Global SITREP A5-25: Iran, Syria and the Mā'ar Sallôn

The Mā'ar Sallôn (Pricking Brier)

UPDATED 26 February 2025: The current situation was foretold to Israel in the beginning, in the fourth of the five books of the Torah circa 1,400 and 1,440 years Before Christ, or at least 3,450 years ago. 

In Numbers (Bemidbar) 33:50-56 we read where YHWH is speaking to Moses in Moab by the River Jordan, telling him to speak to all Israel about what they must do when they will cross the river into the land YHWH has given them to possess. The salient point here is in verse 55:

"But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell."

How utterly prophetic. I mean literally God-breathed, and the conclusion or ultimate fulfillment we find in Ezekiel 28:25

“And there shall no longer be a pricking brier or a painful thorn for the house of Israel from among all who are around them, who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.”

In our immediate future, assuming the Bride of Christ has not been taken up hither in the Harpazo, but certainly for all those unfortunates who find themselves left behind because they did not trust in Jesus to redeem them beforehand, the imminent prophecies concerning Iran, Syria and the Mā'ar Sallôn (Pricking Brier) will come to pass. 

We have seen with our own eyes in the past 17 months how Iran, Syria and the Mā'ar Sallôn (Pricking Brier) have tasted war with Israel; most especially Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iran and now Judea and Samaria (again, how utterly prophetic has the Word of God been concerning "those whom you let remain"!) are on the elimination block, so to speak.

The initial actions of these last days prophecies place them all in the process of complete fulfillment, but exactly how they will arrive at the end state lies within the sovereignty of God and His appointed times. And to be sure, Israel, still largely in disbelief, has suffered much overwhelming tragedy, but the birth pangs have not yet run their course. Isaiah 17 makes this potently and abundantly clear.

Current ISW/CT map of Jihadist Syria

The earthly human intelligence voices that Israel's leadership should be and hopefully are listening to are saying several things loudly these days. The Iranian nuclear program has never been more vulnerable. It is incredibly poor judgment to think that the Islamic jihadists now in control of Syria will not act against Israel. There are very good reasons why Israel has been striking targets in and around Damascus constantly in the past several hours. The same goes for all of the terrorist monsters in Gaza, Lebanon, Judea, Samaria and even in southern Jordan. 

1 March 2025: Top of the list for this update is the crash 'n' burn performance of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in front of President Trump, and VP Vance and American national TV audience. The utter embarassment drove Ukraine's ambassador to holding her bowed head in her hands.

As noted here two weeks ago, watchmen are now closely monitoring Europe where the situation is rapidly ripening for the rise of a strong leader. Perhaps the 14-day series of EU emergency summits will conclude today in London, UK where a select group of 10 to 12 key nations are assembled? We'll see, as Scripture assures the "little horn" rises as a peacemaker and a warrior. 

The prospect of a nuclear world war is literally on the lips of all concerned! In 2014 when the Russia-Ukraine war really began with Russia's invasion of Crimea and the Donbas, Eschatology Today was first in warning of the 'last days' prophetic implications of the war, in particular the "hooks" of Ezekiel 38. There's solid prophetic proof in Ezekiel 38/39 of nuclear fire and other lethal nastiness raining down which is concurrent with the Harpazo and then the LORD God pouring out His Spirit upon all Israel. Witnessing Christ Jesus to the unsaved is an imperative Brothers and Sisters! 

Jaramana

The map above locates the majority Druze and Christian community of Jaramana (just 3km from Damascus center) where firefights between the residents and the HTS-led government army have been taking place recently.

It comes as a real eye-opener this afternoon to see that PM Netanyahu and DM Katz have tasked the IDF to prepare to defend Jaramana from the new jihadist Syrian army.

Final UPDATE 14 March 2025: As if to confirm that "transitioning Syria is governed as an Islamist State from Damascus, it comes as no surprise that the so-called "interim leader" chose to wear a western-style suit and tie in the color of Islam. The imagery is meant to convey that the transition in government from Ba'athist dictatorship to constitutional Jihadist totalitarianism is complete in the opinion of Ahmad al-Shara'a. No doubt he and his jihadist cohorts have never read the God-breathed Scripture of Isaiah, Jeremiah or Ezekiel.

Eschatology Today published Global SITREP D9-18: The Prophecy of Ezekiel six and one-half years ago. That SITREP can serve as a primer for this follow-up, as everyone wants to know what the future holds, and Ezekiel, as much as any of the futurist prophets, provides us with tremendous information on what's next, save for the Book of Daniel and John on Patmos' The Apocalypse of Jesus Christ. 

The first three chapters of the Book of Ezekiel establish the Authority of the Scripture. 

In The first chapter the prophet vividly relates his vision of the throne of the LORD God. Ezekiel finds himself in a face-plant position on the ground near the River Chebar in present-day Iraq upon hearing the voice of One who is speaking to him. The second and very brief chapter opens with the Spirit of God, Ruach HaKodesh (The Holy Spirit), indwelling of Ezekiel and standing him upright so that the LORD God can properly speak to him. Ezekiel is given a lecture on rebellious and impudent Israel and a litany of their transgressions, as well as precisely how Ezekiel is to address them: "Thus says the LORD God." 

God's description of Israel here invokes that part of the Israeli population today as seen and heard in their media even prior to the October 7 massacre - rebellious, insolent, impudent and at times exceedingly vile and vindictive, ignoring all that which was charged to them in the God-breathed Covenants delivered to them by Moses. And they have paid the same price of disobedience ever since, but not for all time as we shall soon see. 

God then instructs Ezekiel that he is not to fear the rebellious Israel or their words to him, but Ezekiel is to straightforwardly speak the word of God to them - no matter whether they accept the words or reject them. So God gives Ezekiel the scroll of a book filled with the Word of God that he is to speak to Israel in Babylonian captivity. 

At this point the prophecy transitions seamlessly to chapter three. And God then feeds the scroll of a book to Ezekiel. It is interesting to note that this scroll of a book which was filled with lamentations, mourning and woe is described by Ezekiel as being in his mouth like honey in sweetness. I would summarize this description of the scroll of a book as a transition for all Israel from rebellion to redemption as seen towards the end in Ezekiel 39:29. Chapter three closes much as chapter one did with God appearing to Ezekiel again, the Holy Spirit entering him, falling down prone and God stand him up again and speaking instruction for Ezekiel to keep his mouth shut and speak to rebellious Israel only when God gives him the words to speak: "Thus says the LORD God, he who hears let him hear, and he who refuses let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house."

I find that these first three chapters provide a baseline for what God tells Ezekiel to prophesy in chapters 35, 36 and 37, and that these chapters are precisely where we, the Bride of Christ, find ourselves at this time. This is where we are today. 

Chapter 35 finds Ezekiel speaking prophetic judgment of the LORD God upon present day, and so-called "Palestinians." They are not "Palestinians." In truth they are Egyptians, Syrians, Hashemites and other various tribes of Arabs, and whom the Lord refers to in sum as "Mount Seir."  Ezekiel 35:5 precisely invokes what Asaph was inspired to say in Psalm 83. They are to be subdued and slain in war, their cities to be destroyed and not rebuilt. Desolation is their future as a direct result of the current war.

Chapter 36 reads like the land of Israel during and immediately after World War II as the diaspora of the children of Israel began their return to Eretz Israel in vast numbers from all over the world wherever they had gone in the previous circa 1900 years or circa 70 to 1945 AD. This chapter is about to ongoing renewal of Israel, the fig tree shooting forth branches and leaves and the bearing of fruit. 

The dichotomy of Ezekiel chapters 1, 2 and 3 with what is found in chapters 35 and 36 is astounding, but hey, our God excels is doing astounding things! This is all about the renewal of Israel, particularly in Ezekiel 36:16-20 where God is speaking explicitly once again about why Israel was sent out into the nations and then comes a bombshell at verses 21-22: "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."

The prophecy within Ezekiel 36:23-36 is extremely important. It is, as the prophetic text implicitly states, about the redemption of Israel! Now, do NOT accuse me of invoking any nonsense such as 'dual covenant theology." What I cite here is the word of God, period. I leave to the reader to read the above embedded Scripture for themselves. It says exactly what it says. It says what the LORD God said to Ezekiel!

Marana'tha!

Global SITREP B6-24: Northern Front

IDF troops prepare for operations in Lebanon

UPDATED 18 September 2024: It's said that an object in motion tends to stay in motion. As we have seen in the past couple of days the IDF's "center of gravity" is moving inexorably towards the Northern Front. The IDF mission objective is to fight Hezbollah on Lebanon's territory so as to allow Israeli civilians to return safely to their homes in northern Israel. Based upon Bible prophecy, the books of Joshua, Jeremiah and Isaiah especially, Eschatology Today believes that the Northern Front holds much more in store for Israel and its defense forces than merely driving Hezbollah terrorists north of the Litani River. We'll follow key events closely and as they occur.

UPDATE 23 September 2024: To use colloquial terminology, It's on! 

As of this morning, and following unprecedented leaflet drops, telephone calls and text message warnings from the IDF there are tens of thousands of Lebanese civilians in mass exodus from southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley. The IDF has also provided video evidence of civilian homes in Lebanon which show irrefutable proof of special construction of hatches and openings constructed by Hezbollah that contain cruise missiles and other hostile aircraft launch platforms within them. Resident and neighbors were urged for their own safety to depart from these areas with all due haste and these structures will be destroyed. Somewhere between 300 and 400 hundred structures have been destroyed in at least three waves of strikes thus far today, and its only 3:30 PM in Israel as of this writing. The warnings were specific and included the Beqa'a Valley where Hezbollah has long occupied as its primary stronghold.

Global SITREP A7-24: The War in the North Part II

12 April 2024: The cyber-sky is full of media and supposed insider flak at present regarding the who, what, when and how the Twelver Regime might attempt to strike in retaliation for Israel's strike on the IRGC-QF headquarters destruction of eleven days ago. And this doesn't even account for a highly probable Israeli response, a potential American retaliation against Iran and the massive amount of international hand-wringing over the entire possible if not probable rumors of war scenarios. 

Most of the guesswork in the MSM citing anonymous official sources has, obviously, missed the mark thus far, they predicted before then end of Ramadan. The Wall Street Journal, citing a source claiming to have been briefed by the Twelver Regime itself, is the latest to put forward a timeline: within 24-48 hours of daybreak today.

Eschatology Today's current assessment of the entire gamut of known unknowns is what will be, will be. However, a direct mass attack into Israel by any or all of Iran's proxies, including Iran itself, could easily result in a massive Israeli strike against the Twelver Regime inside of Iran, as well as in Lebanon and Syria. Might this be a pending fulfillment of Jeremiah 49:24-27 and 34-39, followed closely by Isaiah 17, Joshua 13:1-7  and ultimately the final act of Psalm 83? We're about to find out the details of these prophetic appointment of the Lord.

F-35I Adir (Mighty One)

UPDATE 19 April 2024:

Isfahan, Iran. Limited Israeli Strike early morning 19 April 2024. This site was selected from the IDF's Order of Battle targets list due to its central location in Iran and its high value tactical air base.

 

Special SITREP B1-23: Global Military SITREP with Emphasis on the Levant

IRGC Bavar-373 Air Defense System

12 April 2023: The proverbial "cat" is out of the bag. The "cat" is the Iranian reverse engineered air defense (AD) system known as the Upgraded Bavar-373 from the Russian S-400 AD. This AD has been deployed to Syria under the guise of humanitarian assistance to Syria and Turkey following the massive earthquakes of this past February. The IRGC has authorized their proxy militias in Syria, under IRGC command, to bring the systems on-line for use against the Israeli Air Force, and possibly, if not probably, against Coalition and US aircraft operating over Syria.

The several high-level meetings among Western allies in the Levant as well as Israel's security cabinet briefings in recent weeks can be cited as the result of actionable intelligence having been acquired by the allies intelligence collection activities, as well as Iran's razor thin distance from nuclear weapons possession. This is possibly the last backgrounder Eschatology Today will present before the war between Israel and Iran erupts. 

Going back quite a few years Eschatology Today has postulated on the sequence of prophetic fulfillments. It has been noted many times that no where in Isaiah 17 or in the Psalm 83 scenario is there any mention of Iran (Persia) being a combatant against Israel, but until this point the Twelver clerics on Iran have armed, except for Jordan, all of the front line enemies that will square off against Israel. The lone exception are Iraqis (ancient Assur) who are in Syria today as mercenary proxy militias of the Iranian regime and foretold by Asaph to provide strength to the armies facing Israel. 

Also noted in these postulations was Jeremiah 49:35 which is interpreted as a reference to Iranian missile systems. Iranian missiles are unquestionably the foremost of Iranian military might today. So it follows logically that the Iranian "bows" will be "broken" as the lead-off event in the coming war that will totally consume Syria (Aram) as seen in Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49:23-27. We also know from Isaiah 17 that Israel's population will endure great loss of life in this exchange of fire, but Israel will emerge from the conflict victorious; recovering from it fully, if not exceptionally, as seen in Ezekiel 38:8.

Marana'tha!

 

Global SITREP F1-21: The Next War Will Be The Psalm 83 Finale War

24 November 2021: For nearly a full twelve years Eschatology Today has been keyed to the the Psalm 83 war scenario as a paradigm shifting event. The major domino to fall in a series of rapid events on the proverbial Road to the Revelation of Jesus Christ, a/k/a the '70th Week of Years.'

The sum of this prophetic scenario is the combination of Psalm 83 and its parallel prophecies by Isaiah (11:12-14) and Ezekiel (28:24-26) as well as Isaiah 17 and Joshua 13:1-7. To these we also add Jeremiah 49:23-27 and Jeremiah 49:34-39. All of these should be read as being part of a whole prophetic narrative to be fulfilled prior to the '70th Week of Years' which we also know as the Thlipsis and Megas Thlipsis (Tribulation and Great Tribulation). These prophecies are kinetic warfare enabled by the technology of the 21st century. These are lightning-quick missile warfare.

There is a member of the Israeli Knesset from the Likud by the name of Nir Barkat. He spoke today at a conference held at Reichman University in Herzliya, Israel. Eschatology Today views statements he made there as being a very precise summation of the prophetic scenario about to be fulfilled in the near-term as has been discussed on this blog over the course of the past twelve years.

"In the next attack, with missiles coming from Lebanon, this will not be the Third Lebanon War, this will be the First Iran War. I think we are not properly assessing the threat coming from Iran that plans to act against us in six arenas: The Lebanese, the Gazan, the long-range missiles, the attempt to establish itself in Syria, Judea and Samaria and there is also a new threat from home - some residents of the State of Israel." 

MK Nir Barkat continued with, 

"The Iranian conventional threat requires us to rethink how we not only harm Lebanon when we are attacked by the Iranian proxy sitting in Lebanon, but how we harm Tehran. So that when the Iranians in Tehran want to order Hezbollah to open fire against Israel, their voice will tremble because they will know that they themselves would be harmed in Tehran - and they are no longer protected."

That's quite a summation from the former mayor of Jerusalem of ten years (2008-2018). In the view of Eschatology Today the above quotes are prescient and descriptive in an almost peculiar prophetic yet secular sense. That may be the net result of Barkat's in-depth knowledge of modern military tactics due to his six years of service as a former elite IDF paratrooper. Major Nir Barkat was wounded during combat operations in Lebanon, and knows of what he speaks. He may also be aware of the above Old Testament prophecies as well. Whatever the case, his words have a profound resonance.

As has been stated before, any one of Israel's strikes at Iranian or Hezbollah targets in Syria could be the one which begins the toppling of the precisely arranged prophetic dominoes. There was another IAF strike in Homs, Syria mere hours ago as this SITREP began being composed. There were casualties in the strike. Eyes on continued developments, updates as they occur.

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 A1-19: Continuity

PSALM 83

Update 4 January 2019: Straight up and to the eschatological point of this update. 

Is it not now obvious the the Government of the State of Israel regards the Government of the Russian Federation as a viable partner with whom trust is given regarding Israel's national security? If so, and I believe this is true considering the level and scope of continuing Israeli-Russian contacts and cooperation that is being conducted, then it would not follow logically that the eventual advent of Ezekiel 38/39 would constitute an abject betrayal of the security partnership and trust bestowed by Israel upon the Russian Federation?

And will Israel not immediately follow-up such an ill-advised folly in the subsequent and apparently carte blanche acceptance of the 7-year "covenant with many" (security treaty) of the 70th week as confirmed by the Western ruler (nagiyd) per Daniel 9:26-27?

My curiosity in this has now flared up because as I understand Ezekiel 38/39, it is concluded with the prophet declaring that God shall have poured out His Spirit upon "all Israel" (Ez. 39:29). How does an Israel dwelling at that time with the Holy Spirit then turn around and accept a false messiah, one who is empowered by the dragon (satan), his seat, and great authority (Revelation 13:1-6)? 

What am I missing here? Does not the Holy Spirit provide discernment in such things?

Yes, He does! The "All Israel" that recieves the LORD God's pouring out of the Holy Spirit in Ezekiel 39:29 are the 144,000. 12,000 of every tribe of Israel - all Israel - who proclaim the gospel of Yeshua HaMashiach to the whole world during the first 42 months of the 70th week. Their ministry is concurrent with the Lord's Two Witnesses ministry in Jerusalem during this same 42 months. Amen!

1 January 2019: Yesterday there was a meeting in Tehran in which that terrorist regime once again made clear its military agenda of seeking the destruction of Israel and to replace it with a Shi'a Islamic government in Tel Aviv. This is the news this morning in the Jerusalem Post and few other Israeli media.  

Lost is the shuffle of last week, but captured within SITREP E3-18, was the report of a delegation of Hezbollah VIPs which departed for Tehran from Damascus minutes before Israeli ordnance began destroying Iranian, Hezbollah and their Syrian hosts warfighting materiel at 10PM on Christmas night. Concurrent with the Hezbollah VIPs travel to Tehran, we now know that Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) VIPs, led by PIJ chief Ziyad al-Nakhalah, a U.S. State Department specially designated global terrorist, also departed Gaza recently and arrived in Tehran. The object of this unfettered travel by Iran's primary terror proxies in Lebanon and Gaza was a face-to-face meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei on Sunday and Iranian president Rouhani today. The meeting with the Iranian Ayatollah was in all actuality, as announced by the PIJ leader in Iranian media, a war council for the next round of war against Israel. Rouhani doubled down on this by declaring the only way for the "Palestinians" to achieve their rights in "Palestine" is to wage war on Israel.

Except for the leadership of Iran and the still missing Jordanian factor, this Eastern Mediterranean enemy confederation has an uncanny resemblance to the enemy confederation found in Psalm 83. Eschatology Today views the Iraqi Shi'a militias as Assur per Psalm 83:8.  These militias are under IRGC-QF command and currently sitting on the Syrian side of the Golan. As noted in the JPost report linked above, all of these forces constitute a unified military command structure, from Lebanon to Gaza, for the next war. This news tends to confirm the assessment made in the 29 December 2018 update to Global SITREP E4-18.

There is also direct linkage between the ultimate fulfillment of Psalm 83, Isaiah 11:14, Ezekiel 28:24-26 and the prophecies of Jeremiah 49:34-39, Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49:23-27. In fact, the fulfillment of the entirety of Jeremiah 49 is applicable here, and our oft reference flood of prophetic fulfillments in the run-up to Ezekiel 38/39 and the 70th Week. Unknown is the specific timeline, but they do appear to be standing on all of Israel's current frontiers. 

This SITREP is about the continuity of prophetic developments as we watch in real-time.

Global SITREP D2-17: One Word - One Prophecy

The Holy Bible

25 August 2017: The the past week a lot of prompting by the Holy Spirit has led to a kind of reassessment on how the ongoing pre-70th Week prophetic fulfillment may actually, or is actually going to come to pass. For example, it has been strongly impressed upon yours truly that there is no need to dissect the prophetic verses of 49th chapter of Jeremiah as has been done for quite some time now.  

Given the real-world events in Syria, and the ever present rumors of a wider war involving Iran, why should the dissection Jeremiah 49's prophetic passages occur at all? That is, why assign verses 23 through 27 (subtitled as "Judgment on Damascus" in the NKJV) as separate and distinct  from verses 34 through 39 (Judgment on Elam)? 

For that matter, why dissect Jeremiah 49's verses 1 through 6 (Judgment on Ammon) and verses 7 through 22 (Judgment on Edom) and verses 28 through 33 (Judgment on Kedar and Hazor) from the two more well known prophecies concerning Syria and Iran in this same prophetic chapter? Long story short, it shouldn't be done, so I'll certainly not do it any longer. It is one literal Word of prophecy, always has been, and that's how it will come to pass - as it is written.

More importantly, there is very real and definitive linkage here between these pre-70th Week prophecies and several others, such as Psalm 83 as a prime example, which should never be dissected or treated a separate from one another. They are all parts of the bigger prophetic picture; the whole flood of prophetic events leading up to the 70th Week.

In the past much attention has been given to the fact that neither Syria or Iran are present in Psalm 83; that the fate of Damascus and Syria (Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 23-27) must occur prior to Psalm 83. Or that Iran is not mentioned in Psalm 83, but its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah is strongly implied as a participant in Psalm 83. The bigger picture is that all of these prophecies are concurrent in fulfillment, in a sequence for sure, yet concurrent in a way that dissecting them from one another is an incorrect way in which to interpret them as a whole.

In sum, we can no longer dissect these prophecies from one another any more than Psalm 83 can be dissected from Ezekiel 28:24-26 and Isaiah 11:12-14. They are all parts of the same prophecy.

Global SITREP C5-17: Making Sense of Current Events

President Donald J. Trump

4 June 2017: We, as the body of Christ on this earth, either believe God is in complete and total control, that His will is being done through the various birth pangs heralding the establishment of Christ's Millennial Kingdom - or we don't. There is no half-measure here, no room to be lukewarm, and no excuse to misunderstand current events when it all lies before us in the Lord's inerrant prophetic word.

Some of us are upset because President Trump did not announce his promised move of the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Israel when they expected it during his recent trip to the Middle East. One of us even stated that Trump is "chicken" to effect the embassy move; that Trump covered it up by using Globalist media via his announced withdrawal of the United States from Obama's Paris Global Climate Accord. 

Unfortunately, and to be very frank about such opinions, this view is not only well shortsighted of the mark, but it also evidences a very critical and crucial misunderstanding of current events in light of Bible prophecy. Bible prophecy does not comport with what we human beings want to see happen, it comports with the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent will of Almighty God. Period.

To make sense of these recent events one needs to understand President Trump and the Order Of Battle (OOB) his Administration is following in its continuing war against the Globalist machine. The Globalist machine is the precursor of the coming Beast Empire of the Antichrist. Refresh your memory with a review of July 2016's Global SITREP B10-16. 

Now, being refreshed and mindful of the fact that the November election was just an electoral victory, a single battle won, over the Globalist candidate (Hillary Clinton) look closer at the ongoing big picture. That big picture reveals that a real war against the Globalist machine has been engaged ever since the election was decided. This war, as all earthly wars do, has both secular and Spiritual attributes, and the great battles on both planes of existence still lie directly ahead in the passage of time as we understand and experience it. 

The LORD God prophetically declared there will be war in Heaven, when the archangel Michael and his angels will prevail over Satan and his fallen host and throw them down to the earth. This is an event which I believe will occur around the mid-point of the 70th Week. Eschatology Today readers are well versed in this due to the continuing discourse on the Great Sign of Revelation 12. If you've only read as far as Revelation 12:1-6, then continue on and read Revelation 12:7-12.

So too the ongoing war against the Globalists will turn south around a corner in the future. But that's a future the bride of Christ will not be here to witness, and what we need to understand here and now is the Trump Administration's Order Of Battle against the Globalists. 

What is the Trump Administration's OOB? Well, he's told the world repeatedly what they are and has, as of this date, already initiated several of them. In order they are: saying goodbye to the TTP, win the war against Islamism, move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, Keystone XL, Judicial Appointments, replace Obamacare, end IRS and VA malfeasance, Tax Reform, rebuild America's infrastructure, and pull America out of the Global Warming charade. All of these specific orders of battle are against what the Globalists want to achieve. Each is a battle in its own right, many are inter-related or inter-dependent.

Look at the list above again. See what follows winning the fight against Islamism (both Sunni and Shi'a variants of jihad)? Yes, the fight to defeat Islamism has a priority position, and President Trump so stated this before the Sunni Muslim leaders in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This means creating the coalition I have recently begun referring to as The Ezekiel Summit. Refresh your memory here also if necessary. 

This specific, and second most important Order Of Battle requires two objectives be achieved: the defeat of the Islamic State and the reduction of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its agenda for a pan-Shi'a crescent of power from Tehran to Beirut. In order to achieve both of these a (where have you heard this before?) "Coalition of Nations" both Sunni Muslim and Western allies (think: "Ten Toes") is an indispensable necessity. Iron and miry clay, they work as allies, but do not cleave to one another. 

Those "Ten Toes" of Daniel 2 are, as some of you understand, "The Ezekiel Summit" manifest in the real-world we live in. These two objectives will result in the literal fulfillment of Isaiah 17 as well as Jeremiah 49:23-27 and 34-39. These fulfillment's are stage-setting for the final fulfillment of Psalm 83, Isaiah 11:12-14 and Ezekiel 28:24-26, and, ultimately, Ezekiel 38-39. These are the 'flood of prophetic fulfillment' I have discussed time and again which shall set the conditions that will exist in the very near future arrival and final fulfillment of the angel Gabriel's 70th Week prophecy to Daniel (Daniel 9:24-27).

Moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem will occur upon its Divinely appointed time. That is the time God decides, not any American President or his administration. In the future, as we surely all must be aware of by now, all nations shall move their national representation to Jerusalem.

Global SITREP E2-14: 2015 Crescendo Coming

9 November 2015: I used the metaphor in SITREP D10-14 of the proverbial can having been kicked in darkness down the road as far as possible. Now I'm going to revise that to say there's more than one can, there are several of them. I think 2015 will be the year in which the real issues these cans represent either explode or are tossed into the rubbish bin of history. Many of these cans have their origins in the actions or inactions of the Obama Administration. These are the crescendos coming in 2015.

One of the most urgent is the Iranian nuclear issue. Under the U.S. Obama Administration the artifice of negotiating with Iran's Shi'a jihadists over their nuclear program may have all but resulted in the Ayatollah's possession of several Islamic bombs and Israel's realization that: a) PM Netanyahu has been thoroughly deceived, or b) the intelligence data Israel is likely to have provided to the US and IAEA was summarily ignored.

This morning all of Israel has been publicly informed in a published report in the UKs The Sunday Times that there are likely five times as many advanced design uranium enrichment centrifuges operating in Iran than are involved in the negotiation process. This means that even if Iran were to agree to halt the spinning of a thousand centrifuges, they'd still have another four thousand spinning their way to a fissile core for their weapons. The net result of this outright deception hands the Ayatollah his nukes and checkmates Israel through its acquiescing to the negotiations vice striking the Iranian program while it had every chance to do so.

This news comes from Olli Heinonen, the man who most recently was the IAEAs Deputy Director General of Safeguards. Heinonen now says Iran have have operational five times as many of the advanced carbon-fiber IR-2m centrifuges than Iran has admitted to possessing. The IR-2m centrifuges are also five times more effective than the obsolete IR-1 Iran has used in years past. 

So, where did Olli Heinonen get this new data? From "intelligence sources" which revealed that Iran had previously acquired the raw materials to have constructed several thousand IR-2m centrifuges beyond the one-thousand they've admitted to have operational, and that they have have them operational or on standby at enrichment sites beyond Natanz and Fordow. The deadline for an agreement between the E3/EU+3 (a/k/a P5+1) and Iran over its nuclear program is just 15 days away (24 November). 

Prophetically, Jeremiah 49:34-39 is the only Scripture we have to begin to understand what the future holds. On Eschatology Today we have discussed this prophecy at length previously over the past three years (SITREP B5:14; SITREP B7-13 and in "Jeremiah 49: Will a Coalition of Nations Move Against Iran?"). There is also Bill Salus' outstanding and highly recommended book published in July 2014, "Nuclear Showdown in Iran: Revealing the Ancient Prophecy of Elam."

Global SITREP B2-13: Syria Phase III

UPDATE 24 October 2013: The full-blown international war described in the original 2 October post below has effectively moved into Lebanon where open sectarian warfare between Sunni and Shi'a neighborhoods in Tripoli, Lebanon have raged out of control all week long. Saudi Arabia is warning of full-blown civil war erupting in Lebanon and has directly threatened the Lebanese homes and loved ones of Hezbollah's troops in Syria with "great cost" to be borne if it does not withdraw its forces from supporting Bashar al-Assad's army. Saudi Arabia is now directly targeting Hezbollah in its war against Iran in both the Syrian and Lebanese fields of battle.

8 October 2013: Two or more brigades of Bashar al-Assad's armored divisions were detected moving south from Damascus to assembly areas anticipated to be along the M5 highway. Another armored force appears poised on Highway 7 opposite al-Quneitra. The first battle was engaged at rebel-held Khan Ar-Nabeh, a town 2 miles from the Golan Heights 1974 cease-fire "Line Alpha" of disengagement and no-man's land, and 4 miles from the main highway interchange before al-Quneitra. Not much will remain of Khan Ar-Nabeh after this battle, the southern edge of which lies on the 1974 cease-fire "Line Bravo."

The objective of the Syrian force appears to be to sever the rebels from their Jordanian supply corridors through Dara'a and from medical treatment of its wounded across the Golan in Israel.  This maneuver will present the Syrian army with a "kill box" from the Jordanian border to the mountainous Lebanese frontier in which rebel forces will be trapped and exterminated. Once the maneuvering is completed, and short of any significant foreign intervention, the Syrian force appears likely to achieve this objective and be in a position to deal far more effectively with the newly created Liwa al-Islam put together by Saudi Arabia.

2 October 2013: The war in Syria has finally morphed into the full-blown international war most had hoped would not take shape in the wake of recent U.S. threats of direct intervention and the Russian Federation's military and diplomatic countermeasures against it. 

Now the war has become a battlefield directly pitting Sunni Saudi Arabia against the apocalyptic Shi'a Islamic Republic of Iran. Tehran versus Riyadh. It's the same Sunni versus Shi'a inter-Islamic war, but more defined than ever before. The immediate objective of the new Sandi-controlled rebel formations will be full control of the city of Damascus and all of southern and eastern Syria. The central front is headquartered in the Ghouta/Jobar areas of eastern Damascus where the chemical attack of 21 August occurred. The theological and eschatological ramifications of a great battle between the armed forces of Sunni and Shi'a Islam over the city of Damascus and Aram/Syria will be immense among all parties involved. This will be a defining battle for them.

On one side is Iran and its IRGC controlling Syrian government forces and Lebanese Hezbollah. On the other is Saudi Arabia and its newly created Liwa al-Islam or Brigade of Islam. Riyadh's Army of Islam is a confederation of many thousands of jihadist fighters from 43 to 50 different "brigades" that have been in operation in and around Damascus without any higher headquarters directing their operations or unity of purpose. This force is now under the direct command of Zahran Alloush and his father Abdallah Alloush, a Syrian Salafist based in Saudi Arabia. Salafists are the theological fundamentalist brethren of the Wahhabists of the Saudi Royal family. The ultimate goal here is the Saudi-funded formation of an opposition Syrian National Army.

Left out in the cold in this realignment of rebel forces without any foreign government backing are the Al Qaeda-aligned jihadists of Jabhat al-Nusra and their Iraqi cousins of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). These formations will be marginalized or absorbed by the now better equipped, organized and commanded Brigade of Islam.

So begins what may well be a final battle for control of Damascus and southern Syria, a head-on collision between Saudi Arabian and Iranian aligned forces with the prospect for escalation to direct conflict between the two regional rivals facing each other across the shallow waters of the Persian Gulf. How this all manifests itself in the prophecies of Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49 remains to be seen, but it does appear that the Sunni's will prove to be the superior force before biting off more than they can chew in taking on Israel in the fulfillment of Psalm 83.

Jeremiah 49: Will a Coalition of Nations Move Against Iran? (Yes, They Will!!)

27 April 2012: At this point, some 19 months since first posting this "work in progress," there exists for the first time very strong evidence for the existence of a coalition of nations prepared to move militarily against the nuclear weapons aspirations of the Islamic Republic of Iran in what I believe will be a highly probable literal fulfillment in our day of Jeremiah 49:34-39. (Please read the original posit on this interpretive theory down below for a refresher if that is necessary.)

Israel Defense Forces Chief-of-Staff Lientenant General Binyamin "Benny" Gantz informed the world yesterday of the existence of a coalition of nations who are prepared to execute offensive, preemptory military strikes on Iranian military targets should it become necessary to do so. While not specifying which nations would join Israel in striking Iran, LTG Gantz was completely unambiguous in the words he used:

 "The military force is ready, not only our forces, but other forces as well. We all hope that there will be no necessity to use this force, but we are absolutely sure of its existence."   

 There is no doubt in my mind that the Shi'a Twelver regime in Iran hold that the acquisition of an indigenous nuclear weapons and delivery capability as the key to achieving a chaotic and apocalyptic scenario in order to self-fulfill their own eschatological beliefs about an Islamic messianic figure known as the al-Mahdi. In this context it is simply not possible for the Iranian regime to abandon its eschatological beliefs any more than it would be for the Bride of Christ to abandon the blessed hope of the Harpazo. Therefore, it does appear that full-scale regional warfare in the Middle East and Southwest Asia is a very near inevitability given the closeness of Iranian technological success in achieving nuclear weapon capability. As has been have stated often times before, for Israel "Never Again" means Never Again. The Lord's will be done for His Divine purposes.

     

21 October 2011: It has been a full year since this article was posted here, and an awful lot has changed. Across the Arab-Islamic fundamentalist world there has occurred a sea change, particularly in the past 10 months of this year. Rod-of-Iron dictators who had held Arab Islamic fundamentalists at bay since the Iranian (Persian) revolution of 1979 have been removed from power by popular uprisings or are teetering on the brink of being ousted in the face of armed rebellion, to the killing of key fundamentalist leaders in the Islamic jihad movement. The world has focused on this so-called "Arab Spring."

But another key event has occurred this year which I have mentioned previously in this blog, and that is the ongoing armed clash between the Arab ruling House of Saudi Arabia and the apocalypse-minded Persian Shi'ite Twelver regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran. These armed clashes between Iranian-funded and inspired Shi'a have occurred on Yemeni soil, on Saudi soil and on Bahrani soil. With the recent revelation by the United States of an Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador to the US and to attack the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington, DC this Arab-Persian war nearly arrived on US soil. Understandably, the Saudi's are livid; they are demanding that action be taken against Iran, particularly the ending of its nuclear weapons program by force of arms.

This new paradigm finds the Saudi king and the Israeli leadership in agreement on what needs to be done with respect to the Iranian nuclear program, and the US is voicing its pledge that Iran will be held accountable for the assassination and embassy bombing plot. In Israel there has been conservative opinion expressed which holds that PM Netanyahu and his cabinet agreed to renounce their key principles in dealing with the terrorists of HAMAS to free Gilad Shalit from captivity in order to "clear his desk" for Israel to confront Iran head on. On Tuesday evening, October 11th Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke to his countrymen about a "window of opportunity that is about to be closed and connected it to geostrategic developments."

Is Iran now facing the prospect of a "perfect storm" coming from all directions external to its own borders? Are the words of the prophet Jeremiah below relative to this new situation? I tend to think they are, and I tend to think we may see their fulfillment to the letter as Bible prophecy is always fulfilled. Not only does Iran have this external threat to deal with as the prophecy details, but should the Ayatollah's regime be subjected to the right kind external non-nuclear military action then the door opens for the Iranian regime to see revolt from within its own borders as the second to last verse appears to indicate (emphasis added): "‘And I will send the sword after them Until I have consumed them. I will set My throne in Elam, and will destroy from there the king and the princes' says the Lord."

15 September 2010: Jeremiah 49:34-39

The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts:

‘ Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, The foremost of their might. Against Elam I will bring the four winds From the four quarters of heaven, And scatter them toward all those winds; There shall be no nations where the outcasts of Elam will not go. For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies And before those who seek their life. I will bring disaster upon them, My fierce anger,’ says the LORD; ‘ And I will send the sword after them Until I have consumed them. I will set My throne in Elam, And will destroy from there the king and the princes,’ says the LORD. ‘ But it shall come to pass in the latter days: I will bring back the captives of Elam,’ says the LORD.”

Although this is a work in-progress, I'd like to propose an interpretation whereby this prophetic "Judgment on Elam" from Jeremiah, which self-dates to the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah, or circa 595 BC, will be fulfilled in the near future, possibly prior to the final fulfillment of Psalm 83, and definitively prior to Ezekiel 38/39. I'm anchoring this future fulfillment upon the historical fact that the Elamite Kingdom ceased to exist during the ten year process of the Assyrian conquest led by King Ashurbanipal which was completed in 639 BC. Since Before Christ dates count downward, the gap of time between these years places the prophetic "Judgment on Elam" as being given to Jeremiah by the Lord approximately 44 years after the Assyrian conquest of Elam, and thus providing a strong context for latter days fulfillment.

There is also the related issue of a clear distinction in those ancient times between the Elamites and the Pä·ras'/Persians (old Persian: Pārsa) of Ezekiel 38:5. The Persian's originated in the region east of Elam defined by the natural boundary created by the Zagros Mountains, and the eastern most extent of the Elamite Kingdom at the city of Anshan/Anzan (modern-day Tepe Maylan, Iran). With the collapse of the Elamite Kingdom the Persians slowly took control with the Medes of what we know today as modern Iran.

According to several maps I've studied, the ancient Elamite Empire could well be considered to constitute the core territory of the present day Iranian nuclear effort (i.e. the uranium mines and yellow cake processing facilities at Saghand and Ardekan, near Yazd; the Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF) at the Esfahan; the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, and the nuclear crown jewel at Bushehr). The Iranian nuclear weapons program is fully integrated with the Iranian ballistic missile delivery vehicles, and which together could well be interpreted as the the arrows of "Elam's" bow, "the foremost of their might" of verse 35 which is precisely the greatest strength of the current Iranian military.

In the next verse we read that the judgment comes in the form of "the four winds" (i.e. all points on the compass and intimating many nations) as being the "sword" the Lord sends after them. Also looking at the map of Iran, it does appear that Arab nations, the principle of which is Saudi Arabia, would be among those coming against Elam from the southern "wind" along with many other nations constituting the other three directions. This includes Israel and many other nations such as the NATO alliance, and clearly invokes the modern day notion of a warfighting coalition of nations such as we saw in the early 1990s Operation Desert Storm against Iraq and the present day Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Some current context for this interpretive theory.

19 months ago (FEB 2009) there were more than a few highly qualified nuclear weapons experts at the Herzliya Conference in Israel - one of whom was Russian Major-General Vladimir Dvorkin - who said that the Islamic Republic of Iran already had already achieved a nuclear weapons capability.

This was reported world-wide by Bill Gertz in his "Inside the Ring" column. General Dvorkin was quoted saying, “Iran has developed the capability to produce and fire nuclear weapons.”

General Dvorkin told the Hezliya Conference Iran had acquired most of the components for building its nuclear weapon by 2003, and "The only way I see the problem being resolved is by military action.”

Former U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich told this same conference three years ealier that three Iranian nuclear weapons constituted a nuclear holocaust for Israel, and if used against the United States would result in the loss of two to three American cities, and the direct result of such an attack would be that "freedom as we know it will disappear, and we will become a much grimmer, much more militarized, dictatorial society."

It is a standing premise of this interpretive theory that while the "Global Oligarchists" are creating a hideous system of world governance ready-made for the coming Western Antichrist to usurp, they are not even close to being the suicidal maniacs of Jihadist Islam - such as the Shi'a Islamic Republic of Iran has created. I think it reasonable to expect them to act in concert - in a grand military coalition which they most certainly do control right now - to defend the world system they're creating from the Iranian al-mahdist apocalypse.

Arriving at a point-of-no-return regarding Iranian nuclear development, a point possibly defined by an Iranian nuclear test detonation, possibly occurring in North Korea instead of Iran, a coalition of nations attacking these many above ground nuclear sites might release radiation and necessitate the need for the population to seek refuge in distant places, as intimated in verse 36c: "There shall be no nations where the outcasts of Elam will not go." The Bushehr plant particularly meets this criteria.

The Islamic War: Sunni versus Shiite

15 March 2011: It appears as though the Sunni Arab regimes of the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf region have drawn a circle in the sand around the militarily expansionist plans of the Islamic Republic of Iran in a manner akin to that when the Consul of the Roman Republic, Gaius Popilius Laenas, drew a circle in the sand around the feet of the Seleucid Empire’s King Antiochus IV Epiphanes regarding his planned conquest of Ptolemaic Egypt and Cyprus about 2,180 years ago.

First, a brief look at history and prophetic fulfillment.

When the prototype of the coming Antichrist, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, arrived with his military forces outside the city of Alexandria he was met by Consul Laenas. Antiochus reached out with his hand in friendship, but instead of Laenas’ hand in reciprocity he received instead an ultimatum from the Roman Senate demanding his immediate withdrawal from Egypt and Cyprus. This ultimatum contained the stipulation that anything short of immediate and unconditional compliance would place the Seleucid Empire in a state of war with the Roman Republic. Antiochus attempted to play for time, saying he would consult his staff about the ultimatum, whereupon Laenas then took a staff and drew a complete circle in the sand around his feet and demanded, “Before you step out of this circle I will have your reply to the Senate.”

This monumentally historic event in the history of the ancient world, where Rome directly confronted the prototype Antichrist, was a literal precursor fulfillment of Daniel 11:30, “For the ships of Kittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant,” just as this fulfillment led directly to the precursor fulfillment of the Abomination of Desolation, and all of the other barbarous acts as discussed in the useful but not divinely inspired apocryphal book, 2 Maccabees, chapters 5 and 6.

In the above passage from Daniel, Roman Consul Laenas is represented as “the ships of Kittim” according to the Vulgate (Latin) translation of the original Hebrew text.

"et venient super eum trieres et Romani et percutietur et revertetur et indignabitur contra testamentum sanctuarii et faciet reverteturque et cogitabit adversum eos qui dereliquerunt testamentum sanctuarii"

"And the galleys and the Romans shall come upon him, and he shall be struck, and shall return, and shall have indignation against the covenant of the sanctuary, and he shall succeed: and he shall return, and shall devise against them that have forsaken the covenant of the sanctuary."

Kittim was a son of Javan, grandson of Japheth and great-grandson of Noah.

Back to the present era.

It would seem that the pro-Western regime (majority Sunni Muslims) in Lebanon understood the intentions of the Islamic Republic of Iran though its Hezbollah proxy, a military entity directly related to the IRCG, and decided to allow the United Nation determine culpability for the assassination of its former president, Rafik Hariri and couple of dozen other people. It’s interesting to note that Lebanon did not turn to the Arab League or neighboring majority Sunni Islamic states to offer their support for its sovereignty. Not only did the Sunni Arab regimes fail to act, but so has the United Nations (read: global governance) thus far. This failure of Sunni Muslim cohesion and the UN’s powerlessness did not go un-noticed by the apocalyptic-minded Shi’a regime in Iran and they exploited it fully to the point that Lebanon has now become a de facto Iranian client state through Hezbollah’s military prowess.

Then, as the wave of Sunni Arab protests swept into the heart of the Middle East from North Africa, many of which the Iranian regime has claimed credit for, a paradigm shift occurred within the Sunni-led regimes of the Arabian Peninsula that has been driven as much by fear and the need for self-preservation as it is by the ages old Sunni-Shi’a schism within Islam.

Gone are the days of proxy warfare primarily between Iran and Saudi Arabia as evidenced in Iraq between Sunni and Shiite, or direct, albeit somewhat covert, Saudi military intervention in the Iranian backed Shiite insurgency in Yemen. Now as the very real specter of Iranian expansion directly threatens Sunni rule in the Arabian Peninsula, a line has been drawn in the sand, and that line encircles the tiny nation-state of Bahrain.

Within the past day Saudi Arabian military forces, accompanied by the military forces of Kuwait and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations, have made great spectacle in deploying significant numbers of their armored vehicles and combat troops into Bahrain at that government’s request to forcibly put down an insurrection of Iranian-inspired Shi’a Muslims. Iran’s reaction to this deployment makes the unambiguous threat of war against the Saudi’s and GCC nations all too real.

The Iranian foreign ministry, as if they have a say in the affairs of another sovereign state, has declared the Bahrani government’s request “illegal.” The Iranian parliament also branded Saudi Arabian regime of King Abdullah as “illegitimate” and the deployment of his troops as being “interference” in Bahrain’s internal affairs which would have “dangerous consequences.” This is far more than just a case of Islamic hypocrisy with the Iranian pot calling the Saudi kettle black; “them's fightin’ words” in any culture.

My curiosity now is piqued in wondering if the escalation of this new inter-Islamic crisis might lead to the fulfillment of Jeremiah 49:34-39. Only time will tell how this plays out, yet it will be very interesting to watch closely nonetheless; the whole of the Middle East is a boiling cauldron setting the conditions under which Biblical prophecy will continue to fulfill literally before our eyes.