were offered to the readers as a kind of heads-up. As of yesterday, those rumors began the transition towards becoming reality. 

As we look towards the rapidly approaching time fore the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38/39, an ongoing Russian military adventure could potentially be the activity that God will turn Russia away from with hooks secured in her jaws towards the land of Israel. A resumption of war against Ukraine, which occurs as the result of manufactured pretexts currently occurring in Crimea, qualifies for such an ongoing military adventure to the north of Israel.

Yesterday, as evidenced by the above image, Putin covered multiple military "scenarios" of what he said were "counter-terrorism security measures" on land, sea and in the air around Crimea. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko promptly placed his country's military forces on their highest state of combat preparedness. Ukrainian forces will initially face the threat posed by 40,000 Russian combat troops which have been deployed up against Ukraine's border regions. These troops are armed with the newest equipment and include units whose express mission is offensive air assault. Similar preparatory actions are in progress with Russia's Black Sea Fleet and air force combat squadrons.

There are also unconfirmed reports that internet access has been cut-off in the region of northern Crimea. These developments are being watched closely.

****
Another key and related item to Ezekiel 38/39 that we must pay attention to as watchmen is the aftermath of the failed coup d'etat in Turkey.  Within NATO the United States of America stands as the alliance's most powerful military force. Not many realize the second most powerful military force in the alliance prior to the coup  attempt on 15-16 July 2016 was Turkey. Was is the operative word.

In the nearly four weeks since the coup attempt Turkish military power, and morale, and effectiveness as a leading fighting force has all but disappeared. A full 44% of Turkey's experienced combat command structure no longer exists as 157 of the armed forces generals and admirals were summarily discharged. Some stand to be executed. Another 8,500 officers of lesser rank and non-commissioned leadership have also been purged from the force.

In addition to these losses, all Turkish military infrastructure, such as manufacturing plants and shipyards, have been removed from military control and transferred to civilian entities loyal to the dictate of the ruling Islamist AKP party; all military preparatory high schools and service warfighting academies have been shuttered. Military hospitals have fallen under AKP-controlled health ministry. Key Turkish anti-terrorist functionaries such as the gendarmerie and coast guard have been transferred to interior ministry control.  

This leaves the formerly powerful Turkish armed forces a headless, hollowed out, state-of-shock and combat ineffective image of its former self.  The Turkish armed forces are presently in no position to defend the country against an intrusion of a foreign enemy much less prosecute offensive operations beyond the national border. Turkish armed forces in this sad state of affairs are of little to no use to NATO as a bulwark against foreign aggression in Europe of the Middle East. NATO's southern flank now has a gaping hole to the east of Greece, making it a frontline country facing the battlefields of the Middle East.

The Kurdish national desire for a homeland of their own could not have been given a better gift by the Islamists of the AKP. In the Kurds decades long struggle against the Turkish central government never has the fortunes of their armed struggle looked brighter. Anticipating a Kurdish military exploitation of this situation is a virtual no-brainer. The effect this all has in the war against the Islamic State has not yet become manifest, but almost certainly guarantees an increase of US and other NATO forces to fill the vacuum caused by the AKPs demolition of its armed forces.

Global SITREP C8-16: Iran Crossing the Rubicon

A Nuclear Armed Iran Must Be Preempted

Update 9 August 2016: This SITREP has been updated at the bottom with the addition of directly related reference material. This material consists of four linked SITREPs and the original Jeremiah 49:34-39 eschatological article of 15 September 2010, and its 2011 and 2012 updates. In sum, this material covers the past seven years of study on this subject.

6 August 2016: As most of us have learned from Trish Regan's interview of newly released Iranian hostage Pastor Saeed Abedini live by the Fox Business Network two days ago, President Obama was caught red-handed in a bald-faced lie about a $400 million ransom payment to the Ayatollah's terrorist regime. The simple fact of the matter is that this ransom payment was hidden from the U.S. Congress, made in cold hard currency and occurred in the dead of night. Therefore, Obama's same day statement that "we do not pay ransom" is without doubt not only a bald-faced lie, but yet another act of completely lawlessness by a sitting American president. 

Therefore, who can accept at face value anything this president or his administration's spokespersons have said past or present regarding the Iran nuclear deal? Or the completely corrupt woman who seeks to be his heir apparent?  No one with at least a single pair of functioning brain cells would accept anything coming from this utterly corrupt administration and its wanna-be follow-on. Not only is everything about the Iran nuclear deal completely bogus, but the fact remains that the government of the Islamic Republic never officially ratified the agreement, which means that Iran has never been obligated to adhere to any of its provisions. That fact should be setting off alarm bells in DC, but all that is heard from within The Beltway is the usual nonsensical and illusionary drivel.

Additionally, many are the number of websites and media reports claiming that Iran is "cheating" on the JCPOA nuclear agreement. Pardon my naivete, but exactly how does a nation cheat on something it never has agreed to? Few are the number of websites and media reports which are reporting on the truth of the matter. One of those truth tellers is the Gatestone Institute in its report of 4 August. 

In addition to the fact that the JCPOA nuclear agreement was never ratified by the Iranian government, Gatestone also reported that German intelligence operations have uncovered the Iranian "clandestine path" to obtaining nuclear weapons related technology from German companies. Gatestone also cites the Associated Press' acquisition from an unidentified diplomat of a "secret agreement" between Obama and the Iranian government that permits Iran to enrich nuclear stock material at a much higher rate, thereby reducing the time necessary for a breakout to indigenous nuclear weapons capability long before the JCPOA agreement's announced terms would be fulfilled. 

How long before, you might ask? The "secret agreement" between the Obama Administration and the Ayatollah would permit Iran's terrorist regime to produce a nuclear weapon within six months. Since the JCPOA is a year old Iran could have secretly produced two nuclear weapons, all the while conducting terrorist operations around the world, taking US Navy sailors and the craft prisoner on the high seas. In days gone by these kinds of actions were known as acts of war. Those who facilitate acts of war against the U.S. were also known as traitors. Don't look now, but Iran is crossing the Rubicon, the point of no return. 

Lost in this fray is the fact that nuclear weapons are the key ingredient in the Shi'a Hojjatieh Twelvers eschatological recipe regarding hastening the reappearance of some log-since-deceased imam. Iranian nuclear weapons are to create the global chaos necessary for the hastening. 

So, it is in the secular world, but according to Bible prophecy, specifically Jeremiah 49:34-39 and Ezekiel 38 and 39, show us a different reality that will come to fulfillment in the near future. Knowing these things should convince one and all that the fictions of the secular world and the true world of the near future as illuminated by God-breathed prophecy are on a collision course. 

So, which occurs first, the sound of breaking "bows" or "a shout, with the voice of an archangel, with the trump of God"? Are you ready?

Reference material:

1.)  Global SITREP B5-15: More on Jeremiah 49:34-39

2.)  Global SITREP B5-14: The Lord's Fierce Anger Upon Iran
3.)  Global SITREP C8-15: Mid-2015 Situation Report
4.)  Global SITREP B4-15: An Open Invitation to Kick In Iran's Nuclear Doors 
5.)  Jeremiah 49: Will a Coalition of Nations Move Against Iran? (Yes, They Will!!) 

Global SITREP C7-16: Is Iran About To Cross the Rubicon?

Iranian General Mohammed-Reza Naghdi in Quneitra, Syrian Golan
Credit Screenshot: Fars News Agency/Ha'aretz

Update: See Global SITREP C8-16:Iran Crossing the Rubicon

31 July 2016: This morning, five days after-the-fact, Iran is denying anti-Iran Arab media reports that the commander of the Iranian Basij (Iranian paramilitary militia of the IRGC general command) Brigadier General Mohammed-Reza Naghdi was either killed or wounded in Israeli and rebel forces assassination attempts in the Syrian Golan last Tuesday (26 July).  

The Syrian side of the Golan around Quneitra has been the scene of heavy fighting between regime and rebel forces, with the regime and its allies using Highway 7 from Damascus as the Main Supply Route (MSR) into this very active battlefield. Cross-border fire has occurred heavier than usual in the past couple of weeks, with a much-publicized failed attempt by the IDF to shoot-down a Syrian/Iranian drone occurring on Sunday, 17 July. The drone was about 2.5 miles inside Israel airspace at its deepest penetration.

There is no doubt doubt that BG Naghdi was in the Golan region near Israel's border. The Sunni Arab media created a circus-like fuss concerning his presence in southern Syria last week which was confirmed via a video and screenshots from the video published by Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency and the official Basij media itself, along with accompanying text which confirmed his "powerful presence" in Quneitra governorate; a screenshot of the video is seen above. I would assess the image above was taken very near to al-Hmidaiah (al-Hamediyya) village which is about one mile north of Quneitra and approximately 2000 feet from UNDOF Line Alpha separating that no-mans-land from Israel's Golan territory. This is one of the hottest front-lines in Quneitra governorate.

Those images were published on Wednesday, approximately 24 hours after the reported decapitation strike attempt was made. BG Naghdi's presence on the Golan would not have gone unnoticed by Israeli military intelligence, and an order to launch an opportune decapitation strike would have been received by the IDF directly from PM Netanyahu's war cabinet. As we all know, such a decapitation strike by Israel against IRGC and Hezbollah leadership on the Golan, most notably the strike which killed IRGC BG Mohammed Ali Allahdadi and Hezbollah commander Jihad Mughniyeh, son of the also deceased Hezbollah terrorist Imad Fayed Mughniyeh, on 19 January 2015. The reported IDF attempt was also probably not lost on anti-regime rebels who very likely followed it with their own mortar artillery barrage on a target easily identified by pillars of smoke. 

So, the question Eschatology Today would like to have answered in the affirmative is: Did an Israeli missile strike occur occur in Quneitra on 26 July? Simply stated, Israel has never and will never discuss reports of IDF military action made by foreign media. However, it is very much in evidence that some kind of offensive action did take place, and that action validates the fourth bullet and two concluding sentences of the original 22 July portion of this SITREP regarding the IRGC's intent, and Israel's certain response to it.

I would make note of the illustrated fact that whatever line-of-sight view into Israeli positions BG Naghdi was observing through his binoculars would be just as observable by an Israeli ground or airborne targeting system in guiding a pair of IDF Nimrod missiles to their target in the Golan. History is on the side of an IDF strike occurring last Tuesday against a high-priority enemy target. The next SITREP could well be about renewed warfare on the Golan and in Lebanon.

Iran's Ethnic Diversity (U.S. Institute of Peace)

Update 28 July 2016: An article written by Lea Speyer was posted yesterday on The Algemeiner (Mideast Analyst: Iran in Throes of Domestic Battle as Ethnic Groups Carry Out Attacks Against Regime Targets) immediately brought to mind some near-term prophetic themes for these 'last days' that are found in Jesus' Olivet Discourse according to Matthew 24:7 and the prophecy of Jeremiah concerning the fate of Iran found in chapter 49, verse 37 (respectively), 

"For nation (ethnos) shall rise against nation (ethnos), and kingdom against kingdom..."

"For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger, saith the Lord; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them."

The analyst of the cited report that was originally published on 24 July by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) is IDF Lt. Col. (retired) Michael Segall. The image at the head of the JCPA report is seen above. The analysis by LTC Segall, as all who go to the linked report can see, contains the following bullets:

• Since June 2016, Iran has been enduring terror attacks and assassinations by ethnic-opposition elements operating within its territory and adjacent to it.
• Attacks on Iranian petroleum infrastructure in Ahvaz are a reaction to Iran’s ongoing repressive policy against the Arab minority in Ahvaz, including the ongoing arrests, trials, executions, and expulsions of young people in that area.
• There are currently six to seven million Kurds living in Iran. Although they are part of the Iranian state, they may be distinguished from the Shiite minority by language and religion (most Kurds are Sunnis).
• The Arab Sunni fighters’ targeting of the oil facilities, if it gains momentum, could pose a problem for Iran just as it is trying to renew oil exports after the lifting of sanctions. Attacks on energy infrastructure for gas and oil could foster an unsafe, unstable environment for international energy companies.
• Iran’s security forces have been cracking down on the Arabs, augmenting this population’s discontent along with its separatist aspirations.
• The Iranian regime, which so far has been spared the regional repercussions of the Arab Spring – or Islamic Awakening as the regime calls it – is now starting to feel the effects.

As seen in the report's accompanying images, these attacks by ethnic Arab Sunni jihadists against the ethnic Persian Shi'a mullah-led government's internal infrastructure are by no means mere pinpricks, but are indeed major attacks that will take months if not years to repair or rebuild completely, if that is possible in the face of the promised continuation of these attacks against the "Iranian interior." A photo of the aftermath of the early June 2016 attack in Bandar-E Mahshahr, Khuzestan province, Iran on the Bou-Ali-Sina petrochemical complex is seen below.

The sabotaged Bou-Ali-Sina Petrochemical Complex in Bandar-E Mahshahr, Khuzestan

This and other attacks against Iran's oil and gas industry, most recently occurring on 11 and 17 July, has caused a "state of emergency" to be declared by the Ayatollah's regime. Moreover, the ethnic Sunni Arab insurrection going on inside Iran is not being lost on their brethren Sunni Arabs living in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. They are taking keen note of it as evidenced in their social media websites. 

As has been noted previously in several articles here on Eschatology Today,  the bulk of the Iranian nuclear infrastructure is located on the territory of ancient Elam, and not surprisingly so to is the emergent "sword" of the insurrection against the regime based on ancient Elamite soil, known today as Ahvaz and Khuzestan. If you believe Bible prophecy, if you believe in the literal word of God, then this fact is of no great surprise to you. If you do not believe the prophetic word of God is literal, then this fact must grab your attention and cause you to reconsider your views about Bible prophecy. If this prophetic content is literal and true, then so is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and your need to cover your sin with the Blood of the Lamb of God.

So, have we seen anything in American media of this ethnic insurrection and ongoing civil warfare occurring within Iran? No, we have not, and the reason why we have not seen it is because that kinds of reporting would be diametrically opposed to the entirely bogus narrative on Iran that the Obama Administration has been deceiving the American people with for years now, or, at the minimum, those Americans who will blindly voting pro-Obama to elect the Democrat ticket in the November presidential election. 

And, not surprisingly, the Iranian government-controlled media are largely failing to report on the Arab insurrection in the country's southwestern region, and also other attacks by Kurdish militia in the northwest and other Sunni militias in the easternmost provinces of Khorasan, Kerman and Sistan-va-Balochestan on the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The stated goal of the Sunni insurrection in Iran is the total liberation of every last inch of soil upon which they live from the Shi'a regime in Tehran. 

Are they the "sword" the LORD has brought after the Ayatollah's regime? I believe they are, in part, because our God is Sovereign and does as He pleases to bring about His will. In the near future another larger military "sword" will be brought against this evil Shi'a regime.

Also noted is the doubtfulness that numerous foreign oil and gas corporations will invest their fortune, time, materials and civilian workers in Iran regardless of the sanctions having been lifted as a result of the equally bogus Iran nuclear deal.

All of this relates to literal fulfillment of God-breathed prophecy regarding Iran and its near term future. However, it will not keep Iran from participating in the event described by Ezekiel 38/39, but an active, large-scale insurrection on your home soil would keep any regime from committing its full military resources in an adventure against Israel (where they will be utterly destroyed). The forces Iran keeps at home will have their fate decided in the full, consuming context of Jeremiah 49:34-39. 

Iranian troops on parade

22 July 2016: Asking if Iran is about to cross the Rubicon is the same as asking if Iran is about to reach the point of no return, per the prophecy of Jeremiah 49:34-39.

Iranian boastfulness is nothing new; their military leaders and clerics have long gained infamous notoriety for making such bellicose commentaries from time to time since the advent of the Islamic Republic. 

However, this time things are different I think given the year since the insane Obama nuclear deal infused the Islamic Republic with cold, hard cash and put the theocratic dictatorship on a fast track to nuclear weapons capability. 

This is likely the backdrop and basis for the content of a speech made yesterday, 21 July 2016, by the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Major General Mohammed Ali Jafari.

An accurate, paraphrased executive summary of MG Jafari's speech goes something like this.

• Iran is now fully prepared and capable of seizing any and all ships of its choosing which "trespass" into the Persian Gulf.
• Iran is now fully prepared and capable of "sending US warships to the depths of the Persian Gulf."
• Certain countries in the region, like the Saudi's, have joined the group of Iran's clear enemies. 
• The IRGC's traditional role has been an armed group that defends the Revolution, and only deals with defense and war, and behaves like like other armed forces in the world. Now, the IRGC can no longer limit its duty to armed protection of the Revolution; the very nature of the IRGC requires its direct supervision over the Revolution.

It's just an early assessment, but this sounds like a military commander about to embark on an offensive warfighting campaign in regions and against the armed forces other than those in the Eastern Mediterranean Littoral (Syria, Lebanon, Israel), or wage war by proxy armies in Iraq and Yemen.  

The Iranian Shi'a Hojjatieh revolution has always been about spreading its theology to the rest of the world. To earnestly begin that process requires a direct confrontation against the armed forces of the United States and its allies, and Saudi Arabia and its allies. MG Jafari appears to have just instructed his subordinate commanders that the time for great conflict has arrived.

Global SITREP C4-16: Will the Russian Federation (Magog) Fall to Islam?

Eid-al-Adha Sunrise over Moscow's Central Mosque

Update 3 August 2016: This and other SITREPs on Eschatology Today have achieved an audience which surpasses all other countries, including the U.S. and Canada. Now that I've given you the greatest hint by posting this update to this particular SITREP, yes, folks in the Russian Federation using Internet Explorer browsers are by far the number one viewers of Eschatology Today, exceeding American Christians by nearly 1,200 for the month of July. 

I really don't care much for statistics, but this one jumped off the page as I was looking to see what subjects folks have the greatest interest in. Obviously, the folks in the Russian Federation are extremely interested in reading about eschatological issues. In Jesus name, my prayer is for as many as will do so turn to the Lord Jesus Christ and become one of the bride of Christ before He comes for us in the Harpazo. Amen.

You see just as the Russian Federation has an imminent problem with the Ezekiel 38/39 prophecy, so does the United States and all other western countries have an imminent problem with the rise of the Antichrist. From the eschatological 'last days' perspective, both countries, and all countries on this third rock from the sun for that matter, have an appointment with the wrath of God. Whether prior to the 70th Week or during it is of no consequence, wrathful judgment is coming upon this world, and Yeshua Mashiach is the only avenue of escape from it.

4 July 2016: The subject of Russia falling to Islamism is not new to the long-term readers of eschatology Today. However, some memories are short and new readers might not yet have gone deep enough into the archives to locate the now 6-year old post entitled 'Gog is Alive and Well and Living in Russia.' To recap, the question was how an ostensibly Eastern Orthodox Russian Federation would lead an alliance of non-Arab Muslim nations (Iran, Libya and Sudan/Horn of Africa) against the State of Israel in the 'last days' according to the Ezekiel 38/39 prophecy. And in support of the contention that Russia would fall to jihadist Islam the estimation of a near-future Muslim-majority Russian Army was cited, as was the fact the demographically there are more Muslims living in Russia than any other country in Europe. Therefore projecting a Muslim-majority military force joined by Iran, Libya and Sudan/Horn of Africa armies in the Ezekiel invasion remains an eminently feasible projection.

Muslims of the Russian Federation

Also cited was the possibility that Vladimir Putin might not be the future "Gog" of a Muslim-led Russia, but the Grand Mufti of Russia, Sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin (born 1959 Rawil Ismagliovich Gaynutdinov) of Tatarstan. Last year Ravil, as the leader of the Council of Muftis of Russia, was awarded the highest Order of the State of Palestine, the "Star of Jerusalem." The last round of warfare between Israel and the terrorist HAMAS in Gaza was heralded by the Russian Mufti as an Israeli attack on mostly innocent civilians - women, children and old men; that Israel is at war not with terrorists, but with the people of Palestine and that the war policy of Israel more closely resembles a war of extermination. His bonafide as a potential 'Gog' are hereby thoroughly established.

Now in the present time were learn that Russian Muslim jihadists are at the forefront of international jihadist attacks. The Tsarnaev brothers who bombed the Boston Marathon and terrorized the city were Russian jihadists from Chechnya. Battle-hardened Russian and former-Soviet Muslim jihadists led the attack on Turkey's Ataturk Istanbul airport last week, as they have done elsewhere over the past ten years in attacks all over the globe. Who is not aware of the role Chechen and other former-Soviet jihadists have played in Al Qaeda or the Islamic State Caliphate? These Muslim jihadists go into battle screaming 'allah hu-akhbar' but their language of communication with each other in the thick of battle is Russian.

In Russia itself these jihadists are no longer confined to their ancestral homelands found in the Caucasus, Crimea and Tatarstan, but a minimum of an estimated 8 million are now firmly established in Russia's European heartland. They have been joined in this mass migration by at least 6.5 million more coming from the former Soviet states of Central Asia. They are being trained for jihad by between 5000 and 7000 Russian-speaking jihadists returned from Syria. 

I do reaffirm in mid-2016 the exegesis that we can see the nations so positively identified by Ezekiel as the principal antagonists: Magog, Rosh (Russia), Meshech (Moscow) and Tubal (Tobolsk) coming to the forefront as the Islamic State Caliphate establishes a more firm hold through the establishment of terror cells in these Russian heartlands. Their declared intent is seen in graffiti on the walls of battle-damaged buildings throughout Syria: "We will pray in your palace Putin! Rise up Chechen's and Tatars!"

Will Russia fall to Islam?  It sure looks that way.

Revelation 11:3-13 The Two Witnesses

1 August 2016: This is not an update, but a re-post of one of my favorite posts on Eschatology Today.  Nearly five years within the Eschatology Today archive realm, it's about time we looked at the prophecy of the Two Witnesses again. Thanks and a hat tip to Miriam for the reminder!

5 December 2011: I believe that most of Revelation 11 is very literal with just a few, fleeting symbolic references. With that in mind let’s look at the Two Witnesses. The Two Witnesses are God’s personal representatives on Earth who are active in Jerusalem during the first 1260 days of the 70^th Week. They are anointed by God with tremendous supernatural power for all of those 1260 days. This is the same kind of anointed power that Moses and Elijah (Eliyahu in Hebrew – my God is YHWH)) both wielded in performing the will of God in ancient times. Their attire of sackcloth is symbolically important to Israel; both Moses and Eliyahu wore sackcloth and it is the attire of Israel’s prophets.

The Two Witnesses are human beings, they are Jewish and they may well be alive right now somewhere in Israel, or at a minimum are soon to be born. If alive now they are young and most likely unaware of their future calling from God or of each other. While many speculate that the Two Witnesses will be Moses and Elijah returned to the Earth, this is not at all likely because those servants of the Lord were long ago transfigured into their eternal bodies. This is known because both were seen to be present at the transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:3-4). Therefore, the Two Witnesses are quite probably going to be two of the 144,000 Jewish male evangelists who will receive an exceptionally special calling from the Lord. This calling will likely be like that which Moses and Elijah received; both were literally called and began their missions for God abruptly.

In self defense of their persons their supernatural power will consume their human enemies with fire, the kind of fire that water cannot extinguish and consumes utterly and completely. Like Elijah’s fire. Their power will cause the cessation of any precipitation for the entire 1,260 days in which they prophecy. In the arid Middle East this is bad enough, but it gets worse. They will then turn other consumable water sources into blood making them non-potable, and strike anywhere on Earth with all manner of plagues whenever they desire, like Moses did to Egypt prior to the Exodus. No wonder the whole world of deceived peoples will hate them with such a passion. The Two Witnesses’ only friends will be each other, the 143,998 Jewish evangelists and the Tribulation Saints.

And then their time is finished. At the end of the 1,260 days the demon king Abaddon/Apollyon is freed from the abyss, indwells and reanimates the Antichrist who has suffered a mortal head wound and he promptly kills the Two Witnesses to the delight of all the deceived around the world. Given the nature of their immense supernatural power manifest over the previous three and one half years the people of Jerusalem will leave their bodies lay where they will fall in the street upon death, refusing them any burial. These events will in all probability be seen live on satellite broadcast around the Earth in real-time. There will be unbridled celebration and gift-giving by the deceived, Antichrist worshipping millions around the world.

And then it happens, three and one-half days after their death these rotting street corpses will suddenly be resurrected and transfigured, confounding and terrorizing those who will see them standing alive once again. Suddenly the celebrating stops as this breaking news flashes around planet earth at the speed of light. The people will hear a voice from Heaven calling them upwards and they will witness a Harpazo ascension just like that which the disciples saw upon Jesus’ ascension. Up into Heaven on a cloud the Two Witness shall go while the world watches in thunderstruck awe. Within that same hour an earthquake strikes Jerusalem, a tenth of the city crumbles to the ground and 7,000 souls are killed. Many of those who survive will repent on the spot and give all praise and glory to the God of Heaven.

It’s going to be a non-stop breaking news cycle from Jerusalem in the middle of this 70^th Week, and the worst of it is yet to occur. The Antichrist, the False Prophet and their forces are now about to enter the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies of the Temple that John the Revelator just measured with a reed in the opening verses of Revelation 11. They are there to halt the worship services and stand up the Abomination of Desolation. The return of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God on Earth is now just 42 months away.