Breaking News Alert 03-17

Fatah al-Sham and Islamic State jihadists not part of the current Syrian ceasefire

🔺 30 January 2017:  This weekend the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a group monitoring the war in Syria, reported that Fatah al-Sham (Al Qaeda) has merged into a common jihadist army with four other jihadist factions. These jihadists groups are now referring to themselves as the Levant Liberation Body (LLB). The LLB are of the Sunni Wahhabi ideology and Islamic State are of the Sunni Salafi ideology; both were excluded from the recent peace negotiations brokered by Russia and Turkey in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The LLB have recently cut off the majority of the Wadi Barada river valley water supply to the city of Damascus and its estimated 5.5 million inhabitants. One of the primary sources here is the Ein al-Fijeh natural spring and pumping station which was cut due to damage caused by fighting despite the alleged ceasefire. As if the situation in western Syria and Damascus was not bad enough, an acute water shortage will only create a more desperate situation for the Al-Assad government and rebel jihadists alike.

Global SITREP A4-17: A Look Ahead

Looking Ahead Across the Sea - Clouds on the Horizon

28 January 2017: The election and inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the President of the United States of America appears to have thrown, pardon the pun, a gold-plated monkey wrench into the the whole gamut of many esteemed eschatological narrators or interpretations going back several decades of recent memory. 

The most glaring of these appears to be the eschatological narrative which held that because United States of America is not specifically mentioned in any of the texts of Bible prophecy that its future would not be one of a globally dominant political, economic and military superpower; that its reduction would be to a level of near-certain irrelevance on the world stage. Perhaps these were man-made narrative interpretations instead of the binding inspired word of the Holy Spirit in interpreting Bible prophecy? 

I tend to believe so and here's why. The Word of God is a literal, living thing; the ancient texts are alive; always have been alive and always will be alive through the power of the Holy Spirit. As we all know, the Lord's words will never pass away, and therefore they live in powerful resonance today as surely as the moment He spoke them. I don't know about anyone else, but when I read the Bible I hear the voice of God speaking. I pray you do as well.

To continue, there is the fact that the Eschatology Today blog has expressed a strongly dissenting view with this particular "America is done" narrative from the get-go as all conscientious readers here are very well aware, even in full consideration of the effect that the Harpazo of the bride of Christ will have upon the United States and the world-at-large. 

Pre-Harpazo, I have always believed that the United States of America is one of the young lions (one of many former colonies) of the western European "Tarshish" sea-faring mercantile nations mentioned in Ezekiel 38:13. This is as close to a Biblical mention of this nation as I have found within the Word of God. And it is no accident that western Europe and its former colonies are closely tied to Sheba and Dedan in this verse. This has been a fact since the overthrow of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I in 1918 and the establishment of the "Tarshish" mandate territories in the Middle East immediately thereafter. It was these same nations of 'Tarshish' which were also critical in bringing about the re-birth of the State of Israel just 40 years from the end of World War I in 1918.

Post-Harpazo, I believe the United States of America, based upon the obvious rationale, will have a very large role in global affairs within the last days fourth beast empire. I believe America is one of the toes or the right foot of iron and clay per Daniel 2; one of the 10 and then 7 horns on the head of the western beast per Daniel 7. 

As I read the angel Gabriel's thunderous prophetic instruction to Daniel (Daniel 8:15-23) there exists no disconnection whatsoever between verse 22 and 23, between the ancient Greek Empire, and its subsequent heir in the Roman Empire, and in the continuation of western dominance to the present day which Gabriel describes as "the latter time of the indignation." From the Lord's timeless perspective, those ancient kingdoms continue into our own. Ancient ruins in Greece and Italy do abound, but their modern versions were seen on globally broadcast living color television this past week coming from Washington, D.C. If Alexander, Antiochus IV Epiphanes or Caesar were alive today, they'd feel right at home among all those white marble columns. So too, I believe, will their soon-to-arrive heir.

At the present, a look ahead reveals there are a couple items to be aware of. One item is that the special relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States is back. A "Tarshish" nation and the largest of its "young lions" together again. The United States hopes to assist in making Britain Great again. This is evident in the fact that Winston Churchill's bust is back in the Oval Office where it belongs thanks to President Trump, who is of Scottish ancestry and was seen holding hands with PM Theresa May at the White House yesterday. Additionally, at the conclusion of the Paris conference of the week prior, the United Kingdom's representative refused to sign the final communique which spelled out the meeting's blatantly anti-Israel findings. This is a significant departure, and a possibly strong indicator that Great Britain may be finally shaking off the Islamic-inspired rhetoric and influences of previous years. 

Another item to watch develop is what is being said by many of the worlds monetary experts who closely follow and forecast the potential effects of the populist revolts going on across the EU. There are elections coming in France (FREXIT) and Germany (GEREXIT) which could have a significant potential to radically alter the near-term viability of the European Union. Italy has already seen the result of a populist vote bringing down their charismatic pro-EU Prime Minister Matteo Renzi just six weeks ago. In Great Britain, the populist BREXIT vote will be challenged, after just five days of discussion, by a Parliament vote on invoking Article 50 for British withdrawal from the EU. These experts are strongly suggesting that the Euro currency could collapse within the next 18 months as a result of the changes expected in the ruling parties through the votes of the general populace. 

The new Trump Administration is just a week old and already has become a change-agent like the United States has not seen in a great many decades. It is no exaggeration to note the President Trump has done more in a week to rebuild America than President Obama did in eight years trying to tear us down to a third world status. A look ahead shows great changes coming, and if the current trend is any example, these changes will occur on a very compressed time scale. One might say the days are being shortened. So much to do, so little time left.

Marana'tha!

Global SITREP A3-17: The Current Situation - A World Upside Down and a Reversal

22 January 2017: Before getting into what was intended for this SITREP there is something that must be clearly stated first.

Yesterday, Saturday 21 January, all American media was totally fixated on those individuals marching in many of our cities and other cities across much of the scope of western civilization. If one had the volume turned up to hear their words spoken from podiums in diverse locations, what was heard no matter the specific locale was very similar to the text of Acts 17:1-9. 

Here in high definition for all the world to see were masses of completely deluded humanity, claiming that we have turned the world upside down from what they believe to be its correct and proper orientation. This display confirms that Paul's preaching to the Thessalonians (2 Thessalonians 2:11) about God sending a strong delusion in the end times has very much come to a literal fulfillment before all of our senses.

What we saw and heard all day long in Washington D.C. on the prior day, Friday 20 January, was righteous in every sense of the word. In that city a vanguard of our Spirit-filled and incessantly praying brethren held evil at bay. The work of the Restrainer was completely unambiguous to one and all who wished to witness it. Umpteen prayers in the name of Christ Jesus were offered by the people and potentates alike. 

And then our vanguard, the Restrainer, returned home and those who openly reject God and refuse to abide by the Truth He has revealed to the whole world and revel in their own wickedness took to the streets. Surely these are those people Paul wrote about to Titus (Titus 1:15-16).

Can anyone who calls him or herself by our Messiah's Holy Name doubt the lateness of the hour in which we live? Got your armor on?

++++

The prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 12:2-3) foretold of a time in the last days when all of the nations of the world come against Jerusalem.  How many realize this actually happened with the passing of UNSC Resolution 2334, and how it lays the ground work for the near future fulfillment of the verses which follow?

How many realize that UNSC 2334 would have the effect of international law without all of the nations, including our own, siding with the Arab Islamists in the name of "peace"?  

How many realize that UNSC 2334 is a betrayal of Israel in the same way that Neville Chamberlain betrayed the peace of the world to Adolf Hitler at Munich in September 1938? History has repeated once again.

Talk about historical revisionism, these nations of the world have declared Jerusalem to be an Arab Muslim possession despite the fact that King David of Israel built the city 1,400 years before Islam came into existence; despite the fact that the Supreme Muslim Council (a/k/a the Waqf) in Jerusalem published a visitor's guide in 1924 which states on its first page that the current site of the Dome of the Rock (a/k/a Al-Haram Al-Sharif) was the "site of Solomon's Temple is beyond dispute."  

The guide goes on to quote 2 Samuel 24:25 where King David of Israel first took possession of the rock (threshing floor) for the price of 50 pieces of silver paid to Araunah the Jebusite.  This historical fact was known to the Arab Muslims well prior to when they conquered the city in 637 AD. 

It was Adolf Hitler's Arab Muslim ally, Haj Amin al-Husseini, in 1924 as president of the Supreme Muslim Council and Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, published the visitors guide and also then began in earnest the program begun in 1921 to deny any Jewish connection to the land declaring a jihad against all Jews then living in British Mandatory Palestine. Who started this war we know as the Psalm 83 War -- the Muslims did; it is their continuing jihad against Israel.

In the aftermath of Israel's War of Independence (1948-1949) and until the Six Day War of June 1967, there were vast areas of land conquered by Egypt (Gaza) and Jordan (Judea, Samaria and Eastern Jerusalem). At no time was there any mention of these lands being "occupied" Palestinian territories. Curious, no?

Through UNSC 2334 the nations of the world have joined in the Islamic jihad against Israel. UNSC 2334 could not possibly have come into existence without the dhimmitude of the West towards the Islamic jihadist agenda. And our new President, Donald J. Trump, and his administration is fully intent upon bringing our nation into national repentance by reversing the evil that our former president has done. 

Standby for a geo-political paradigm shift of Biblical proportions.

I believe virtually all of us can see that such a reversal has a very high probability of bringing the prophecy of Psalm 83 to its ultimate fulfillment, and which we also know is the will of God spoken through His many prophets of Israel.

I also believe the regional instability created by the former U.S. administration which had allowed the Islamic Republic of Iran to nearly achieve hegemony throughout the Middle East will now be completely reversed, so much so that when the dust settles Israel will stand alone as the dominant power in the Middle East, fearing no nation on earth and living in peace and security.

Marana'tha!

Global SITREP A2-17: A New, New World Order

19 January 2017: A new, new world order will commence in less than 30 hours from now with the inauguration as President of the United States Donald J. Trump. And this new, new world order is coming straight to Jerusalem, Israel. At this late hour, I find all of this so very fascinating. It's history in progress. In fact, this new history has been in progress even before hands affirm oaths on the Bibles of Reagan and Lincoln that will be opened to 2 Chronicles 7:14.

And not to appear to count chickens before they hatch, there is a pretty high level of anxiety spread like a blanket across the four corners of the world. There is anxiety that some unprecedented event might occur. We hope not, we really hope not, but you never know for sure until after-the-fact. The Lord's will be done. In Jesus name, Amen.

And then, after the inauguration, the process of razing all of the previous eight years, even 16-years, of the so-called new world order construction will begin with several strokes of a pen on several pieces of paper. But this time it is different, very, very different. This time a literal army of Evangelical believers in Christ Jesus are at the center of power, at the heart of the "empire" if you will, and they will be spinning up their offices in the world's most powerful nation on the earth, within the most powerful military alliance in the history of the earth even though its partly iron and partly clay. 

This kind of thing should have been written in some kind of detail in ancient prophetic verse, and as alluded to above, 2 Chronicles 7:14, might be the prophetic verse I have been searching for to explain why we're at the place we're at this time in history.

This is how it begins; we all know how it ends. Somewhere, possibly in the middle, possibly not, that which Restrains, the bride of Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, will be taken out of the way, and it will all get usurped by an impostor. Until then we are all apart of this with our brethren in the seat of power, linked as one body in Christ through the Holy Spirit. Wondrous, even phenomenal things, should be right around the corner.

Genesis 12:3 Revisited

17 January 2017: I had been having a significant problem of late with the concept espoused by many of 'remedial judgment' coming down from our God, who has always known the end from the beginning, as some sort of Divine spitball for this or that perceived injustice (cursing) against Israel according to the Genesis 12:3 formula.

It occurs to me that Genesis 12:3 has two parts, both a blessing and  a cursing based upon how Abram would be treated by others because from His seed the whole Earth was to be blessed in the future (Jesus our Messiah) (Jacob's prophecy of Genesis 49:8-12).

Many in this pre-70th Week era use Genesis 12:3 in application only to Israel, yet they mindlessly forget that Ishmael was also the physical progeny of Abram. Are we subject to God's cursing for our cursing of Ishmael's progeny's prophetic assault upon the whole non-Islamic world? 

I do not see where God distinguished in this covenant with Abram which of his descendants were worthy of blessing or cursing based upon how they they're treated in perpetuity to the end of time as we have known it.  I see something else entirely. I see that God said to Abram, Genesis 12:7 (Geneva Bible): "Unto thy seed will I give this land." 

 

Then I see that the Spirit-filled apostle Paul, in Galatians 3:16 (Geneva Bible), gave us the true meaning of Genesis 12:7: "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, and to the seeds, as speaking of many: but, And to thy seed, as of one, which is Christ." I would encourage one and all to invest some time in studying Galatians 3 in-depth.

Beyond this we are commanded to love our enemies, despite the fact that virtually all of Abram's descendants through Ishmael are our, and Israel's, existential enemies. 

And also even beyond that, Jesus said in John 5:22 (Geneva Bible), "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son..." 

And then there's the blessing part of Genesis 12:3 which should be in equal portion to the cursing. What, given that so many people have been taught what I now consider to be an erroneous meaning of Genesis 12:3, will be said during the Trump Administration when Israel is extremely and greatly blessed like she hasn't been in over 25 years, and something like a Katrina or Andrew visit our fair shores, or the New Madrid Fault shakes our national core, or the San Andreas Fault creates oceanfront property near Barstow? How could America be cursed by God amidst such blessings upon Israel?

On a near daily basis of late I am seeing great fear, yes real fear, among our brethren bride of Christ here in the US and in Europe; they fear because they have been taught incorrectly the meaning of Genesis 12:3. 

For my part I will no longer teach Genesis 12:3 as it had been taught to myself.  I will teach that ALL nations receive judgment during the 70th Week, including Israel, as the angel Gabriel prophesied to Daniel (9:24); that God will send no "remedial judgment" on the bride of Christ for the sins of those whose names may not be written in the Book of Life, but rather that we are looking up for the Father to send His Son for our Harpazo.

Breaking News Alert 02-17

🔺 13 January 2015: At the Paris conference the coming weekend on the Israel/Palestine issue some details have become known regarding the agenda being driven against Israel's interests and what we can reasonably expect to result from this meeting. The details have been formulated into demands to be placed upon the State of Israel; Israeli non-compliance with these demands result in "sanctions" levied against the State of Israel. The sanctions are likely to include:

• Immediate recognition of the State of Palestine by France and all countries of the European Union.
• A suspension of the association agreement between the European Union and Israel.
• The end of economic and scientific cooperation between the European Union and Israel.

We'll know soon enough the accuracy of this breaking news alert.

TEN TOES

The Roman Empire divided into Left and right foot per Daniel 2

11 January 2017:  This has been an ongoing work for some time now, through which I've read or studied umpteen eschatological books, papers and web postings on the subject the final "beast" empire. The vast majority of these focused on the European Union, or Europe exclusively, and that's not, pardon the pun, without iron-clad cause. The Roman Republic, and then Empire, began as a European, or more correctly, a Mediterranean power.  This can be seen in the above clickable image. This image begs for some detailed study with respect to several coming prophetic fulfillment's and issues discussed below. 

The angel Gabriel, in the 70 Weeks prophecy given in Daniel 9:24-27, specifically pointed to the Roman Empire as the origin of the Antichrist by saying "And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary." As we all know, Jerusalem and the second temple were destroyed by several Roman legions in 70 AD. But hold that thought because first we have to go back to the past of Daniel's lifetime in order to see the prophetic future more clearly.

In Daniel 2:36-45 the dream of Nebuchadnezzar regarding a statuesque image is vividly described and then interpreted with absolute perfection by Daniel after God had shown him the same dream and given him its meaning in a night vision. The fourth and final kingdom was symbolically described as having "legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay." Daniel 2:40-43 contains the details of the meaning of the final form of the fourth kingdom, the Roman Empire.

In Daniel 7 more details about this fourth empire, the fourth and final of the four and only four beast empires, are given. In verse 7 we read: "behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns." Pay careful attention here. What is the final beast with 10 horns doing? Would it be reasonable to interpret that this beast kingdom is at war and utterly crushing its enemies?

Now watch what happens as the interpretive narrative continues in verse 8: "I was considering the [ten] horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words."  

The fourth beast with ten horns is utterly destroying its enemies when suddenly from among the ten horns of this fourth beast an eleventh little horn comes up, and plucks three of the original ten horns out by its roots. This little horn is clearly the Antichrist. See also Daniel 7:19-20 where these events are repeated for what i believe is good interpretive measure. And they are again repeated for a third time in verse 24: 

"The ten horns are ten kings

Who shall arise from this kingdom.

And another shall rise after them;

He shall be different from the first ones,

And shall subdue three kings."

When prophecy is repeated three times in the Word of God its a pretty good indicator that something really, really, really important about future events is being stated. I am ashamed to admit that I had not noticed this important repetition previously, and that is after having studied this chapter of Daniel many, many times over. Yet last week I read it again and it was if I was finally seeing this prophecy for the first time, albeit in an entirely different light. This prophecy is in plain text; it means exactly what it says irregardless of the symbolism associated with it in other directly related prophetic verses. 

The fourth beast empire is at war, devastating its enemy when the Antichrist arises, he deposes three heads of state incorporating them into his own sphere. No wonder Daniel was troubled; I'm living in the days of this prophecy coming to fulfillment and I've never before thought of this prophecy in this way before. It is frightening to consider.

Western Part and Eastern Part of the Final Form Beast Empire

And about those ten toes from Daniel 2 on the two feet that are part iron and part clay. The map above shows that the iron legs above the feet are a literal type of symbol. Rome was a divided empire; you could literally draw a vertical line down the map between Italy and Greece and you'd have the Western Roman Empire, and the Eastern Roman Empire, which became the Byzantine Empire. (The line has been added to the above map for proper visualization of this point)

The western part, or more to the point, the toes on the right foot of Nebuchadnezzar's statue, are pretty easy to identify as they are the current major nations of western Europe: Italy, Spain, France, the UK and Germany. These nations can also be identified as "the merchants of Tarshish" of Ezekiel 38, and their young lions (former colonies) and their other regional allies will provide the bulk of the political and military power the final beast empire will have at its disposal for the Antichrist.

The eastern part, the five-nation group of the left foot is just a little bit more problematic, but I think its a solvable problem. Greece is easy. So too is Cyprus. And Israel. This new group of three and their mutual military alliance and financial and economic activities has been discussed here nearly one year ago. That leaves two nations to identify as toes on this foot. Turkey is an obvious choice. It will not be the same Turkey that we know today, particularly due to the aftermath of the brief Battle of Gog/Magog of Ezekiel 38/39. 

That leaves one toe to go. Given the prophetic demise of Syria in Isaiah 17, that nation is out. So too is Lebanon according to Joshua 13. Both of these nations have a national life expectancy that may well be measured in months or a very few years at most. Libya and Egypt and Sudan are covered and not to be considered according to Daniel 11:43. Jordan, the western-most part that matters, will be part of Israel when Psalm 83 has been fulfilled as seen in Ezekiel 39:11. So that leaves the nation recently noted here as emergent, even as we speak and into the near future - Kurdistan, or as Isaiah 19:24 refers to it - Assyria.

This interpretive view also clearly requires a whole lot of massive military and geopolitical change to occur, and most of it where war has been and is now running rampant. It should be obvious that all of the pre-70th Week prophetic wars will manifest profound changes in virtually every aspect of the Middle East as we know it today - political, religious, societal, financial, economic, military - all of these will be transformed into a new paradigm which can only be vaguely seen at this point in time.

This interpretive view is also standing on a potential threshold of providing a new understanding of what the "covenant among many" will be all about; that it very likely to be directly related to the final version of the last days "Roman Empire." A treaty of alliance between the western and eastern feet and toes of the fourth empire; a treaty which includes Israel as an integral part. And as for the betrayal of Israel in the middle of the 70th Week, what should we expect of the "son of perdition" who entered into this alliance by ripping three existent nations within it out by their roots?

Of these ten: Italy, Spain, France, UK, Germany, Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Turkey, and Kurdistan/Assyria which three will be uprooted by the Antichrist, and from which of them shall he arise are the remaining and likely unknowable eschatological questions to be answered. There are strong clues as has been discussed here previously, but this will have to wait a finality as the watchmen continue to watch.

Global SITREP A1-17: Israel Sovereignty

Full Sovereignty Israel

1 January 2017: Eschatology Today has come to learn that nineteen days from now with the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump, his new administration will almost immediately begin to reverse 50 years of U.S. policy towards the State of Israel.  No longer will the sovereign State of Israel be constrained to act according to and within the constraints of American Middle East policy. Israel will be free to set its own national decisions with respect to the land it possesses in full sovereignty, to include Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem.

According to the Oslo Accords specific regions within Judea and Samaria (i.e. the West Bank) were designated as administrative divisions, A, B, and C. Areas A and B are non-contiguous plots of land where a majority of the Arab population lives. Area C comprises over 60% of Judea and Samaria; a full 1,600 square miles of contiguous territory where well over 100 settlements and unrecognized outposts have been established since the Six Day War of 1967. The Israeli population of Area C is approaching 400,000 based in 135 settlements; the IDF says about 50,000 Arabs also live in this area. 

The Trump Administration would drop the longstanding U.S. characterization of these settlements as illegitimate and consider them as sovereign Israeli territory; and Arab populated areas would remain within full sovereignty Israeli control. The next logical step for the Israeli government would then be to take full possession of Area C as has been desired by Israeli government proponents of annexation for the past several years. 

This new Israeli sovereignty would also logically extend to the Golan Heights, and Jerusalem would no longer be described in divisive terms of east or west, but as one contiguous city being Israel's national capital, and the location of the U.S. Embassy.

Breaking News Alert 01-17

🔺 1 January 2017: As a good portion of the world greets the new year with what is perhaps a sense of hope in the midst of several international crises, the Eschatology Today blog understands that outgoing U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama is doing his utmost the set the world on fire.  

He officially leaves office in 19 days having deliberately stoked a global fire against Israel and its sovereign people's ability to live where they want to live in their country. He has also stoked a diplomatic fire in the relations between the United States and the Russian Federation based upon an unproven and politically expedient charge of its government's meddling in our recent election.

Remember -- it was U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama who deliberately, directly and excessively interfered in the last major election in the sovereign State of Israel for political purposes.

Obama's scorched earth policy against incoming President Donald J. Trump belies the notion that he will gracefully return to civilian life and instead fully intends to lead an underground insurgency against the new American administration. Expect more unAmerican assaults from this outgoing regime.