Global SITREP E3-14: The Alliance of the North and the East

11 November 2014 (Veterans Day in the U.S.A.): The image above powerfully reminds me of something the angel Gabriel prophesied to Daniel which would occur during the 70th Week. 

That this passage of prophetic Scripture is with respect to and occurs during the 70th Week is beyond any doubt because it involves the Western Antichrist and four distinct military enemies of his: one to the North, one to the South and one to the East. Not coincidentally, this passage of prophetic verses proves beyond any doubt that the Antichrist is a Western power. Additionally, this passage is also a thumbnail of the world war which will  be occurring during the latter part of the Thlipsis (Tribulation) and all of the Megas Thlipsis (Great Tribulation) of the 70th Week. Moreover this is the war whose end is suddenly caused by the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ at the Battle of Har Megiddo.

In Daniel 11:40-45 we find six sentences which describe an ongoing military confrontation between the Western Antichrist and two of the military camps which attack him simultaneously "at the time of the end."

In verse 40 the southern military forces launch a strike and the northern forces follow through on the attack by coming against him with modern-era, land, sea and air 'shock and awe' maneuver warfare. The military forces of the Western Antichrist parry and defeat this joint attack and then go on the offensive by invading, passing through and conquering the territories of these enemies. 

In verses 41through 43 we see this counter-offensive of the Western forces entering coastal Israel but avoiding those territories of the greater post-Psalm 83 Israel that will include ancient Edom, Moab and Ammon. These western forces conquer completely the lands from Libya, Egypt and and south along the Red Sea to Sudan, the land of ancient Kuwsh.

Finally in verse 44 we come to the direct association I see in the image above. The blitz-like military conquest of the whole of the Middle East by the Western Forces of the Antichrist causes the remaining forces of the North to be joined in a new offensive by the Eastern forces (i.e. the kings of the East): "But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many." This advance of the immense numbers of Eastern forces is what John the Revelator describes in Revelation 16:12-16 as the sixth bowl judgment of the sixth angel, a/k/a Armageddon.

Here's where I think this prophetic future has solid rubber meeting the road in the present time. An article published in yesterday's Financial Times, titled "Putin builds China links as ties with West fray," informs that the Russian Federation's newly updated military doctrine to be published in December 2014 clearly identifies the United States and NATO as the enemy, and the role of the CSTO as the military alliance referenced in the prophetic texts discussed above. 

To the readers of Eschatology Today, this is not really new news, but a reaffirmation of the prophetic interpretation I have published here over the past five years, here, here and here for instance. Just one more of the proverbial cans that have been kicked by mankind down a dark road one kick too far, and proof positive that our God is in full control having told us about the end from the beginning.

Global SITREP D6-14: NATO Gears Up For War

6 September 2014: The nuclear-armed Western military alliance (NATO) which in 1948 was created by the original 7 member nations known collectively as the Council of the Western European Union (not so coincidentally the same year as the re-birth of the modern State of Israel), and which expanded in 1954 into 10 member nations (alphabetically: Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom), and which has continuously expanded to include new member nations ever since, this week approved the most significant expansion of its military operations in its 66-year history.

This week at the summit in southern Wales the 28-strong member nations of NATO agreed to the establishment of a full capability Rapid Response Force to be based in its new acquired eastern region (i.e. the former enemy Warsaw Pact nations) as a "spearhead" for countering any Russian aggression against any of them. As if this announcement was not enough, the 28-member nations of NATO have also agreed to supply "security assistance" to the republic of Ukraine thereby ensuring its independence, territorial sovereignty and self-defense capabilities against renewed Russian expansionism. On the surface, would this appear to be a good reason for Russia to look southwards in its expansionism?

Additionally, and possibly even more importantly, the NATO allies agreed, without invoking either Article 4 or 5 of the establishing NATO charter, to regard the newly declared "Islamic State," as it currently exists in territory taken from the Middle Eastern nations of Syria and Iraq, as enough of a threat to its own 28 member nations to wage an undeclared war against it, and to militarily align NATO with so-called "moderate" Sunni jihadist rebels in Syria.

In looking at these two brand new developments, can one begin to eschatologically envision what a post-Psalm 83, post-Ezekiel 38-39 "covenant among many"  paradigm in the Middle East might look like?  Let us consider this proposition with respect to the impending flood of Bible prophecy fulfillments for just a little while before continuing: NATO is positioning itself to do battle with Russia and its CSTO allies at the same time as it declares war against a major Islamic State threat in the heart of the Middle East.

7 September 2014: At this critical moment in world history, and as an integral part of NATO gearing up for war, the 28 member nations have pledged to halt and reverse the ill-advised military spending cuts of recent years in order to create a very powerful rapid reaction military force for both of the aforementioned reasons: to militarily oppose Russia in southeastern Europe and the Islamic State in the Middle East with airborne, seaborne and combat boots on the ground within 48 hours. Even absent some of the logistical details for this new action plan, this is an unprecedented first in the 67-year history of NATO.

Update 8 September 2014: The prophetic alliance between the Arab League and NATO (Ezekiel 38:13) is coming into full exposure as Islamic State represents a dire threat to both groups of nations. As discussed on American prime time Sunday morning political talk shows, and again tomorrow when Obama addresses the US Congress, this alliance will be in full view. The nations of the Arab League are the regional allies to whom Obama is directly referring. For its part, the Arab League will be 'excommunicating' the Islamic State, i.e. declaring them to be apostates from Islam, and for the moment at least, declaring the Islamic State to be the Arab League's proverbial 'public enemy Number One.' The Sunni Islamic State is an imminent, short-term existential threat to every Sunni Arab government within the Arab League. That this coincides with the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 islamic attacks on the United States is no coincidence; it is no accident, and the very real potential for new attacks this week will only serve to hammer home the apparent necessity of this alliance. The fallacious difference between "moderate Islam" and "radical Islam" will be a benchmark of end times deception also in full view in the coming days.

Update Number 2: Is the Islamic State's Caliph Ibrahim Dead? 

In the first image above we see the Islamic State's self-proclaimed Caliph Ibrahim, a/k/a Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. This image of Caliph Ibrahim was taken from a recent speech in the IS capital city of Raqqa. In the image directly below we see what is purportedly the image of an even more recently deceased Ibrahim Caliph, the victim of an American F-16 strike in Iraq against an Islamic State fighting position in Mosul which also killed his aide Abu Hajar Al-Sufi and a couple of other senior leaders. 

So far there has been no authoritative confirmation of the death of Caliph Ibrahim, yet the facial resemblance is striking to say the least. If it turns out that the Caliph is not deceased, then this image may merely show a Caliph attempting to recover from severe wounds. Truth is always the first victim in any war; it is defended by a bodyguard of lies.

Update: According to Kurdish (BasNews) and Iraqi (Al-Sabah) sources, Caliph Ibrahim is not dead, but was very severely injured in the same attack that killed his aides. While that is possible, according to Pentagon spokesperson Col Steve Warren, any IS leaders who may have been at the targeted troop formation site were "likely to [have been] killed." So, we'll wait and see what the facts are.

Who is “Gog” and Why he’s NOT the Beast of Daniel’s 70th Week

Collective Security Treaty Organization

Организация Договора о коллективной безопасности

Update 19 September 2013: Four years is a long time between updates, nevertheless, this item is back to the top of Eschatology Today with an update.

In my assessment the CSTO is about to kick itself into high gear due to the very recent events which pitted the CSTO military alliance against a faltering NATO alliance over the issue of chemical weapons use in the Syrian civil war. While the world may see that confrontation as one of Russia versus America, I see it as a CSTO versus NATO confrontation because the charters of these organizations view an attack upon one member as an attack upon all members who are then obligated to join in a common defense.

As a direct result of these recent events a CSTO Council and statutory bodies meeting will convene in Sochi, Russia on Monday morning, 23 September 2013 at which the member nations representatives will sign numerous documents and agree to the creation of a CSTO Joint Air Force. The CSTO Joint Air Force will complement the already existing CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Force (CSTO CRRF). One week later, between October 1 and 4, these same CSTO members will reconvene in Yerevan, Armenia for further tightening of the alliance in all areas of military cooperation. 

The key military function of both meetings is the CSTO CRRF which as of yesterday morning began a large scale military exercise on the territory of member nation Belarus. The exercise is known as "Cooperation 2013." The "Cooperation 2013" exercise will continue through September 27, 2013 and includes the CSTO CRRF contingents from Armenia, Belarus, the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

It is my assessment that the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Force and its newly integrated Joint Air Force will be the forces that are prophesied to march against Israel in the near future during the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38/39. It is these forces which will be annihilated by God and buried by the people of Israel in the Valley of the Passengers (the Valley of Hamon-Gog) east of the Dead Sea.

See also:  The Prophetic Road to Revelation (Part IV): The War of Gog and Magog

  

02 October 2009: Armies of Gog, The Chief Prince of Magog, Rosh, Meshech and Tubal Initiate Military Exercises
 

The Russian-led military alliance of seven former Soviet Republics known by the acronym CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization), the counter-balance to the American-European NATO alliance, began large-scale military exercises today at the Matybulak training grounds in southern Kazakhstan.

The name given to this CSTO military force is "Collective Rapid Reaction Force" (CRRF). One of the CRRF's principle mission objectives is to wage war on Islamic insurgent groups on the territories of the member countries: Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Just another nail in the coffin of the Gog is Antichrist shoehorned eisegesis.

14 September 2009: The overwhelmingly accepted Christian eschatological definition for the name Ezekiel 38 and 39 identified as “Gog” is that of a man who will be the chief prince or leader of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal and who is to come from the land of the Magog located far to the north of modern day Israel.

Eschatology Today and our sourced documents have provided the ancient historical records, themselves from additional multiple-sourced historical records, from which a firm eschatological conclusion has been achieved in determining that Magog, Rosh, Meshech and Tubal are ethnically diverse nations which exist today within modern Russia to include the 46 oblasts, 21 republics, 4 autonomous okrugs, 9 krays, 2 federalized cities and 1 autonomous oblast of Russia; officially and internationally recognized as the Russian Federation, or within the increasingly totalitarian political confederation known as the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Let’s compare the above regarding “Gog” with my July 8, 2009 article “Origin of the Antichrist.”

A few excerpts of my research should suffice for this comparison.

“He (Antichrist) has always been an enigma, a man of mystery, prophesied to be of fierce countenance, a master of deceit and deception, of such unearthly evil power and charisma that by his mere presence all of mankind will be subdued and submit to his will.

The beast will be a man who ultimately will be wholly possessed by a demonic spirit ascended out of the abyss and identified by the name of Abaddon in Hebrew and Apollyon in the Greek; a man of mind bending unconscionable evil destined to stand as Satan incarnate during Daniel's 70th Week. He is a man whose name John revealed in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, chapter 13 verse 18, would count to or calculate to the Greek alphabetical-numerical equivalent of χξϚ (chi-xi-stigma) or six-hundred, three-score and six. 666.”

Who among us is so bold as to declare, contrary to the Word of God in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, that the name of “Gog” must be given the same alpha-numeric value as the 666 assigned to the Antichrist? Only someone completely ignorant of the Lord’s admonition found in Revelation 22:18-19 would do so.

As I wrote and cited Scripture in the above article, all indications from the prophet Daniel are that the coming Antichrist would be modeled on his Biblical predecessor, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a man of a definitive Greek-Macedonian bloodline; that he would possess a might that is not derived from his own power; that he would exalt himself above everything, including God and Christ, and yet in the end he would come to his end without human means, as revealed in Revelation 19:20-21:

“Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.”

To review what has already been covered in this blog, Gog comes from the land of Magog and is a prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. Gog is a man who is from an ethnic Russian origin. Gog is killed in battle in Israel and buried in Israel in a mass grave in what will become known as the Valley of Hamon Gog. Gog has no side-kick or accomplice such as the False Prophet.

In stark contrast to the fate of Gog, the Antichrist is indwelt by a demonic spirit from the Abyss known as Abaddon/Apollyon. It is my absolute conviction that Daniel's prophecy informs us in no uncertain terms that the coming Antichrist will specifically arise from a Greek or Hellenic ancestry; that he will be a direct descendant of the Biblical Javan via one of his sons whose progeny populate Europe and most of the nations of the West. In his defeat Antichrist and his False Prophet are captured by Jesus Christ and are immediately “cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.” This fate is entirely and wholly different than that of the human followers of Antichrist who are “killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of” the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OR LORDS, our Lord Jesus Christ.

The differences between Gog and Antichrist are exceptional differences. They are even more exceptional than the brief synopsis provided in this article. However, even these brief exceptional differences cannot be overlooked by anyone unless they are conducting eschatological studies in a manner not unlike the locomotive ability of some surface skimming water strider.

UPDATED EXEGESIS: The ultimate proof that Gog cannot possibly be one and the same as the Antichrist is found in the Biblical fact that Gog and his armies are IMMEDIATELY UNSUCCESSFUL in their invasion of Israel. Almighty God will personally see to that. On the other hand, the Antichrist WILL BE SUCCESSFUL and will stand in the Temple declaring himself to be God. Put another way, since Gog will be dead and buried in the Valley of Hamon Gog it will be literally impossible for him to stand in the Temple much less have an image of himself placed there. Therefore Gog cannot possibly be the Antichrist.