Global SITREP B3-25: The Beginning of Sorrows

 

Natanz nuclear facility post-GBU-57 MOP

UPDATED 26 June 2025: Israel's Operation Rising Lion turned out to be an undeclared 12-day war (12-23 June) against the Twelver regime of Iran. After the U.S. Midnight Hammer strikes on Fordo, Natanz (black dot in the image above) and Isfahan, which were not a declaration of war, but a well-planned and perfectly executed coup de grâce to force the Twelver leadership to sue for a cessation of hostilities. This was achieved and for the time being tenuous hudna (ceasefire) between Israel and Iran has literally been "hammered" into effect. How long this will endure is subject to rife speculation, conjecture and future events.

Not long after the hudna was accepted the Twelver Parliament voted near unanimously (one abstention, zero no votes) to renew the regime's nuclear program. Of course, the operating reactor at Bushehr was never touched over the 12 days of war, meaning even after this war Iran may still have a path to nuclear weaponization. Both the U.S. and Israel say that evidence of renewed nuclear weaponization would lead to new strikes. 

A curious thing occurred over the 12 days of intense Israeli air strikes in Iran. The IAF flew its numerous airstrike packages unimpeded over Syria and Iraq with nary a whimper from either country. Not many countries around the world objected either.

According to Israeli officials in Mossad and the IDF their forces have long been inside Iran and will stay in place for the foreseeable future. Some are suggesting that the objective now is to facture Iran into several ethnic polities (Kurds, Arabs, Baloch's, Azeris, etc.). This also is strong I&W that the confrontation with Iran is not over but has been put into a temporary hiatus, thus confirming Jeremiah's prophecy.

27 June 2025: Three quick notes.

1.) Heavy construction equipment is already busy moving earth at the Fordo nuclear complex. The IRGC clearly wants to get back inside the mountain quickly.

2.) The IAF chief has directed his forces to ensure air superiority in Iranian airspace for the foreseeable future and to continue suppression of Iranian ballistic missiles.

3.) President Trump days he'll for certain order new strikes in Iran if the situation warrants. I assess that Trump prematurely let Iran and the IRGC off the hook and has made a serious miscalculation in not taking out the Ayatollah.

UPDATE 5 July 2025: We've said so previously and it warrants repeating and/or a reminder: the war with the Twelver regime in Iran IS NOT OVER. Not for the State of Israel and not for the United States of America. The belligerent threats coming from the black turbaned mullahs are unlimited and unending. The fearful damage done across the entire spectrum of their military capabilities has truly caused much dismay among the Twelver elites, but their core theological beliefs remain unbowed. The fervent desire to destroy America and Israel is more pronounced than before and for this objective the mullahs will require a nuclear weapons capability with a low-tech delivery method of the most rudimentary kind. By ship or camel they will use whatever method is available. And so the inevitability of renewed warfare is assured, from now until Ezekiel 38/39.

Closing SITREP B3-25 with this statement from my last comment: 

"Judgment has begun, and it's in an ongoing process of fulfillment."

Global SITREP B1-25: The War Expands

Hodeidah port, Yemen

UPDATED 11 June 2025: A joint IAF and INS (Israeli Navy) strike (image above) against persistent Houthi attacks set the Yemeni port of Hodeidah ablaze. The Israeli strike featured the firepower of Sa'ar-6 class missile frigates launching powerful precision missiles. If the above imagery is any indication the Houthis have lost their primary port facility in Yemen for years to come.

Firstly, who are the Houthis? They are a relatively recent group founded by Hussein al-Houthi which emerged in Yemen in the 1990s. Originally, they were known as the "Believing Youth" (BY), but officially they're known as Ansar Islam. They're also a branch of Shi'ism known as Zaydism. The Houthis assumed control of most of Yemen in 2015 after a decade long civil war, 2004-2014. Since then, the Houthis have been a well-armed proxy force under the Shi'a Twelvers of Iran.

From the perspective of Bible prophecy, the Houthi dominance under Iranian Twelver leadership will be fairly short-lived in these last days. A major event or series of events, unknown at this time, will occur to transform Houthi-controlled Yemen into the Ezekiel 38:13 Yemen we know as Sheba. That soon-to-be Yemen-Sheba is aligned with the Arab Dedan and a large Western alliance of nations (merchants of Tarshish and all their young lions) which opposes the Gog of Magog Confederation's assault upon the State of Israel. This is why the current events in the southern Arabian Peninsula are of critical importance these days and are due close attention going forward.

The strategy noted above is to neutralize the three primary proxies of Twelver Iran: HAMAS in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. An important aspect at this point are the seemingly imminent strikes that will de-nuclearize the Iranian Twelvers and also eliminate their ballistic missile capabilities.

Generic Image (Israel radar)

UPDATE 13 June 2025: The first stage of the war prophesied in Jeremiah 49:34-39 commenced at approximately 03:00 13 June 2025 when IAF aircraft went "wheels up." This was the execution of what the IDF calls "OPERATION RISING LION".

It may have begun an hour earlier when a clandestine Israeli (Mossad) drone base in the heart of Iran launched waves of UAVs at select targets in the country. At least five waves of attacks on key Iranian military leadership, the majority of its nuclear scientists and technicians, a number of ballistic missile sites, dozens of remnant air defense sites and air defense radars, and nuclear sites, such as Natanz, were effectively destroyed. The Iranian capital Tehran was struck as well. This war will continue, at a minimum, until we near the end of this month and battle damage assessments (BDAs) indicate the overall mission objectives have been achieved. The initial Iranian retaliation in the form of a 100-strong drone swarm were eliminated well outside if Israeli territory. 

Major global media for the past two weeks at a minimum stressed how the Trump Administration was preventing Israeli strikes on Iran. Nothing was further from the truth as the US was informed all along, and in great detail since 7 June. In fact, there were key Trump Administration personnel who knew more than Israeli opposition leaders. Clearly the secrecy protocol that was followed in the planning and in the waves of airstrike execution was iron clad. Iran was taken in complete surprise. The dissident Iranian population was unharmed and now, even at this early stage, they can clearly see how weak the Twelver regime is.

Brothers and Sisters, we are watching Bible prophecy being fulfilled in real-time. 

The areas bordered in red to the upper above no longer exists. The large area in the center is receiving repeat strikes in drilling down at least three levels where the uranium enrichment cascades are located.

UPDATE 3PM 13 June 2025: New assessment Iran is reported to have launched just 100 missiles of at Israel; civilians ordered to shelters all across Israel. Israel has warned that attacks on its civilian population will result in the destruction of Iran's oil production and exporting facilities. This "red line" was crossed by Iran today.

Dozens of Iranian missiles have been intercepted; US assistance to defend Israel was expected and did occur. Two barrages of about 50 missiles in each was detected. The IAF is doubling down on striking Iranian missiles prior to launch.

According to the IDF, it is Twelver disinformation that Israel attacked the underground Fordo nuclear weapon assembly facilities. The IDF denies they have struck Fordo.

Aerial view of the Fordo nuclear weapons complex in Iran. Several entrances to the deep underground can be seen along the ring road.

To be continued...

Global SITREP A7-25: Jeremiah's Appointment?

 

Four B2 Spirit Stealth Bombers on Standby

UPDATED 29 March 2025: On 7 March the United States of America delivered an ultimatum to the Islamic Republic of Iran: Within 60 days you will enter into negotiations for a new nuclear deal, or else. 

A very stealthy and lethal part of the 'or else' are now sitting on a tarmac at Diego Garcia island in the Indian Ocean (image above). For those who've not been following the 60-day countdown, it will expire during the first week of May 2025, and that is when "bad, bad things will happen for Iran."

30 March: Iran has threatened to attack the Chagos Islands where Diego Garcia island is located with the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). For Iran there is no distinction between US and UK forces based there.

31 March: Ari Larijani, the top advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, has said Iran will have no choice but to produce nuclear weapons if attacked by the US.

3 April: Eschatology Today years ago advanced an interpretive exegesis of Jeremiah 49:34-39 which involved a coalition of nations initiating strikes against the Twelver Regime. 

Currently the US, UK and Israel are prepared to strike to preempt the Iranian nuclear weapons program following the unilateral raid conducted by Israel in 2024 that hit both air defense capabilities and a key nuclear site Iran believed no one knew about.

Now France is warning of the "inevitability" of military strikes should diplomatic efforts to secure an agreement fail. The French statement mirrors that of President Trump's statements in recent days and may be seen as being consistent with the aforementioned 60-day countdown. The U.S. countdown now has approximately 30 days remaining.

USAF B-2 Spirit and Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP)

4 April: President Trump recently made a specific point to Ukraine's President Zelenskyy about his not having the 'cards' to play against Russian President Vladimir Putin in either a military or diplomatic effort to end the war. The gambit was with the United States at Ukraine's side (along with Ukrainian rare earth materials) Ukraine would have American 'cards" to play in securing Ukraine's future as an independent country.

There are two great conflicts on the earth at this time aside from the Middle East. The first is the War in Ukraine (Europe) and the Communist Chinese threat to wage war by invading and annexing Taiwan (Western Pacific). However, make no mistake that the Middle East is the conflict with the high potential to determine the outcome of war in Europe and the Western Pacific. 

The impending conflict between the US (with UK, FR and IL) and the Islamic Republic of Iran will prove whether or not President Trump really possesses the 'cards' or if he is about to overplay his hand. Should Trump's threat for "bad, bad things" fail to materialize for Iran next month then both Russia and the Chinese would be correct to assess that the cards in Trump's hand are nothing more than a brinksmanship bluff (Trump has pledged to be a peace president and not a war-starting president) and they could press on with their national agendas of using overwhelming kinetic force to achieve their desired objectives (the military conquests of Ukraine and Taiwan).

Eschatology Today assesses that President Trump is NOT bluffing. The ongoing build-up of overwhelming American warfighting capability in the CENTCOM AOR, in particularly the several B-2 Spirit stealth bombers carrying two each 30,000 lb. Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs to crack open Iranian mountain redoubts housing nuclear and missile depots is not an idle threat. There can be no retreat from "Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon." Russia and the 'kings of the East' are watching intently. So are we.

Six B-2 Spirit Stealth bombers on the tarmac at Diego Garcia

8 April 2025: Why are these B-2 bombers not inside the hangers designed for them? Because American generals want the overhead satellites and Iran "to see our sword." They carry the most potent non-nuclear weapons in the American inventory and are impervious to Iranian air defense, or what is left of it. And, if necessary, they can carry nukes too, a lot of them.

I24 news (Israel) just reported that the US propsal to Iran is akin to the Libyan nuclear disarmament accepted by Muamar Kadhaffi years ago and which preceded the coup d'etat which overthrew his regime and resulted in his death.

The US will allow Iran to keep nuclear power for civilian use (Bushehr NPP), but its weapons program, including uranium enrichment, must be shut down and 100% dismantled or it will be destroyed in place. Iran has less than a month to accept or reject the options. Iran accepting the "Libyan option" is considered unlikely.

Logo for Israel's 77th Anniversary

UPDATE 9 April 2025: The logo designed to celebrate Israel's 77th year of existence is scheduled for official release in early May. Coincidentally, or possibly not so, the timing of the release is concurrent with the terminus of Iran's 60-day warning period to unilaterally terminate their nuclear weapons program or have it terminated by force of arms as foretold by the LORD's prophet Jeremiah (Yirmĭyāhu).

In other news, the lead prosecutor of the government of Argentina has solicited the country's Supreme Court to issue an arrest warrant for Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the terrorist bombing of the Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires. Argentinian investigators have solid evidence of Iran's responsibility for that terrorist attack. Argentina under the leadership of President Javier Milei has become one of Israel's strongest allies.

Israel has completed the division of Gaza into three zones. 

The Netzarim Corridor slices completely through the strip south of Gaza City; the Morag Corridor slices through between Khan Younis and Rafah, and the Philadelphi Corridor divides Gaza from Egypt south of Rafah. 

Annexation of the parcels of land to Israel proper between these corridors will fully reverse the 2005 disengagement by the late-Ariel Sharon government. 

"If we have to do something harsh, we'll do it." - President Trump

Global SITREP A4-25: Playing With Fire

Playing With Fire

UPDATED February 17, 2024: Today is Day 500 of the war which began on 7 October 2023 with the barbaric jihadist invasion of southern Israel to the east of the Gaza Strip. 

During this past weekend's visit to Israel by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio he warned the enemies of Israel that they were "playing with fire." This, of course, was a rephrasing of what U.S. President Donald Trump, and subsequently Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had warned about "all hell breaking loose" during the prior week should the jihadists in Gaza stand by their pronouncement to permanently end the release of Israeli hostages by high noon on Saturday, 15 February 2024. As we now know the Gaza jihadists capitulated from their threat by releasing three male hostages one hour prior to the noon deadline. This release of captives was in keeping with the previously agreed upon temporary ceasefire (hudna).

While the warning to Israel's enemies that they are "playing with fire" is very serious and indeed specific, Eschatology Today would note that the nations of the world are engaged in much the same type of folly. Such is the inherent nature of these "last days" as our unambiguous Scriptures plainly state. The "Late, Great Planet Earth" indeed simply because a great mass of humanity ignores the most important aspects of the prophetic Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

At the present time there is full agreement, intent of purpose and iron-clad mechanisms of across-the-board support between the American and Israeli governments, so much so that the Arab nations have cancelled two major summits that were to convene in the coming days. In short, Sheba and Dedan are sitting up and taking notice. Eschatology Today being ahead of the curve as usual and by design we'll pause briefly at this point and allow things to catch up.

IDF Buffer Zone Positions in Lebanon

The above map shows the five IDF high ground locations inside Lebanon. These are the posts that will be maintained until the LNA demonstrates firm control of the land south of the Litani River and Hezbollah is kept to the north of the river. 

There are no illusions that Hezbollah won't wear LNA uniforms and move south of the Litani. For this reason, the IDF will maintain many heavy (armored) brigades along the border. Detection of truce violations will be dealt with powerfully.

ARIEL, SHIRI and KFIR BIBAS

UPDATE February 23, 2025: A lot has taken place virtually overnight, so we'll try to get to all of it into this SITREP update.

IAF F35I and F-15I over Beirut today

As thousands gathered in Beirut this morning for Hassan Nasrallah's delayed funeral, the masses included Iranian IRGC-QF commanders and Hezbollah pager blast amputees, heavily armed IAF strike aircraft buzzed the funeral procession at low altitude. Message sent and unquestionably received. This flyover warning occurred as other IAF strike packages arrived at locations where rocket launchers and other weapons were being re-deployed to new sites in Lebanon from Syria. These locations are in Baalbek, northeastern Lebanon and south of the Litani River where Hezbollah under the agreement's terms should have no presence whatsoever. As usual for the IAF today's strikes were highly combat effective. The war in Lebanon, as noted here months ago, is nowhere near being concluded.

IDF Merkava MBT maneuvering

Operation Iron Wall which began on January 21st in Judea and Samaria has seen the introduction platoons of Merkava main battle tanks dispatched from Armored Brigade 188 now grinding up turf and roads in Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams. This is the first occasion in 23 years that IDF armor has conducted combat operations in Judea and Samaria. The objective is to remain for a year or more to cleanse the region of terrorists and their infrastructure. Additionally, upwards of 40,000 Arabs have been evicted from "refugee camps" in and around Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams. These camps are now completely emptied, the former residents will not be allowed to return and all UNRWA activities have become nonexistent. This procedure will be carried out in numerous other locations throughout Judea and Samaria where Iranian operations have been attempting to create an "eastern front." Speaking of the Operation Iron Wall mission objectives Defense Minister Israel Katz stated this morning that Israel "will not return to the reality that was in the past."

As a direct result of HAMAS and PIJ conduct in the staged, propagandistic release of the hostages, as well as the cold-blooded murder of Shiri Bibas and her two innocent babes and other repeated violations of the hudna agreement the 620 terrorists that were to be released yesterday have been returned to their prison cells. There will be no further release of terrorists until the next scheduled hostage release has taken place without the "humiliating ceremonies."

Map of Syrian Governorates

Gaza and Syria Breaking News

PM Netanyahu speaking from Israel's overwhelming position of military strength made a pair of statements within the past hour.

1.) The IDF is prepared and has operational plans in place to immediately resume intense combat operations in Gaza to completely demilitarize the strip and eliminate all terrorists groups therein.

2.) Israel demands the full demilitarization of southern Syria from troops of the new Syrian regime in the Quneitra, Daraa and Suweyda provinces. (This means any Syrian military presence south of the Damascus provincial border (heavy blue line within the above map) will not be tolerated by the IDF.) Note: Quneitra governorate is already 90% the sovereign territory of Israel (i.e. the Golan Heights), and only a tiny sliver adjacent to the Daraa Governorate is not occupied by the IDF.

Those who've followed Eschatology Today over the past few years will inherently understand what this means. No need to again state the obvious.

Marana'tha!

Global SITREP A2-25: The Restoration of Israel

 

UPDATED 15 January 2025: Eschatology Today has been over Deuteronomy 29:4 several times. It's the baseline of why Israel has been through what it has been through to this very day, as Paul has said, for the most part. And we've looked at Ezekiel 39:29 several times as well and what its near future fulfillment will mean for Israel, also as made clear by Paul in Romans 11.

Most of us question how Israel gets from the start in Deuteronomy to the ultimate fulfillment revealed by Ezekiel. This is where the LORD directed my attention this morning to reading Ezekiel 36, especially from verse 16 and onwards which also prophetically reveal how Israel is renewed in a covenant relationship with the God of their fathers. Israel will look upon "Him whom they have pierced."

The current situation is actually not of much concern, we already know, again thanks to Ezekiel 28:24-26, how it turns out. We also should know that in this 77th year of Israel's regathering in the land that it is all so very near, as is our own "blessed hope" of the Harpazo. It's virtually palpable.

UPDATE 17 January 2025: Now for the necessary update to this SITREP.

Deuteronomy 29:2-4 (NKJV) 

Now Moses called all Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land the great trials which your eyes have seen, the signs, and those great wonders. Yet the Lord has not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear, to this very day."

This is repeated once again in Isaiah 29, and again by Paul in Romans 11. And in keeping with the context there is the aftermath of the Battle of Gog of Magog found in Ezekiel 39:21-29 where LORD God says, "And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel." 

Finally, there is Ezekiel 36:16-37 which is quoted below in its entirety to bring home the point of how and why Israel will be restored into a covenant relationship with the LORD God.

The Renewal of Israel

"Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity. Therefore I poured out My fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds. When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy name—when they said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, and yet they have gone out of His land.’ But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went.

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations. Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord God, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!”

‘Thus says the Lord God: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt. The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it.”

‘Thus says the Lord God: “I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will increase their men like a flock."

This then explains the how and why of Israel returning to the covenant relationship with the LORD God. Given the time frame discussed above, we also know when this will take place in the near future.

Marana'tha!

Global SITREP C5-24: All Eyes on Isaiah and Jeremiah

Syria

UPDATED 17 December 2024: The above map is a good baseline for the various entities controlling Syrian territory at present. It is from this position that Eschatology Today interprets the prophecies of Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49: 23-27 will come to their fulfillment.

As of this morning the "rumors of war" that emerged yesterday concerning a Turkish invasion of northern Syria may have become once again a real shooting war. Islamist Turkiyeh has been assessed by most observers to be taking advantage of the sudden collapse of the former regime last week. A noticeable buildup of forces along the northern border in recent days and drone swarm attacks against Kurdish-SDF forces resulted in a lightning Turkish takeover of the border city of Manbij. Those forces have since advanced towards an adjacent border city at Kobani. The Kurdish-SDF has approximately 900 U.S. troops embedded within it. ((Pentagon belatedly admitted there were 2,000 U.S. troops embedded with the SDF.)) The Kurds refer to this northern region as Rojava. The Kurds of northern Syria fear a genocide of their population at the hands of the Turks and their allies.

Jeremiah 49:23-27 provides the best overview for the events which will overtake the whole of Syria, as does Isaiah 17 for the inevitable conflagration between HTS-controlled Syria and Israel. We've seen this prophetic narrative coming for a very long time, but did not fully understand how it would transpire. We did not see how the HTS onslaught against the former Assad regime would cause Russia to evacuate its forces from across Syria. 

Previously both the Russian and American military presence in northern and northeastern Syria prevented a large-scale Turkish military invasion, but now with the absence of Russian forces only the U.S., as a NATO ally of Turkey, would conceivably stand in the way. A rumored American withdrawal from Syria, as noted in recent public statements by President-elect Trump, may be the impetus for the Turkish land grab in northern Syria. A unilateral U.S. withdrawal would leave the Kurdish SDF alone to withstand a resurgent ISIS in the Syrian heartland, and the Islamist HTS group of forces seeking to expand their control to as far as the Iraqi border.

To the south Israel is transferring a good portion of its major land warfare power from southern Lebanon back into Gaza where all indications are that HAMAS and the PIJ are in the process of re-grouping their forces for continued warfare. This would belie the talk about an imminent hostage release-ceasefire agreement as just so much deception, notwithstanding President-elect Trump's promise of dire consequences to HAMAS should hostages remain captive on 20 January 2025. The next 34 days will have to run their course, because as our Lord spoke, "these things must take place."

UPDATE 18 December 2024: Eschatology Today believes in the uniformity of the LORD's inerrant prophetic word in Scripture. Even though our eyes are on Isaiah and Jeremiah the current junction is also where the follow-on prophecy of Ezekiel 38/39 as well as the Angel Gabriel's prophecy to Daniel (Ch. 11:40-45) both seamlessly fold in. Ezekiel 38/39 has been covered extensively, so the focus here will now be on the secondary aspects of these prophecies.

Wagner PMC is now Russia's 'Africa Legion'

The Russian's Are Not Coming, They're Already Here

Russian forces have begun their withdrawal from their two 49-year leased bases on the Eastern Mediterranean Levant in the Tartus and Latakia governorates of Syria. They have hooks embedded, but the LORD has not yet pulled on them! 

Some of the evacuated Russian personnel and war materiel has moved north, back to Russia for the war in Ukraine, as has about 12,000 North Korean combat troops (kings of the East) but that's another story. The rest of Russia's forces are re-deploying to Libya and several nations in the sub-Saharan Sahel region of Africa (i.e. Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad, Central African Republic and Sudan), a/k/a "the king of the South." Until a year ago the Russian PMC Wagner Group was deployed to the Sahel countries, but with the demise of Wagner Russia has re-branded those troops as its 'Africa Legion.'

Give this next sentence the attention it deserves. Ezekiel 38/39 tells of the massive Magog military confederation which invades Israel being utterly destroyed by the LORD on the mountains of Israel. But it does not say that the Magog confederation nations are completely destroyed as well. Has any other prophecy-centric website put forward this clear distinction? These nations appear again during the 70th Week of Years in Gabriel's Daniel 11:40-45 prophecy moving against the Antichrist (the 'he' in that prophecy and his military presence in Greater Israel (the Glorious Land).

Russian 'Africa Legion' Countries

The Iranian and the Turkish Problems

No need to rehash what we've already covered about the catastrophe coming to Syria, except to say that a great deal of what has come upon and is still to come upon Syria, is due to the imperial machinations of Turkey's Islamist leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Just as Vladimir Putin wants to recover the former Soviet Union so too does Erdogan want to recover the Ottoman Empire. In this objective the Kurdish people of Turkey, Syria and northern Iraq are an obstacle and a genocide against them looks to be Erdogan's version of a 'final solution.' Erdogan recently stated that had the victorious Allied Powers (UK and France) after World War I not divvied up the Ottoman Empire the way they did Aleppo, Damascus and the rest of Syria would today be an integral part of Turkey. It would seem that Turkish and Russian designs on the Levant and Israel align nicely, hence their Magogian alliance in Ezekiel 38/39.

Iran is pushing full speed ahead with nuclear enrichment for its weapons program, and which has the full attention of Israel and the incoming Trump Administration as well as the UK, France and Germany, among other Euro and Middle Eastern nations. Iran has virtually achieved 90% purity, and thus nuclear weapons capability to the tune of a dozen or more warheads of various yields. Iran, in an alignment with Turkey, is also threatening the new Sunni Islamist government in Syria, effectively saying that its youth will bring Syria back into the Iranian orbit. Eschatology Today has always held the view that Iran will be militarily minimized based upon Ezekiel's listing of the country with second tier powers Kuwsh and Put. The drive for nuclear weapons capability is quite likely to terminate in the very short-term with subsequent airstrikes by a coalition of nations now that its air defense systems are virtually non-existent, thanks to Israel. Still, Iran survives enough to play its prophetic role with Russia and Turkey in Ezekiel 38/39.

UPDATE 27 December 2024: In wrestling for several days about how to close out this final SITREP of 2024 Eschatology Today determined that an essential issue requires addressing. 

As of Monday, 30 December 2024, the State of Israel will have been at war for a continuous 500 days. This war has been expected as a literal fulfillment of prophetic Scriptures for as long as this blog has existed. This seven-front, existential war for Israel is exactly that, albeit an ongoing process of literal fulfillment of the prophetic Scriptures. 

Despite the claims of the Israeli coalition government of having defeated HAMAS and the several terrorist groups in Gaza, and of having defeated the Shi'a terrorist Hezbollah and its "Palestinian" terrorist allies in southern Lebanon and Syria, nothing of the sort has actually been realized. Not yet anyway.

On a daily basis IDF troops are killed in combat operations throughout Gaza through firefights or IED roadside bombs. HAMAS and its allies have lost nearly 4,000 fighters, a significant number of their leadership, and have wholly devastated infrastructure both above and below ground, yet these Islamic jihadists have not surrendered, have not been defeated and still hold an unknown number of hostages of various nationalities. Hezbollah and allies are actively recovering and regrouping their forces which likely number in multiple thousands. The government of Israel cannot claim a victory when a clear-cut victory has not been achieved, much less the oft stated and/or re-stated goals of the war. Nearly the same can be said of Hezbollah in Lebanon even though the agreed "hudna" is violated with airstrikes and firefights on a daily basis. Hezbollah is re-grouping and re-arming itself with all of the war materiel Israel has not been able to locate and destroy in either central and northern Lebanon or Syria. Many war materiel smuggling routes remain unlocated. A nation like Israel cannot militarily defeat in a little over 16 months a group of enemies that have prepared for war over the past 16 years. It's easy math, but apparently not so easy for Israel at this time.

So, what's the problem? Have the 12 tribes of Israel done what the LORD יהוה God has told them is necessary for them to do? Before his death Moses wrote the necessities for Israel in the Book of Deuteronomy, chief among them is the exclusive Covenant of loyalty Israel owes to God. Read Deuteronomy 4, and when reading hold on verse 30 which says: "...when you are in distress because all of these things have befallen you, and in the end, return to and obey your God יהוה. The remainder of the chapter is clear as a bell for Israel. Finally in Deuteronomy 26:16-19 we find a summary of what God commands of Israel:

"This day the Lord your God commands you to observe these statutes and judgments; therefore you shall be careful to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. Today you have proclaimed the Lord to be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and that you will obey His voice. Also today the Lord has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments, and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honor, and that you may be a holy [consecrated] people to the Lord your God, just as He has spoken."

This is also our prayer to the LORD for Israel, that when He decides the Bride of Christ is to be Caught Up the fulfillment of Romans 11 and Ezekiel 39:29 are to be realized as well. Perhaps today.

Marana'tha! 

Global SITREP C2-24: Rockets Red Glare

RS-26 Rubezh IRBM a/k/a RS-26 Oreshnik MRBM

UPDATED 22 November 2024: The Russian ballistic Missile attack on Dnipro, Ukraine yesterday morning appears to have been a new variant of a Russian Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile known as the RS-26 Rubezh. 

Russia's clandestine development of this weapon almost certainly was the reason President Trump and SECDEF Esper announced the US's unilateral withdrawal from the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (a/k/a INF Treaty) on August 2, 2019. The development of the RS-26 Rubezh was a one of a series of blatant violations of the INF Treaty signed in 1987 by U.S. President Ronald Regan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev.

Development continued and an MRBM variant of the Rubezh was rebranded as (RS-26) Oreshnik. It is difficult to distinguish between these two missiles which led to major confusion in expert media reporting yesterday on the identity of the missile. 

RS-26 Oreshnik test launch

However, what is now known puts yesterday's strike in an entirely new perspective. First and foremost is that the Oreshnik strike is the first use of an IRBM or MRBM in the history of warfare. The proverbial genie is out of the bottle, and with this strike a clear signal was sent; the world has crossed into unknown territory. Secondly, analysis of imagery makes clear that the Oreshnik warhead contained six (6) warheads or MIRVs (Multiple Independent Re-entry Vehicles). Three were either inert, kinetic or decoys and three had conventional high explosives. These MIRV warheads were also impervious to Ukrainian air defenses; they never even came close to being shot down due to their hypersonic speed and maneuverability. A third aspect, not widely reported, is that ALL of the missiles Russia has launched into Ukraine in more than 1,000 days of warfare were capable of carrying nuclear warheads of various yields.

So, with Russia having let the genie out of the bottle who's to say that Israel would not deploy a mix of its Jericho-2 MRBMs and Jericho-3 MIRVed IRBMs in a follow-up strike on Iran's now virtually defenseless nuclear and petroleum infrastructure. Maneuverable warheads can arrive on target from every direction on the compass.

UPDATE 28 November 2024: This past Tuesday morning as I lay in my hospital bed, I turned on the wall-mounted television not intending to watch a particular program, to channel surf. It was a big surprise to find that the channel was not set to the Monday Night Football station I had been watching but was now set to a CSPAN channel. The program CSPAN was airing was a live, in-progress UN Security Council session concerning the Middle East. 

Israel's Ambassador Danny Danon was on the receiving end an exceptionally nasty series of exchanges with both the PA representative and an Algerian representative. Despite repeated decorum warnings from the UNSC chair (held by the UK), the venom being spewed by Israel's enemies continued unabated. Credit to Ambassador Danon for remaining in his seat, but a rage of volcanic anger was plainly evident on his countenance.

Then a thought came to mind and the Ezekiel 38/39 "Battle of Gog of Magog" prophecy consumed my thoughts. A seed that had been planted recently suggesting a broadening of the actual identities of both "Kuwsh (Cush) and Put" was now a necessity. This continual enlightening strongly intimates that the closer we get to that prophetic day, the clearer the prophecy becomes. 

The people Ezekiel identified as "Put" is far more than just those inhabiting Libya but includes most of North Africa on the Mediterranean Sea's southern coastline to include Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Algeria. Together, these are the populations of Put. And of Kuwsh the same is true, they are not just Sudan and Ethiopia as many interpretations suggest. Kuwsh includes the peoples of the Horn of Africa as well as modern-day Yemen.

The Horn of Africa and Yemen

I prayed for the LORD to show me in Scriptures where this has already been revealed. Within a few minutes my gaze was directed to reading passages in Isaiah and Joel. There, in Isaiah 45:14-17, as if it were an adjunct to Ezekiel 38/39 are all these peoples listed together and who will be given into the hand of Israel by the God of Israel. Egypt, Kuwsh (Horn of Africa) and Sabeans (Yemen). We know the end of this because God has known of it from the beginning.

Thus says the Lord:

“The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush
And of the Sabeans, men of stature,
Shall come over to you, and they shall be yours;
They shall walk behind you,
They shall come over in chains;
And they shall bow down to you.
They will make supplication to you, saying, ‘Surely God is in you,
And there is no other;
There is no other God.’ ”

 Truly You are God, who hide Yourself,
O God of Israel, the Savior!
 They shall be ashamed
And also disgraced, all of them;
They shall go in confusion together,
Who are makers of idols.

But Israel shall be saved by the Lord
With an everlasting salvation;
You shall not be ashamed or disgraced
Forever and ever.

And then we can turn to Joel 3:4-8 where we find Tyre and Sidon (Lebanon) and all the coasts of Philistia (Gaza), as if they're all in the same basket of judgment, who have retaliation repaid upon their heads. The Sabeans (Yemenites) are seen in verse 8.

The current SITREP in the Middle East reads like a sidebar, a very short interlude, before the next and final act that sets the whole region in the conditions graphically illustrated in Ezekiel 38/39. 

Marana'tha!

Global SITREP B5-24: The Multi-Front War

IDF Mass in the North

UPDATED 29 August 2024: Indications and Warnings (I&W) of a ground war erupting on Israel's northern front (Lebanon and Syria) have increased exponentially in recent days. This is despite false global media claims that neither Hezbollah nor their Iranian overlords being desirous of a full-scale war with Israel; such claims ignore the Shi'a Twelver's core jihadist theology. Multiple sources linked to Hezbollah declare a renewed Iranian rocket and drone assault against Israel is close at hand. We should not discount that a major Israeli preemptive strike could come at any moment, the intelligence is that good.

The northern front I&W comes as the IDF is now openly operating with full military force in Judea and Samaria where the IRGC-QF has infiltrated significant advanced weaponry and distributed them via Jordan to numerous jihadist cells throughout the region. At least two of Israel's cabinet minister have stated that Judea and Samaria action is a war no different than in Gaza, including the need to evacuation non-combatant civilians to safer 'humanitarian' areas.

IDF commander's briefings of late speak to the IDF being actively engaged on seven fronts completely encircling the State of Israel. Obviously, the multi-front war described by the singing prophet Asaph in Psalm 83 and other prophecies discussed here since 2009 are present and accounted for in 2024.

4 September 2024: The update to this SITREP can been viewed as a substantial modification to the interpretation of who Assur (Assyria) is where Asaph prophesied in Psalm 83:8 (NIV) "Even Assyria has joined them, to reinforce Lot's descendants." The them are identified in verses 6 and 7. Lot's descendants are identified in the subsequent verses, 9 through 11. Lot's descendants are the peoples identified in verses 3 and 4 who cunningly consult conspire together to destroy the nation of Israel. 

This brings us to the above map which illustrates the maximum extent of Assur (Assyria), the regional military superpower concurrent with the time of Asaph. This map then gives context to the role played by the modern-day Islamic Republic of Iran in the current Psalm 83 warfare. Iran has been an existential enemy of Israel since the revolution (coup d'etat) of the Shi'a Twelvers over the Shah of Iran 45 years ago. There is no question, hindsight being 20/20, that Shi'a Iran (IRGC-QF) and its Shi'a proxies as established in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and the Houthis of Yemen are providing a strong arm of military assistance, both weaponry and foot soldiers, in the war against Israel. It would be a gross error in the exegesis of Psalm 83 not to make this interpretive distinction.

In conducting recent research on this issue, it has also resulted in the gaining of additional knowledge concerning the Lord's prophet Asaph. Asaph ("who gathers together") was a Levite and was put in charge of music by King David when the Ark of the Covenant was moved from the Tabernacle to Jerusalem. He was in the same role when Solomon was King, and the First Temple was inaugurated. Asaph's relationship with God is best known by Psalm 73:25-26. "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire but you. My flesh and heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." We all would do well the study what Scripture says concerning Asaph.

Panoramic image of CERS strike near Masyaf, Syria.
(Image source: Ma'ariv)

UPDATE 13 September 2024: The massive air assault against the Tier-One High Value Target on the CERS complex near Masya Syria turns out to have been a highly coordinated and hugely successful air-ground assault according to new information published on numerous news sites. Moreover, this strike strongly indicates that Israel has now embarked on nothing less than a strategic offensive. Initial Iranian reaction to this assault reveals how damaging to the IRGC-QF's overall campaign against Israel and to their millions of rials investment in Syria's military-industrial capabilities. The CERS complex was the crown jewel in the Iranian investment in Syria.

IAF Shaldag special forces training at Palmachim Air Base
(Source: IDF)

The IAF's elite Shaldag unit was the ground component which assault the CERS facilities; they were reportedly on the ground collecting computers, important equipment, documentation as well as capturing at least two Iranian specialists (putting the lie to Iranian denials of any connection to the previous CERS activities), before detonating high explosive satchel charges to destroy the underground and above ground sections of the complex. The IAF commandos were able to infiltrate by repelling from helicopters due to the IAF's total suppression of Syrian air defenses, complex access denial and drone attacks on any and all responding defense forces. Access roads were cratered as well to deny access. The intelligence collected is no doubt of immense value, the exploitation of which will be evident in the near future.