Today Is For GG5

Today we place our hearts, minds and prayers on our dear sister-in-Christ and lift her up as she undergoes surgery. We know her on Eschatology Today as GG5 (GreatGrany5). I've personally known her for well over a decade as Wilma. Our Lord is with her today accompanied by our prayers.

Global SITREP D3-19: Missing Pieces for Prophetic Fulfillment

2 October 2019: As the Israeli political situation continues to be sorted out, it occurrs that there is something to be said about the still missing pieces, or specific prophetic dominos, which have yet to fall into place.

1. The Islamic Republic of Iran (Parac according to the text of Ezekiel 38:5 and Daniel 6:28, Persia and Persian, respectively.)

The first and most apparent is the agressive role the Islamic Republic of Iran is playing accross the entire MIddle East. According to all of the prophetic texts that relate to the current pre-70th Week period of wars and rumors of wars, the Islamic Republic of Iran is absent from thos texts. What is present is a militarily reduced Iran of Ezekiel 38:5 in the company of other lesser military powers, namely Libya and Sudan, that are part of the larger Magog-led (Russian-led) military expedition that will move against Israel.

What does Ezekiel's prophecy relate? That Persia comes with "shield and helmet." Shields and helmets are the warfighting implements of foot soldiers. This is no further reference in this verse to the other common implements of modern warfare like armor, missiles and artillery. Footsoldiers. So this is is why Eschatology Today interprets Ezekiel 38:5 and referring to a militarily reducing iranian threat, and as we can all see today, Iran is currently the most heavily armed nation in this region. Therefore some kind of military engagement is necessary to reduce Iranian military power to the level of support it will provide to the Magog expedition. We believe this will be manifest in Jeremish 49:34-39 in the near term.

2. Libya and Sudan

Aslo, there are the other nations two named with Iran in Ezekiel 38:5. They are the modern-day Libya and Sudan. Libya is in the midst of its second civil war. Current speculation would follow that the Libyan National Army headquartered in Tobruk and Benghazi and led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, will emerge with a victory. Haftar's forces are aligned with and armed by with Putin's Russia. Sudan is also in the throes of civil war at present and the outcome will also be consistent with Ezekiel's prophecy.

3. The Fourth Beast (Physical Empire)

The third piece is often overlooked, but has been discussed here a couple of times previously, so an eschatological reminder is a good idea. Read Revelation 13:1-2. Eschatology Today interprets "the sea" in verse 1 as being the gentile nations of the earth. This is confirmed by verse 2 which is the focus of this item. 

"Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority."

As noted previously, the fourth beast constituent parts are here given in the reverse order of how they were originally prophesied to appear on the earth in Daniel 7. Originally the four empires were the Babylonian Empire, the Medo-Persian Empire, the Macedonian-Greek Empire and the Roman Empire. In Revelation 13:2 description of the reconstituted Roman Empire, the fourth beast, includes in reverse order the Macedonian-Greek, Medo-Persian and Babylonian Empires. 

Is this what we see in the world today? No, today we see the Persians ascendent in the Middle East as in ancient times. Persia (Iran) today again appears as a bear with three ribs in its mouth. Who are those three ribs in this modern era? Look at a map. They are Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. This is an undeniable fact.

So, for the appearance of the fourth beast as this prophecy (Revelation 13) from God, Jesus and John on Patmos there are some events that have to come to pass. What has been previously identified as the "eastern leg" needs to be subdued to become integral to the fourth and final beast empire. This may indicate yet another major war as we've also discussed here previously. The emergence of the little horn among the ten occurs as it is conquering and crushing to pieces as we read in Daniel 7:7-8. 

Marana'tha!

Global SITREP D2-19: RED ALERTS PART II

Hoveyzeh LACM

16 September 2016: This is the essential follow-up to Global SITREP C10-19.

Eschatology Today assesses the cruise missiles used in the attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities to be an improved version of the Soumar Land Attack Cruise Missile (LACM) noted previously. It is known as the Hoveyzeh LACM and has major improvements over the older Soviet-based Kh-55 Granat version known as the Soumar. The Hoveyzeh was first identified earlier this year as incorporating state-of-the-art advancements making it a stealthy, extremely accurate, terrain or sea-surface skimming cruise missile. The example apparently shot down or crashed in the Saudi desert appear to cnfirm this assessment, even though offical word ffrom the Saudi's of a shoot-down of at least one of the Hoveyzeh has not been forthcoming.

The most important news update comes in the Trump Administration decision to announce publicly the U. S. Intelligence Community's assessment that a dozen of these cruise missiles and nearly twice as many drones were launched by the IRGC-QF from Iranian territory and not from Iraqi territory as noted yesterday. President Trump has also strongly hinted that U.S. military counter-strikes ("locked and loaded") or coalition military counter-strikes on Iranian targets may be imminent. The potential for massive regional escalation cannot be over emphazied.

Updates as they are made available.

Global SITREP D1-19: Is Trump's "Deal of the Century" a Division of the Land or Not?

Israel's Politics

18 September 2019: The Lord has pointed something out that should not have been missed in the first place. And it took this repeat Israeli election to get the point across. It's really pretty simple too, so a slap upside the head for not realizing this sooner.

Israel at this time is a divided state. Divided between secular sides of the political right and political left. Divided between the religious sects and the no-so-much religious sects. There's also a divide along racial lines as Ethiopian Jews fled the Likud-voting block because of treatment they say they receive from their fellow Likudites. So, not much has changed for the Jews since they were last in the land a couple thousand years ago, right?

Well, almost right. Israel was united when the Lord began to bring them back from the diaspora, Europe in particular. They came from different European countries, speaking different languages (English, French, German, Polish, Russian, etc. etc.) and had to resurrect Hebrew as their new re-born language as a center of gravity for a newly reborn country in fulfillment of Isaiah 66:8 and also explicitly literal as prophesied in Isaiah 60:8-9. And then politics got in the way, secularism got in the way, and the Jews who claim to worship the same YHWH began to quarrel and bicker about how the new country would be governed.

So, here we are, the Bride of Christ, looking for the promised fulfillments of the ancient Hebrew prophets texts, and assuming many things (guilty as charged), and in so doing missing what the Lord has said. And this thing He has said was said through almost all of the ancient prophets: Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, just name them all! They all pretty much repeat the theme of Aliyah, meaning to ascend up to His mount in Jerusalem, and in particular to ascend to Jerusalem for the major Feasts appointed by the Lord for them to observe. To ascend the mount to the Temple.

Is this not the central theme of a key prophetic chapter Eschatology Today has been highlighting of late Isaiah 11? (Jeremiah 49 repeats this!) Look at verse 11. Is this not the second (and final) regathering of His people back to the land from the four corners of the earth" (Jeremiah 23:3) and has it not been fulfilled absolutely in the most literal sense? (Yes, it has!) And this second regathering has been of the descendants of both ancient Israel and Judah, and figuratively, those making this Aliyah, are just as literally Judah and Ephraim, and they would become one people again. Is this the Israel we see today?

And that's the point, for to literally fulfill Isaiah 11:14, Israel will have to dispense with all the political bickering and divisions and truly become one nation under God. So, if Eschatology Today is correctly understanding what the Lord is pointing out, then a great revival of all Israel will soon have to take place. And now is that time for that to happen as Psalm 102:13 declares. And this is what may be the as yet unseen result of yesterday's election in Israel. God is in control; He will make it happen. 

15 September 2019: Above is the map of Judea and Samaria released early this morning (15SEP19) by Naftali Bennet and his Yamina Party which alleged to depict a division of the land as part of the Trump Administration's "Deal of the Century (DoC)." 

In this map the dark blue to the left represents the Jordan River Valley to be annexed directly by Israel after the Tuesday (17 September) election and assuming a Likud victory for PM/DM Bibi Netanyahu. The black area is to be the "Palestinian" state with islands of white within it representing settlements and urban areas also to be annexed to Israel as sovereign. Also clear in this map is a further division in the center of the "Palestinian" area making a the proposed "Palestinian" state roughly divided into two halves, with at least seven additional enclaves located within the would-be "Palestinian" state.

On the face of it, it occurs to Eschatology Today, that the PA would never accept such a "DoC" as this map protends it to be. War is inevitable according to Bible prophecy, but implementation of this map would guarantee it.

So, it's not surprising this morning that Likud and an anonymous U.S. official are ripping the publication of this map as "Fake News." This is a strange accusation to make because Netanyahu had said in very recent days all of these white areas would be part of the Trump "DoC" and essential to Israel's future security requirements. Quoting PM Netanyahu according to the Jerusalem Post, “The application of Israeli sovereignty will be to all the settlements in Judea and Samaria, including the blocs and the territory outside of the blocs, and other areas that are essential to our security and our heritage - these things will be part of [Trump’s] Deal of the Century, which will come out very soon after the elections."

It may be that Bennet and the Yamina Party have preemptively cut Netanyahu and Likud to the quick, or it is yet another last-minute twist and turn in a series of twists and turns as secular Israel struggles with all of the pressures surrounding it these days. Also, a major military operation in Gaza to effect a HAMAS regime change remains an active plan as both Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan and PM/DM Netanyahu stated a couple of days ago, with Erdan adding the coming Gaza operation was a necessity.

It is no exaggeration to say that Eschatology Today is watching more irons in the proverbial fire than can be accurately counted at this time.

Marana'tha!

Global SITREP C10-19: RED ALERTS

We Can Never Forget

UPDATED BELOW 11 September 2019: Today is Patriot Day, it's a day we can never forget. So we remember this day, and everything that came after it and which continues for the past 18 years. Nine-Eleven changed America in ways we're still discovering after 18 years of continuous war with desolations continuing just as the angel Gabriel prophesied to Daniel.

Many say we've seen this all before. And we have. Jesus prophesied that these days would be exactly as they have been - like birth pangs of increasing intensity and frequency of occurrence. But we have to take note of the increasing intensity that has become manifest in just the past 30 days. For example, Israel now routinely attacks the enemies in both central and western Iraq. Just yesterday, and for the first time, the enemy in Gaza attempted a decapitation strike against Israel's Prime Minister with a volley of fairly precise missiles. The Iron Dome systems quickly extrapolated the trajectory of the missiles and determined Netanyahu was the target. The missiles were shot out of the sky and the PM was hustled out of harms was by his security detail. HAMAS took advantage of a well publicized political event to strike at the PM because he was a target of opportunity.

The "quiet" now is foreshadowed by the knowledge that Iran, its Iraqi proxies, Hezbollah and the factions in Gaza are preparing a missile and rocket blitz against Israel. For its part, Israel is prepared to postpone an election a week away in order to prosecute a ground war in Gaza, as well as take on Hezbollah in Lebanon and the IRQG-QF and Iraqi proxy militias along with Syrian forces in Syria. This is what makes this time different because when these things take place they will alter the situation in the Middle East irreversibly. Its setting the stage, so to speak, for the advent of Israel's 70th Week of years and we're witness to all of it in near real-time.

13 September 2019: There are a lot of eyes, friendly and not so much, focused on next Tuesday's election in Israel. There's even some serious speculation that it may not take place as scheduled, but would be postponed until after a war against the terrorist factions in Gaza has been successfully completed. This rumor of war has not been dispelled by the Prime Ministers Office, in fact it has been enhanced by statements made to Israeli media. So, we'll see what takes place over the next 72 hours or so.

Whatever developments take place there are now statements coming from Jordan which place the peace agreement in serious jeopardy. Since last spring Jordan has been making its displeasure known over PM Netanyahu's comments regarding annexation of the Jordan Valley, Judea and Samaria. The Jordanian policy has always been in support of a two-state solution as the only viable alternative to war. 

It has long been assumed that Jordan would go to war with Israel over Jerusalem and issues related to the Temple Mount which it remains the religious custodian of. However, now it has become crystal clear that Jordan views all of Judea and Samaria as essential for the emergence of a Palestinian state. Eschatology Today believes this is very likely the reason why an Israel war with the Palestinian terror factions in Gaza would be directly tied to an Israeli war with Jordan, exactly as prophesied in Isaiah 11:14. Jordan is ready to militarily support Palestinians in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.

Jordan, as has been stated here before, is between Iraq and a hard place. After the war of Israel's independence in 1948, Jordan annexed the whole of the so-called West Bank plus eastern Jerusalem. Israel fixed that problem in the Six Day War that began on 5 June 1967. Jordanian forces attacked Israel on the first day of the war to fulfill a mutual defense pact with Egypt which it had signed on 30 May 1967. Fast forward to fifty-two years later and Jordan doesn't have Egyptian forces attacking Israel's southern front in support of its forces attacking Israel's eastern front. In 2019 Egypt has made it clear that Gaza is solely an Israeli problem; the Gaza Palestinians are on their own. That's where Jordan steps in and that's where Isaiah 11:14 finds its literal fulfillment. 

Saudi Aramco facility at Abqaiq attacked by iranian cruise missiles 14SEP19

14 September 2019: The photo above making the rounds in global media shows the fires that resulted from an Iranian cruise missile strike early this morning Saudi time. This strike made good on the Iranian threat that if its oil was embargoed from world markets by the sanctions regime imposed by the U.S., then other nations oil would also not make it to market. The full economic impact remain uncalculated, and it will be at least 48 hours before the next Aramco post-attack assessment is made public according to the Saudi Minister of Energy.

Just when some thought tensions with Iran were subsiding this attack occurred, and may be a final wake-up call to the threat that the 21st century regime most like the Nazi regime of the 20th century represents. U.S. government officials and some in the U.S. Congress were making the case for military action against Iran today as a direct result of this attack. President Trump has pledged full U.S. support to the Saudi's. 

Virtually concurrent was the discussion between President Trump and Israeli PM Netanyahu regarding a mutual defense treaty between the U.S. and Israel. How will this play out with Netanyahu's talk of annexation of Judea and Samaria if his Likud faction wins the election still scheduled for Tuesday, 17 September, is anyone's guess. Nevertheless, all of these news items are critical in their own right, and potentially monumental all together.

15 September 2019: Follow-up images.

IRGC-QF "Soumar" LACM in Saudi desert

IRGC-QF "Soumar" LACM intact

The Iranian Shi'a Twelver War Council

The top image is of the finned aft-end of an Iranian "Soumar" Land Attack Cruise Missile (LACM) found in the Saudi desert near the Saudi Aramco attack sites of Abqaiq and Khurais. Below it is the "Soumar" as it appears normally, with an auxillary rocket booster attached. 

This LACM is derived from the Russian Kh-55 'Granat' Iran clandestinely acquired from Ukraine with Russian assistance more than a decade ago. The Russian version was designed to carry to 200kt nuclear warhead and is the critically important reason why Iran can never develop and deploy its own nuclear warhead.

The bottom image is of the Iranian Shi'a Twelver War Council. To the left of the approaching Ayatollah Khamenei are his clerical underlings. To his right are Iraqi Shi'a cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC-Qods (Jerusalem) Force, and Iranian Major General Hossein Salami, Chief of Staff of the IRGC. These are the men responsible for all acts of terror inthe MIddle East (and beyond), including yesterday's unprecedented military attack on Saudi Arabia's largest oil field and refining facility. Make no mistake, this attack is a game-changing Act of War.

This Global SITREP is continued above in Global SITREP D2-19: RED ALERTS PART II.

Marana'tha! 

Global SITREP C9-19: Crisis Point to War

Hassan Nasrallah speaks to Hezbollah from a hidden location

UPDATES BELOW 27 August 2019: From crisis point to war. Israel has been acting in its own self-desfense for the past 45 days in an attempt to ward off a concerted effort by Iran and its proxies in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Gaza and even in Judea and Samaria to attack the Jewish state with suicide drones and artillery rockets. In recent days government officials to militia commanders have made declarations of war against Israel from all of these places.

Eschatology Today notes that these enemies are those named in prophecies given through Asaph (Psalm 83), Isaiah (Isaiah 11 and 17), Jeremiah (49:23-27 and 34-39), and Ezekiel (28:24-26). These prophecies are nothing new to readers here; they have been discussed in-depth for the past ten years on this blog. This SITREP will carry forward as the current situation develops further.

28 August 2019: The situation remains the same in the north and south of Israel, with just one possible exception. A Gaza terrorist posted a video of what was ostensibly a pair of chemcial agent balloon bombs that floated out over Israel. No word yet on what the 'toxic death' liquid mixture may have been.

Here's something noticed earlier today which had not been noticed previously. Isaiah 17 is focused on Syria; and Joshua 13 is focused on Lebanon. Psalm 83 covers the enemies of Israel all around, north to south, and Ezekiel 28:24-26 parallels the neutralization of these all around Israel enemies, as does Jeremiah 49 names them, plus Iran. What I noticed is that Isaiah 11:14 deals specifically with Gaza and Jordan. No mention of Syria, Lebaon or Iran. 

In all its modern wars, from 1948 to 1973, Israel has fought its enemies in a type of piecemeal fashion, The IDF went after northen enemies like Syria and Iraq, then wheeled around and went after the southern enemy in Egypt, then wheeled around again against the Jordanians in the east. 

My question is: Are the previous wars Israel fought in the 20th century a kind of "Past as Prologue" for the coming wars of the 21st century? Will Israel take on each of these enemies one at a time, as Isaiah 11:14 has caused to be considered? It's an intriguing set of questions, but also appears to be partof the current IDF planning for war on multiple fronts fought in series as the previous wars were. We'll see - maybe. 

Screen capture of the initial Hezbollah ATGM attack
on IDF convoy in Avivim, Israel, 1 September 2019.

1 September 2019: Here we go. Nearly two hours ago (4:15 PM Israel Time) Hezbollah attacked an IDF convoy of APCs in the area of Avivim, northern Israel on the border with Lebanon, with Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM). Israel initiated artillery counter-fires on the ATGM firing location. IAF aircraft of many types took to the skies and have been striking Hezbollah targets in souther Lebanon. The UNFIL began pleading for calm and for both sides to stand down.

PM Netanyahu held an emergency conference call with IDF CoS LTG Aviv Kochavi, the Shin Bet cief and his security cabinet regarding the fighting on the northern border. Israel overnight had directed preemptive artillery fire and illumination flares at Hezbollah forces attempting to invade Israel through a wooded area. The area caught fire as a result of the shelling.

At present the IAF is pressing air operations in southern Lebanon. Palestinians in Judea and Samaria are celebrating the Hezbollah attack on the IDF and rumors of IDF casualties. At least two IDF troopers were medevaced to hospital from the initial attack in Avivim. There may be no official Israeli government public discussion until midnight Israel time (about 6 hours from now).

We watch to see if this develops further...

9 September 2019: And develop it has. No one should be surprised at how this has developed. Israel is now militarily engaged, albeit low intensity at the moment, against all of the enemies identified by the prophet Asaph in Psalm 83. In my last comment of yesterday, the final enemy - the one from Asshur - which Eschatology Today years ago identified as Iraq, in the region known today as the "Sunni Triangle" north of Baghdad, was engaged by Israel in Syria! This has been confirmed today by Israel's Arutz Sheva 7.

None of the Biblical prophets make any distinctions about the sects of Islam, be they Sunni, Shi'a or Alawi. Those prophets of old noted the geographic region these enemies would come from. And for Asaph's reference to Asshur, this is exactly correct. The Sunni Arabs have been militarily subdued since 2015 and today are under military occupation by the Shi'a militias (Popular Mobilization Units or PMU) loyal to the Iranian Ayatollah. The PMU and IRGC-QF are the enemies Israel attacked a handful of times in that same region beginning in July. 

On Sunday Israel attacked their forward most developing base in Al-Bukamal, Syria, and near the Iraqi border town Al-Qaim. Al Qaim was also the location of another strike on PMU and IRGC-QF forces as they were moving Iranian Zelzal-2 rockets into Syria for deployment in Al-Bukamal. In response the enemy from Asshur, the PMU, attempted to strike Israel with rockets fired from the region around Damascus, but those rockets impacted well short of their targets in Israel. (We know very well why those rockets fell short!) And, once again as has occurred before, Israel responded to that attempted attack by warning Syria (Isaiah 17, Jeremiah 49:23-27) that the government in Damascus would be held responsible for any attacks against Israel originating from its territory.

And then there's Gaza. Egyptian Intelligence officers passed along specific warning to HAMAS that Israel would postpone an election and all its political parties would unite in order to prosecute a ground war against all Islamist factions in Gaza. As for the government of Lebanon, it has received the same warning as Syria, but with respect to the Iranian-proxy Hezbollah that controls the country as well as the Lebanese Army. As stated before, Israel will strike a jointly operated IRGC-QF/Hezbollah precision missile factory in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley very soon. IAF strike aircraft have been flying sorties up and down the Beqaa as late as yesterday thereby keeping the enemy guessing and testing its defenses.

Global SITREP C10-19 is coming next. We already know its content, don't we?

Global SITREP C8-19: Crisis Points

22 August 2019: Jesus told us to "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming." (Matthew 24:42) Been doing nothing but that, and especially of late. If you're watching in like manner as I, then perhaps your thoughtful prayer has been something akin to, "Lord if not now, then is there an emergency stop button for all the madness, lawlessness and hate in this world." Never before have I seen in my lifetime the things which have occurred in the past month. Surely the spirit of the antichrist has gone into overdrive of late, it is so blatant, so in our face, that there may be some feeling like the Corinthians did when Paul addressed them in his second letter. 

Well, we all know God is in complete control and there is no emergency stop button. Instead there is the Harpazo, and that blessed hope is anything but an emergency stop. Instead it's a full speed ahead throttle for all manner of things to get drastically worse. Imagine what would occur if the Harpazo occurred tomorrow. In Portland, Oregon or any large city, such as Philadelphia, Baltimore, LA or San Francisco where the Antifa domestic terrorists and other lawlessness and abject, depraved filth runs rampant; where law enforcement all but stands down because the socialist politicians who run such places really want that kind of mayhem as it suits their purposes very nicely indeed. 

I think we all agree that in a post-Harpazo America the very perception safety and security would rapidly go right out the window. That's what I saw this past week where the Philly PD had just rescued approximately 80 kids, aged 6 months to 10-years old, from a drug crazed radical Muslim with an AK-47 shooting wildly out the window, were turned on by the local residents because the LEOs had just shut down the neighborhood crack house. Forget the safety of the children rescued, they wanted their crack. It was big news, carried live on TV for hours on end, and then once facts were known the media pulled the plug; the facts weren't anything close to the image they wanted to present on American TV.

And you know what, this is just the tip of a monstrous iceberg that is pulling up right alongside the SS United States ship of state. The opposition Democraft party willl not only not denounce Antifa insurgents on our streets, but they're doubling down on the effort to remove President Trump from office. And I mean they want to remove him by any means at their disposal. Not the first time I've said this here, hopefully it will be the last time.

Meanwhile, across the oceans there are strong indications that the prophetic Psalm 83 scenario is very close at hand. Violence is very likely to begin within hours on the Gaza front, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad announced this week that they are at war with Israel. And Israel has suddenly made clear that its forces are operating in central Iraq against the Iranian PMU terror proxies under IRGC-QF control. Most interesting thing here, as it relates to Psalm 83:8, is that these very stealthy IDF attacks are occurring in the area formerly known as the Sunni Triangle north of Baghdad. Why the Iranians have based their Shi'a Iraqi proxies in this particular region is no great mystery either. Nevetheless for a few weeks now the Israeli attacks have been devastating.

In Syria, the battle for Idlib is fast approaching another crisis point because the accords which Russia and Turkey reached last spring now to have collapsed. Turkish forces crossed into Syria and Syria dropped bombs as a shot across the head of the column. Russian and Turkish jets nearly clashed overhead this past week. And the expected crisis in this area, per our interpretation of Jeremiah 49:23, remains very much a crisis point.

Then there's a series of massive explosions that have occurred recently in Russia. The most significant was one which involved a weapon that was either nuclear powered or had a nuclear warhead, or both. The primary Russian radiation monitoring stations in this region have suddenly gone silent in an attempt to keep the lid on this disaster as was done in the Soviet days at Chernobyl. However, the radiation that resulted from the explosion was recorded and it was significant. There was also the recent secret submarine mishap plus a series of explosions that all but leveled the weapons depot and nearby towns.

Global SITREP C7-19: The One-State Solution

Near-future map of Israel; the One-State solution

8 August 2019: The abduction and murder in Etzion last night by HAMAS operatives of 18-year old yeshiva student, Dvir (Yehuda) Sorek, who also had just begun his stint of service in the IDF, stands a very good chance of igniting a significant, if not defining, final act of the ongoing Psalm 83 war (1947 to Present). 

HAMAS claims Dvir's murder was a "powerful response" to discussions in Israel about the annexation of Judea and Samaria. In reality, Dvir's murder makes the annexation of Judea and Samaria more not less likely, and by force of arms more than likely. HAMAS also reiterated its goal of expelling "the occupiers" from all of Jueda and Samaria. Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Tehran's patron, referred to this murder, which some of its operatives may have also participated, as "heroic."

PM/DM Bibi Netanyahu immediately countered by saying "our mission is to establish the nation of Israel in our country, to secure our sovereignty over our historic homeland." The key word here is sovereignty. Israel's sovereignty over all of its historic homeland. 

At the present time none of the major political parties in Israel are talking about the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state, the so-called two-state solution. What Likud, Labor and the Blue and White List are all talking about is separation of the the Palestinians from Israel. This separation is being accomplished by the building of walls. Walls around settlements, walls that divide highways straight down the middle. Walls that separate the citizens of the State of Israel from the areas and transportation nodes of the "Palestinians."

This is now. Taking a snap-look forward to a time nearing and soon to become a present reality, how does the God-breathed prophecy of Ezekiel describe the land of Israel's habitation prior to the Magog's attempt to invade? 

Ezekiel 38:10-12 

‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’— to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land."

Unwalled villages inhabited by peaceful people dwelling safely, all of them dwelling without walls, bars or gates in the midst of the land. This is certainly not the Israel we know today, but it will be the Israel that exists immediately prior to the events of Ezekiel 38/39. 

Do we recognize that this complete lack of walls, bars or gates not only refers to the midst of the land of Israel, but also includes the rather significant defensive walls, bars and gates currently surrounding Gaza? They're going to be coming down, and soon. This is what the Lord GOD through Ezekiel is telling us if were willing to listen. The future reality well ahead of the time in which it will be.

Isaiah 11:14, as has been discussed here several times previously, directly links Israel's military coming conquest of the terrorist-controlled Gaza with a simultaneous military conquest of most of western Jordan. This near-future reality, is reflected in the map at the top of this SITREP. The only missing piece in this map is the area to the southeast of the Dead Sea, that too will be Israel. And it will occur, as Eschatology Today believes, before Ezekiel 38/39 takes place. Ditto for Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49:34-39. All of this constitutes a very big paradigm shift if not a geo-political tsunami for the Middle East, which won't come even close to looking like it does today.

So, let's see how this new developing paradigm takes shape before our eyes and falls in with the marching cadence set by the Lord's prophets so long ago.

Global SITREP C6-19: It Is Sentient

The Sentient Machine

2 August 2019: The vast array of next generation military hardware is upon the world two decades into the 21st century, and seemingly right on time for the advent of the 70th week of years. More kinetically lethal, vastly more destructive, and deliverable on a global scale that was in the realm of science fiction not that long ago. 

But what we're probably not ready for is the knowledge that all of that technological wizardry of warfare, from intelligence collection of the minutest detail, to the real-time dispatch of automated, artificially intelligent (AI) 'strike packages' anywhere on the earth within minutes, controlled by an artificial intelligence that is most assuredly 'next level.' An AI that is in every sense of the word a virtual sentient being. 

The reference here is to a machine that has attained consciousness of itself and everything else in the world via the streams of terabytes of data flowing into it from all manner of sensors in orbit, in the air or in other ways attached via a virtual neural network we call the world wide web. It's name is Sentient because it is sentient. It's no longer science fiction because it's here now. Sentient is an omnivorous consumer of all kinds of data; it is aware of the past, present and can anticipate the future. 

And there are still some folks who deny we're living in the last days. Little do they know that they'll soon be enslaved by Sentient and the dark, demonic forces that will control it. 

If anything can make some sense of the prophetic text of Revelation 13, this can. There's the Antichrist, the beast, and the False Prophet, having the appearance of a lamb but speaking as Satan. And the Antichrist will be wounded by a weapon so severely to his head that his survival will be considered completely miraculous. And the false prophet, in verse 14, tells mankind to make an image of the beast, and in verse 15, by satanic power gives breath (GK:pneuma meaning breath of life) to the image of the beast, and it will speak (articulate words) to the world and have the ability to kill anyone refusing to worship itself. It will force the economic 'mark of the beast' upon the world at that time. 

Sentient will look like at man at this time, not like a box box computer. And as the prophet Daniel foretold and Jesus reiterated (Matthew 24:15) this Sentient image of the Antichrist standing the the Holy Place of the coming Third Temple will be the "Abomination of Desolation." This is where the Thlipsis (Tribulation) ends 3.5 years into the 70th week of years and the Megas Thlipsis (Great Tribulation) of the final 3,5 years begins. Oh, and by the way, Sentient is 'made in America.'

This SITREP is primarily for those who unfortunately did not accept the free gift of Salvation purchased by the shed blood of Christ Jesus and find themselves 'left behind' after the Harpazo has occurred. The dark powers descibed above are very close, if not understated, that they can expect to have to deal with during the final 7 years preceeding the Second Coming of Christ Jesus. Choose Christ while there is still time to do so!

Global SITREP C5-19: 21st Century Warfare

USMC LMADIS Anti-Drone system

UPDATED (Below) 19 July 2019: Yesterday at approximately 10 AM in the morning in the Strait of Hormuz there was a hostile encounter between the US and Iran. But the shots fired weren't conventional bullets, but a beam of electromagnetic energy (EM). Welcome to warfare in the 21st Century. A full write-up on this vehicle and its technology by Tyler Rogoway is at The War Zone.

The 11th MEU embarked on the USS Boxer brought down an Iranian drone which got too close and made threatening maneuvers. The "fire" on theenemy target came from the vehicle imaged above, the USMC LMADIS (Light Marine Air Defense Integrated System) mounted on a militarized Polaris MRZR dune buggy. One or more of the drum-shaped emitters enveloped the iranian drone in an EM beam cutting off all singals from its control center in Iran, Uncontrolled the Iranian drone crashed into the sea.

USMC LMADIS TIED-DOWN ON DECK

The image above shows how the LMADIS was tied-down on the forward deck of the USS Boxer as it engaged the threatening Iranian drone. The question is, is this how the prophetic engagement of Jeremiah 49:34-39 begins, with a form of modern EM warfare that to the ancients was completely incomprehensible. Some unseen power literally plucked a flying craft out of the sky. This is not unlike another unseen power breaking the "bow of Elam." 

Standing by now to see what develops next. It appears as if a new threshold has been crossed.

22 July 2018: The update is that this weekend most of the regular surface fleet of the Iranian Navy (IRIN) which consists of 3 frigates, and a host of the fast boats of the IRGC, departed from their births. One frigate stood off about 500 years in parallel of the USS Boxer ESG as the six ships entered into the (Arabian) Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz. 

And as most have heard by now, the UK has its problems with Iran in the form of two of its merchant vessel having been taken over by IRGC heliborne commandos and fastboats. It appears that today's COBRA session of the UK govenment resulted in a determination to send a submarine, a destroyer, and some additional numbers of SBS commando to the Gulf. Things are heating up quickly.

More to come...

Global SITREP C4-19: Iranian Vulnerability Exposed

IAF F-35I Adir

UPDATED 2 July 2019: We discussed this briefly about a year ago as it was just a rumor. But now that a Kuwaiti newspaper has spilled the beans on Ayatollah Khamenei's firing of his air defense (AD) chief the rumor aspect has evaporated. The Iranian AD was suddenly canned because he had kept quiet about the fact that Israeli F-35I 'Adir' aircraft flew completely, stealthily, undetected throughout Iran during March of 2018. Undetected even by Iran's Russian-made S-300 SAMs or its own Bavar-373 imitation S-300 SAM systems. These systems were overcome by the F-35I Adir's stealth characteristics.

The IAF F-35I "Mighty" aircraft flew a detailed reconnaissance mission over Iranian military sites at Bandar Abbas, Shiraz, Isfahan, Karaj, and even loops around the capital Tehran. The Ayatoallah went ballistic because the Israeli Air Force was above his head and he knew nothing about it. Zip, nada, nothing. We can imagine the Russians might also be a tad miffed too.

Here's a timeline to review. 

In December 2016 the first two F-35I Adir's land in Israel. 

In December 2017, and now with a grand total of just five aircraft in Israel, the Adir is declared to have its Initial Operational  Capability, or IOC, meaning it can fly combat missions. And it did.

March 2018, the Israeli Air Force is flying a reconnaissance mission with its F-35I's completely undetected over virtually all of Iran's most sensitive military bases in western Iran (i.e. ancient Elam too). These sites included all of Iran's AD sites, nuclear sites as well as Iran's top secret underground missile bases.

So, while Iran can shoot down slow, unstealthy and very large UAVs like the US Navy's BAMS-D, the country is now proven to be very vulnerable to US and Israeli F-35 Lightning II, not to mention the US squadron of stealthy F-22 Raptor's, which brings the extra added benefit of enhancing the lethality and survivability of the Lincoln CSG's embarked F/A-18 SuperHornets and Growlers. 

Indeed, as POTUS Trump said just yesterday, Iran is playing with fire. We might even bestow the name "Jeremiah's Fire" to the soon to transpire event that prophet foretold so long ago.

11 July 2019: About the international coalition in the Eschatology Today interpretation of Jeremiah 49:34-39, we have this just released USCENTCOM statement.

July 11, 2019 — "We are aware of the reports of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp Navy's FAC/FIAC harassment and attempts to interfere with the passage of the UK-flagged merchant vessel British Heritage today near the Strait of Hormuz. We refer you the UK Ministry of Defense for further information on this.

Threats to international freedom of navigation require an international solution. The world economy depends on the free flow of commerce, and it is incumbent on all nations to protect and preserve this lynchpin of global prosperity."

- attributable to Capt. Bill Urban, Lead Spokesman for U.S. Central Command"

Global SITREP C3:19: Elam and Iran in History and Prophecy

Elam/Iran  Susa/Anshan

27 June 2019: Elam and Iran (Paras), from the biblical prophetic perspective, are they the same or different? There are, according to the conducted Eschatology Today research, as many differing opinions or interpretations of this question as there are maps or drawings which depict the territory of ancient Elam within what we know today as the Islamic Republic of Iran (Paras). What appears as a fact is that ancient Elam does not exist today, but within its ancient territory are several provinces of the present Islamic Republic of Iran. Perhaps that is all we need to know about the subject. But maybe there is more. This discussion of the "more" will be brief but detailed overview of the Biblical and historical perspectives.

The Biblical Perspective

Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel all referenced this land within the prophecies given them directly by the LORD God, or in the case of Daniel, by His angelic messenger Gabriel. One question that arises is why Jeremiah's prophecy (Jer. 49:34-39) only refers to Elam, and Ezekiel's prophecy (Ez. 38:5) only refers to Iran (Paras). Not many venture futher to acknowledge that Ezekiel also referred to Elam during the time of his prophetic ministry. 

Ezekiel 27:10 refers to Paras (Iran). Then in Ezekiel 32:24 the prophet speaks lamentations upon the nations that will go down into the pit having been conquered by the sword (war). Among them is Eylam (Elam), gone into the pit,; conquered for having caused "their terror in the land of the living." With Elam in the pit is also Asshur (Assyria), Meshech, Tubal, Edom, Sidon and Egypt). So here are two example of Ezekiel using both terms for modern Iran in the same general time period (circa 580 BC).

The Historical Perspective

In those ancient times Elam had been an established political state for a couple of millennia in the general region of Iran we know today as the province of Khuzestan when Jeremiah and Ezekiel received their prophecies. Back then Elam was a contemporary of Akkadia and Sumeria. Elam emerged from that domination circa 1300 BC, and over hundreds of years there emerged within Elam two regional powers, Susa, with which we're eminently familiar from the Old Testament, and Anshan. In those ancient days the kings of Elam were known as "the king of Elam and Anshan. 

Then, circa Nebuchadnezzar the First (Nebuchadnezzar I) reign, about one-hundred some-odd years prior to King David's rule in Israel, the western half of Elam came under the control of the Babylonian Empire, while in the east, in Anshan, the Achaemenids began establishing what would come to be known as the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Before taking on Babylon, as the Bible recounts for us, successive kings of Anshan (Achaemenes, Teispes, Cyrus I, Cambyses and finally Cyrus II (Cyrus the Great 559 BC) took all nations and empires east of the Tigris River, until the sack of Babylon, as we know from Scripture. The languages of this second of the great world empires after Babylon was Persian, Elamite, Akkadian and Aramaic as the official language of government.

The point here is that from a bible-based eschatological perspective, Elam and Persia are virtually synonymous. This is why Ezekiel used both names. And this is how Eschatology Today interprets Jeremiah 49:34-39 and Ezekiel 38:5 as referring directly to the modern-day Islamic Republic of Iran. In the days of Jeremiah and Ezekiel both Elam and Anshan (proto-Persia) were located within the same geographic region of southwestern Iran.

Global SITREP C2-19: Behold! Elam's Bow Has Been Broken

Iranian Ballistic Missiles in Underground Storage Site

UPDATED 23 June 2019: Did President Trump really call off a military strike on several IRGC missile sites? The answer is Yes... and No. Yes, a fairly significant kinetic strike involving American missiles and aircraft on the designated terrorist IRGC missile sites was prudently aborted, but the long-planned strike on Iranian computer-based command and control (C2) by United States Cyber Command, a/k/a CYBERCOM, the 10th Combatant Command of the United States Armed Forces, was approved by President Trump and was launched as the Stand Down order was issued for the kinetic strike last Thursday. So, yes, the US military attacked Iran with great power as a direct response to the shoot down of our surveillance drone in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz.

And guess what primary target CYBERCOM, in coordination with US CENTCOM, was authorized by POTUS to attack? The Command and Control (C2) network of the Iranian ballistic missile forces. In fact, President Trump has pretty much given our cyber warriors a blank check to launch cyber attacks on adversaries, like Iran, at will and continuously as the need arises. Now, while most of the world wasn't looking Eschatology Today immediately recognized this crippling cyber attack on the Iranian C2 infrastructure for what it really could be - fulfillment of Jeremiah 49:35. "Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the foremost of their might." Without their C2 computer network functioning the "bow" that launches Iranian "arrows" is inoperative. No ballistic missiles threatening US and Israel and other allies in the entire region can be launched. The "bow" has been broken.

From last Thursday to this moment, no one within the government will speak openly about this attack on the Iranian C2 network. However, their are dozens of examples of cryptic remarks by high-ranking folks in the know that have been made during these past four days with National Security Advisor John Bolton's comments being primary among them. Nevertheless, "As a mater of policy, and for operational security (OPSEC), we do not discus cyberspace operations, intelligence or planning" was the routine response by the US CYBERCOM spokesperson as noted in several open source and media reports. This is the war that nobody but those persons directly involved can see being waged. The American posture in this cyber warfighting is one that is known as "defending forward." It's a forward leaning defense using offensive cyber weapons. Offense is the best defense as we all know, and this is an unseen practical application of that sporting adage. It's part of the blank check referred to above.

This, make no mistake, is a major escalation in the ongoing war. And it will escalate even further into the realm of kinetic military action as "the sword" is brought against the Islamic Republic now that the "foremost of their might" has been neutralized. 

CyberWar

25 June 2019: When it comes to Jeremiah 49:34-39 and its fulfillment, some folks would do well to become acquainted (or re-acquainted) with the interpretive view that has been integral to Eschatology Today since 15 September 2010. There are a few other directly related posts here that are available by using the search engine in the upper left-hand corner of this main page. Enter 'Jeremiah 49:34-39' as the search criteria. 

The key phrase that should be noticed right off the get-go when accessing the above link are the words "Coalition of Nations Move Against Iran." As we can clearly see in 2019, that post title is no longer a question as originally posed. In 2019 it is an established fact. And, lo and behold, those words are precisely the action being taken by U.S. SECSTATE Pompeo in his current mission to the Middle East. He is about building a "coalition of nations" to oppose Iran. So, with respect to the now 9-year old original post and Eschatology Today's former "interpretive theory" about Jeremiah's prophecy two words apply: Nailed It. It is no longer a theory, it is reality.

And when it comes to the war against the clerical regime running the Islamic Republic of Iran, how can we not include the ongoing economic war known simply as "sanctions." How can we not see this aspect as being integral to the "sword" brought by the Lord against the Iranian Twelver regime? 

The economic sanctions are utterly crippling to the fiscal health of the country and its bastions of absolute power, such as the IRGC as well as the personal wallet of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. President trump just closed that wallet shut and made "tens and tens of billions of dollars" completely out of the Ayatollah's reach. In short he's broke. The Islamic Republic of Iran is broke and getting more broken by the hour. The only economic blood flowing through its veins is a mere fraction of what had been a few months ago.

Here's another fact. As it stands today, 25 June 2019, there is no longer any path to a diplomatic solution to the problem the coalition of nations, led by the United States, has with the Shi'a Twelver regime of Islamic Republic of Iran. That ship has sailed; those waters have passed under the bridge and are well down-stream now. 

And the next update is coming soon and will be accompanied by a brief backgrounder concerning Jeremiah's prophecy.

Global SITREP C1-19: Potential for War in Strait of Hormuz

Marine Transport (M/T) ship on Fire following Iranian limpet mine attack

Location of the attacks

UPDATED Below 16 June 2019: The Iranian limpet mine attacks on two merchant vessel transports (MV Front Altair and MV Kokuka Courageous) off Iran's southern coast and in the northernmost point of the Gulf of Oman this past week were covertly observed by several U.S. reconnaissance aircaft. A video of that surveillance was declassified and released to the world by USCENTCOM. Iranian forces then launched an SA-7 missile at one of the US aircraft, yet the SAM missed its target by about 1km. Nevertheless, this was an act of war by Iran in a continuing series of attacks against the U.S. and our Middle East allies, as well as international commerce in international waters and airspace.

Screen capture of CENTCOM video of IRGC-N removing unexploed
limpet mine from the hull of the M/T Kokuka Courageous.

This SITREP was delayed until a majority of of factual information could be corroborated. Corroboration takes a little time. As a direct result of these attacks the UK MoD announced the deployment of at least 100 Royal Marines to the region to add to the currently deployed forces tasked with safeguarding marine traffic from additional attacks, or to respond if and when new attacks occur.

The US released this much clearer full color image on Monday, 17 June.

Long-time readers will recognize a staple of Eschatology Today's "interpretative theory" of Jeremiah 49:33-39, originally posted in September 2010. What we have in the summer of 2019 is this theory becoming a very strong candidate for imminent, literal fulfillment. As you can read in the link to the original posting, this interpretive theory is about a coalition of nations coming against Iran from all directions. The prophet Jeremiah prophesied that the Lord would cause "Elam" (Iran) to be dismayed; that He would bring a sword after them. There is zero ambiguity in that the sword is a reference to direct military action.

In fact, this is exactly what the United States and our closest allies are currently engaged in. These allies are fully engaged building the case that Iran is a threat to international peace and the security of international commerce in the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea (image below). All of these straits and sea lanes are known as choke points where the flow of international commerce could be shut down by military actions, such as been seen in limpet mine attacks and missile attacks in the last few years. The series of US DoD images seen in this SITREP are a key part of this effort; they go hand-in-hand with the American pledge that Iran will not be permitted to effect such a stangulation of global commerce. Nor will Iran be permitted to possess a nuclear weapon.

Choke Points of international commerce around the eastern periphery of Israel.

If disruptions were to occur to petroleum products trans-shipments around the eastern periphery of Israel, then consider how much more important the oil and natural gas fields under Israeli, Greek Cypriot and Greek control in the eastern Mediterranean Sea could become. Exactly how secure are the land-based pipelines for these commodities where they must cross active war zones in Iraq and Syria? These are factors in the overal security and supply-side jitters the international community, particularly Europe, are experiencing at this time.

There will also be an additional 1,000 or so US troops heading to the Middle East. These troops are said to be primarily intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and Force Protection (FP) troops. These are also a match for the 1,000 or so UK troops earmarked for a rapid Middle East deployment. French, Spanish, Australian and New Zealand forces are already in-theater along with smaller contingents from several other allies. NATO is in the Middle East in an ever increasing footprint as well.

US Navy MQ-4C Triton

Approximate location of the MQ-4C Triton shootdown.

UPDATE 20 June 2019: Multiple reports this morning stating the IRGC fired a Surface-to Air Missile (SAM) from Iranian territory (Hormozgan Province) at a very large, unarmed American UAV flying in international air space over the Strait of Hormuz. The UAV is reported to have been shot down. Given the specific maritime mission of the drone over the Strait of Hormuz, Eschatology Today assesses the downed UAV to have been the U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton. This act of war massively increases the potential for direct American military action against the IRGC, an already designated foreign terrorist organization. The seriousness of this is found in that US CENTCOM has not released an official public statement, indicating they're standing by for a higher headquarters directive (POTUS and/or JCoS).