The Prophetic Road to Revelation: Part VI - The 70th Week

Har Megiddo National Park in Israel

12 June 2016: (Continuation of this post is Below) As seen in the image above, the vast Plain of Jezreel lies before the elevated land mount known in Hebrew since ancient times as Har Megiddo. This mount and the plain before it have on the whole become a byword for the end of the age, and known simply as Armageddon, as taken directly from The Revelation of Jesus Christ, chapter 16, verse 16:

"And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Harmagedōn."

This prophetic event is final 70th Week global war between the alliance of governments under the leadership of the Antichrist and his earthly enemies, known rather simplistically in Biblical eschatology as the "kings of the east." This war is prophetically announced in the concluding words of Daniel 9:27c:

"Even until the consummation, which is determined,

Is poured out on the desolate." 

As discussed previously in Eschatology Today blog items, this final global war occurs during the finale of the  angel Gabriel's prophecy concerning Israel's 70th Week (Daniel 9:24-27). However, in real-world terms it almost certainly will occur during the terminal 42 months 7th year (Daniel 11:40-45). Global wars are prosecuted for years, as we have seen in real-time since September 11, 2001 to the present. As can be seen in that passage of Scripture from Daniel, this final global war commences with an Islamist/Russian attack upon the Antichrist's dominion of nations and results in a devastating counter-offensive against those enemies. This global war is vividly described in Jeremiah 25:32-34:

"Thus says the Lord of hosts:

“Behold, disaster shall go forth

From nation to nation,

And a great whirlwind shall be raised up

From the farthest parts of the earth.

And at that day the slain of the Lord shall be from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth. They shall not be lamented, or gathered, or buried; they shall become refuse on the ground.

 “Wail, shepherds, and cry!

Roll about in the ashes,

You leaders of the flock!

For the days of your slaughter and your dispersions are fulfilled;

You shall fall like a precious vessel."

It is at this time that the consummation the Lord's determined wrath poured out upon the earth and its inhabitants is completed. 

And it is also at this point in time during the 70th Week that the Lord Jesus Christ suddenly appears in space above and entering the earth's atmosphere with His army of saints to put an end to the global war which Jesus  revealed in His 'Olivet Discourse'  that no living flesh would have survived were He not to intervene directly. 

So, this is how human rule on the Earth comes to an end and the Kingdom of the Lord becomes established. But what happens during the earlier portions of the 70th Week? 

As we have seen in the recently revised Part V: Ezekiel 38/39 as a transitional Event to the 70th Week of The Prophetic Road to Revelation, there is a global war involving weapons of mass destruction which serves as the transition in that it completes the stage setting necessary for the Antichrist rise to absolute power through his confirming a covenant (peace treaty) among many nations. That covenant will appear, falsely, to have settled all issues which brought about the brief but extremely violent events described in Ezekiel 38/39.

This is the point during my composing this post at which I sat relatively idle and necessarily prayerfully silent for the past couple of weeks, not knowing where or how the Lord would have me go in furthering in this eschatological interpretation of the events of the 70th Week. 

My prayers did not have to wait very long for a response. Out of the blue I am informed by an Email that I am to receive Dr. David Reagan's (Lamb & Lion Ministries) newest book (image above), "Wrath and Glory: The Meaning of the Book of Revelation." This is a revised or second edition of the original first published in August 2001, a month prior to September 11 and the start of the long war between Islamists and the West which has continued to the present moment, and according to Gabriel prophecy of Daniel 11, will continue into the 70th Week. I stated in earlier posts that the past is prologue for the future. It is my personal view that since 9/11 we have been living in an almost benign prologue of what will occur during the 70th Week when WMD use (nuclear, biological and chemical warfare) will be the norm rather than the dreaded exception it is today.

Now, there are a great many books written concerning the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which is in essence the story told in prophecy about the coming events of the 70th Week. Some of these great many books are, quite frankly, very bad and not worth your time in reading them. However, there are some, more than a few actually, which are very, very good. One such book was the first one of this type I ever read and was written by Jack Van Impe (pub. 1982), titled "Revelation Revealed". 

However, since my opening and commencement of virtually non-stop reading of Dr. Reagan's book this weekend, there is no question that his book is fully a cut above all of the rest of the good books on this subject, not that this is any sort of a surprise given the years of Bible scholarship that have come from Dr. Reagan's pen and keyboard. And, yes, this is a boldly certain endorsement of Dr. Reagan's book; it is without question fully a Spirit-guided book. Its content and resources make it indispensable for any student of Bible prophecy library, even if you happen to already possess the original 2001 edition.

While I will not at this point quote from Dr. Reagan's book directly, as that will require a specific permission to do so, I will in the coming days address many of the keys he identifies as necessary in coming to a greater understanding of what the Revelation of Jesus Christ is. As always, the Holy Spirit will be your guide.

I was immediately drawn and fascinated by the cover artwork for this book. Look closely, down towards the Earth below and behind our triumphant returning Messiah. You will see the 70th Week version of Har Megiddo which stands in stark contrast to the image at the top of this post. Look even closer and you will see combat aircraft at full afterburner, attack choppers, missiles and all manner of modern military hardware in full battle array engaged deep into a pitched battle rhythm. This image precisely illustrates what the angel Gabriel and John the Revelator describe to us in their respective Scriptures. The cover art is an image of ancient Bible prophecy coming to fulfillment in a 21st century world with 21st century hardware, and which which has been a consistent theme of Eschatology Today. It puts a 21st century face on Biblical prophetic texts which are in excess of 2,500 years old. 

The Book of Daniel and the Revelation of Jesus Christ are Spiritual companions of each other. They come from the same Source. They prophesy about the same period of time which is the finality of the 70th Week. The difference for us is that neither is about the distant future with respect to our time. As Daniel was twice informed (Daniel 12:4 and Daniel 12:9) in the book which bears his name, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end."  This book, and this blog, are about the fact that these prophetic Scriptures are no longer sealed up, they are about the end times in which we live and which we can and should fully understand. The watchmen have been enabled and know with great precision what they are to watch for.

The discussion of Part VI: The 70th Week began with a virtual snapshot of the ultimate and final battlefield at Harmagedōn  and linked that to how the 70th Week commences with the Antichrist's confirming of a "covenant (treaty) among many" nations following the chaos of Ezekiel 38/39.

This was intentional and is similar to how the text of the Revelation of Jesus Christ is put together by an omnipotent and utterly sovereign God who exists independent of time and space. As you read through its chapters the texts will jump in time, going either forward or backward at will, but always with the purpose of foretelling the wrath-filled future of the 70th Week and revealing Jesus Christ throughout the process, and in so doing revealing the very nature of God the Father. 

The Revelation of Jesus Christ is understandable today simply because the time for its fulfillment is near. That's the work of the Holy Spirit manifest. Just as the Book of Daniel has been unsealed and is understandable simply because we are living in the days of the time of the end of mankind's political rule over the Earth. The end results in the beginning of Jesus Christ's eternal rule as King of kings and Lord of lords.  

We should all be reading this book, in prayerful study and in conjunction with the other prophetic books of the Bible, such as Daniel. Do you know why? Because God promises that all who do so (as well as those who hear and those who heed these words) will be Blessed! The Greek word for blessed in this text is makarios, and it means to be blessed in the most supreme manner possible by God the Father. Good reason to start reading, right? 

So, what will come next in Part VI: The 70th Week are some of the essential details, given in an orderly fashion so that they make sense and through the power of the Holy Spirit enabling a full, big picture view of the text. God not only whats you to read this book, of which He is the original author, but He wants you to understand it so that you can teach it to others in your family, friends and perfect strangers if and when that potential arises for you.

I am sure we have all seen the various graphically illustrated timelines for the 70th Week. If on the rare chance you've not seen one before simply Google "end of days timeline" and select images Dozens of different variations will be presented for your viewing. Most, if not all, are a simplistic combination of pictures and brief descriptions illustrating the passage of time future from the point of the Harpazo (Rapture) of the bride of Christ to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

I will present the same information but in a slightly different manner. 

The Harpazo/Rapture occurs prior to the revealing of the Antichrist. In less than a microsecond the millions upon millions of deceased true believers of Jesus Christ will be instantly raised from the dead in eternal spiritual bodies just like Jesus has after His resurrection, and those who are alive on the Earth will be instantaneously transfigured into the same type of eternal spiritual bodies. Both groups will meet Jesus Christ in the air and enter into Heaven with Him.

The 70th Week begins with the appearance of a rider on a white horse (left in the below image). This is the first of the so-called "four horsemen of the apocalypse" which are symbolic representations of the Antichrist, Global Warfare, Scarcity of Food, and Death. These four are present whenever and wherever war occurs, however, during the 70th Week their effects will be more terrible and unprecedented than at anytime in the history of the Earth. The event which reveals the Antichrist is a covenant (peace treaty) that he will confirm among many nations for a period of 7 years. From the Biblical perspective, the most important of the nations within the provisions of the treaty will be Israel. Antichrist will unilaterally abrogate this covenant with Israel exactly 42 months after he confirms it.

The Antichrist a/k/a the "first beast" of Revelation 13:1-8 is literally an extremely charismatic man who initially mimics the Lord Jesus Christ; he is an imitation Christ, a false, satanically-empowered messiah, a man who orthodox Jews will accept as being Moshiach ben David according to Jesus Christ as recorded in John 5:43. Antichrist brings with him the other three "horsemen" and their appearances are rapid sequential. Also with the Antichrist is a false religious leader, the false prophet, a/k/a the "second beast" of Revelation 13:11-17 who will also be satanic in nature, and in combination with Antichrist and Satan forms an unholy trinity, a false godhead. What the false prophet will do as empowered by Satan is clearly and plainly written in the text

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Concurrent with the appearance of the Antichrist and his confirming of the covenant among many nations are the sealing of God's elect: the 144,000 Jewish evangelists and the non-Jewish believers in Christ. The are sealed so that no harm comes from God's wrath being poured out upon the planet during the 70th Week. Also concurrent is the ministry of the Two Witnesses. The details of their ministry is given to us all clearly and plainly written in the text of Revelation 11. 

Notice that I have now used the phrase "clearly and plainly written in the text of..." twice. This is of great importance because it is through the plain text that God communicates prophecy directly to each of us. Nothing is hidden, everything is completely understandable and all of it is literal as literal can be. Anyone who says you cannot understand the Revelation of Jesus Christ by simply reading the text of this book is a liar. Again, the Holy Spirit is your guide and comforter in this endeavor, He will convict you of its absolute truth.

If you have any questions as you read the Revelation of Jesus Christ post them in a comment and timely answers will be provided.

Global SITREP B5-14: The Lord's Fierce Anger Upon Iran

22 January 2014 (Prologue): The prophecy of Jeremiah 49:34-39 has been discussed on this blog on numerous occasions over the past couple of years. This time however a closer look at the text might be a beneficial exercise. Even though there are only six verses to this prophecy, it also contains a substantially larger amount information for the reader to absorb than the text by itself reveals. The both the plain text and the imagery within this prophecy are astounding in my view. As always, I believe this is a prophecy that is about to commence in its fulfillment in three distinct phases: an imminent start, a middle phase during the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38/39, and the final verse during the Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Verse 34: "The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah..."

This leading verse simply informs the reader that Jeremiah is the presenter to us of: 

a) the prophetic word that has been given to him by "the Lord of hosts" 

b) the subject of the prophecy, and 

c) when this prophecy was given to Jeremiah. 

The remaining 5 verses contain all of the prophetic data, and within these five verses I discern a distinct sequence of events.

Verse 35: "Behold, I will break the bow (qesheth) of Elam, the foremost of their might."

This verse informs that Elam's (Iran's) foremost military might, it's offensive military might, is suddenly and inexplicably broken. This event is singular unto itself. The plain text metaphor qesheth (battle bow or archer) given here informs us that the choice part or best of the military might of Iran that God will break is an offensive weapon system that launches projectiles at the enemy.

Even without nuclear warheads, Iran possesses an incredible number of rocket and missile platforms that as with all modern military forces provide coverage from short to long ranges and in multiple types for engaging land, sea and airborne targets. These rocket and missile systems are the qesheth that Jeremiah speaks of. There is no reason given for the breaking of these weapons systems, it's just that the Lord of hosts has declared it will happen.

As in ancient times when Persian/Median armies launched massive barrages of arrows at their enemies, so too the Iranian military of today relies very heavily on their modern day equivalent. Iranian warfighting doctrine dictates mass barrage-style launches. Iran can be seen exercising this capability every couple of months or so, and in some instances photoshopping the images to convey ridiculous numbers of rockets being launched.

 Nevertheless, the question is, how will God break such a qesheth as this? I would speculate, aside from a supernatural act by God, this will occur by the same electronic warfare means as Israel has thus far kept all enemy missile systems from firing at their F15-I Ra'am and F-16I Sufa strike aircraft for the past seven years over Lebanon, Syria and the Sudan. Israel not only can put an enemy into an electronic black hole, but the evidence is that the IDF can actually take control of an enemy's weapons systems. Israel's airborne Suter electronic warfare system, or whatever the more mature version might have as its nomenclature today,  the system really is so advanced, that I suspect it is even beyond the very real capability of the rumored non-nuclear EMP capability.

Verse 36: "Against Elam (Iran) 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."

Four winds from every direction of the globe scatter outcasts from Elam to every nation of the globe. These are Iranian refugees escaping the tyranny of the regime and the Basij thugs who enforce that tyranny. God provides them this escape so that they may return in the future to this ancient* people to this ancient* land as He promises in verse 39. (those 'latter days' are almost certainly during the Millennium Kingdom of Christ.) So, to recap, the major offensive weapons capability of Iran is suddenly broken or non-functional in the previous verse.

This clearly, as we shall see in the subsequent verse, causes dismay, confusion and a window of opportunity is created whereby those who desperately want to escape (such as Christians and anti-regime Iranians) do so, and the depart the country in every direction of the compass. To my tactical way of thinking, it appears as though not only are Iran's primary weapons down for the count, but is regime's ability to control its population and its borders. Few people are aware that in Iran the rapidly expanding Born Again segment of the population are fervently and devoutly praying for the Jeremiah 49:34-39 prophecy to come to a soon fulfillment irregardless of the consequences for Iran stated in those prophecies. The biggest reason they pray for this prophecy to come to fulfillment is that the scattering of many Iranian people will free them to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ elsewhere in the world!

NOTE* The very word Elam has a dual meaning. It can mean a long time, as an eternity, or it can refer to an ancient region of political power northeast, east and southeast of the lower Tigris River. This is where the ancient country and eventual empire of Elam began.  It is no accident that this region is the location of the nearly operational Arak heavy water plutonium reactor, also known as IR40 (Iran 40MegaWatt reactor), and the under-construction 360MW Darkhovin heavy water plutonium reactor, and the operational 1000MW Bushehr nuclear power plant.

Verse 37: "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."

The sudden and sequential over-taking events continue with verse 37. In this verse it appears as though the regime itself is being subdued by a sword, an opposing armed force, perhaps even an insurrection, which brings disaster upon them. How fitting for a Jewish holocaust denying regime to itself be subjected to a Divinely ordained holocaust from which there is no escape unless it is into the saving embrace of the Lamb of God. 

In any event, the consuming of this important region of modern-day Iran by the ravages of war would create far reaching effects, not the least of which would be the downgrading of Iranian military capability and the loss of Iran's primary industrial and oil and natural gas producing sector, the overwhelming majority of which lie within the heart of ancient Elam.

Iranian industry, oil, natgas production and reserves (top) 

in the region of ancient Elam(bottom).

Verse 38:  "I will set My throne in Elam, and will destroy from there the king and the princes,’ says the Lord."

Verse 38 completes the previous causation of this prophetic destruction by the sword of war.  But here there is a very important distinction in the sequence of events of this prophecy. This is the last of the sequence of events. To recap again, the foremost of Iran's military might was destroyed first, this was followed by a mass exodus of many Iranians to all points on the globe, which was followed by the continued dismay of the regime and war being thrust upon them. Then, after all of this does God set His throne in Elam. 

I was awoken this morning with the thought that the meaning of this verse is much more than meets the eye at first glance. The throne of God on the Earth, in Elam? Surely the Lord Jesus Christ will sit upon His throne in the Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, and God the Father sits upon His throne in Heaven, so the meaning of this is clearly well beyond the plain text of the verse. It must be figurative.

How does the Bible describe the throne of God? The Bible has many descriptions, yet the most poignant is that as Paul noted the description of which are as "inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter." The throne of God in Heaven is where perpetual and eternal worship of the Almighty takes place. Nevertheless, we might need look no further than the narrative of Ezekiel 1:4- 28 or of John of Patmos in Revelation 4:1-11 where John was taken in the Spirit to that most Holy of all places. John's visual descriptions are of brilliant emerald, jasper and carnelian, lightning flashes and peals of thunder. Ezekiel's much earlier vision was of a great cloud of fire engulfing itself, brightness and radiance the color of amber, the throne having the appearance of a sapphire. 

I am left with the very strong conviction that verse 38 is completely figurative in nature. It is illustrative of something that has the appearance of the Lord's throne, something that destroys the Iranian ayatollah and his regime of false clerics. That, I believe, is a nuclear holocaust which they had intended upon bring to the rest of the world in the pursuit of hastening their non-existent al-mahdi figure. I would include this verse as being fulfilled with the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38:18-22 when God will destroy the nations which came against Israel. This includes Iran according to Ezekiel 38:22, "And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone."

Verse 39: "‘But it shall come to pass in the latter days: I will bring back the captives of Elam,’ says the Lord.”

The prophecy is completed with this verse, and I believe the fulfillment for this verse occurs during the Millennial Kingdom of Christ on the Earth.

Addendum: To those who would erroneously interpret that Jeremiah's prophecy was fulfilled thousands of years ago, I would recommend that they seriously reconsider some key points before blurting out their ignorance on this topic. 

1. Jeremiah lived and prophesied during a critical period of Judah's history. As noted above in Jeremiah 49:34 this prophecy was given in the beginning of the reign of Judah's king Zedekiah. Zedekiah's reign began in 597 BC. No earthly events of the type and in the place prophesied by Jeremiah have ever occurred since 597 BC and forward to the present. Therefore, and without question, Jeremiah 49:34-39 constitutes an unfulfilled prophecy regarding the modern, latter-days country of Iran.

2. In Isaiah's own latter-days prophecy (see: Isaiah 11:11-12) which mirrors the prophecy of Ezekiel 37 concerning the re-assembling of "the outcasts of Israel" gathered together with the "dispersed of Judah," the prophet Isaiah names several nations from which the Jewish people of the Roman exile of circa 66-73 AD would return to the land of Israel:

"From Assyria and Egypt,
From Pathros and Cush,
From Elam and Shinar,
From Hamath and the islands of the sea"

Clearly, the use of Elam and the other national names of antiquity for latter days prophetic fulfillments is a common theme for many of the inspired prophets of God, and should not constitute a problem in any exegesis, including this one.

Global SITREP B6-13: France, Israel and Saudi Arabia United in Preemption of Iranian Nukes

UPDATE 21 November 2013: “They (Iran)  must not have nuclear weapons — and I promise you that they will not have nuclear weapons.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a speaking engagement in Russia this morning.

Bibi and "Gog." In this image Bibi has a pleasant look of calm assurance upon his countenance, almost amused and ready to bust out in a great, big smile of a victor-in-waiting. In stark contrast Mr. Gog doesn't mutually reciprocate Bibi's facial expression in the aftermath of their chat in the Kremlin. His look is decidedly grim, foreboding, like all those aged Soviet leaders of yesteryear used to display when confronting a nation of strength and determination as America was under President Reagan. I know this isn't a thousand words, but you get the general drift of what this image is telling me. It's all good for the good guys.

I would remind all readers that a great war is in-progress. We would all be wise to heed the words of Winston Churchill when reading various accounts in global media these days: "In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies." In other words, exercise extreme caution before accepting anything but the Word of God as truth and fact. Fulfilled prophecy will be self-evident.

20 November 2013: The .jpg graphic below is as relevant today as it was 32 years ago when Israel launched "Operation Opera" against Saddam Hussein's nearly completed and French-made Osiris-class nuclear reactor known as "Osirak." This was the IAF's first operational use of its newly acquired F-16s from the United States. Screaming in at just 150 feet above the Saudi and Iraqi desert floor to avoid radar detection, and all the way from the Gulf of Aqaba, the IAF achieved total tactical surprise against the Iraqi defenders. The Iranian's will likely suffer the same tactical defeat; they'll never see the Israeli's coming, and quite possibly, when they're leaving after hitting and destroying multiple nuclear targets in western Iran.

Didn't hear many Saudi Arabian complaints back then; don't expect to hear them this time around either.

19 November 2013: A pair of suicide bombers attacked the Iranian Embassy is Beirut this morning killing an Iranian "cultural attache" and approximately two-dozen others, with nearly 150 wounded. Both bombs were VBIEDs, one via a motorcycle, the other a car. Iran immediately blamed Israel, but just as quickly an Al Qaeda-linked "Abdullah Azzan Brigades" terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack. An event such as this could easily be used as a "shoot first, ask questions later" casus belli for a preemptive war launched by Iran and its allies against Israel. This is something that might be of some utility to Iran during the most difficult phase of P5+1 negotiations which Iran has no intention of accepting as discussed below. Expect the unexpected.

18 November 2013: Less than 48 hours before the next IAEA P5+1 round of negotiations with Iran commences in Geneva, the Paris, France-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) says that members of its affiliate People’s Mujahideen Organisation of Iran (PMOI) group inside Iran had obtained reliable information about a previously undisclosed and recently completed underground nuclear site. This afternoon NCRI official Mehdi Abrichamtchi spoke to media saying, "According to specific information obtained by the Iranian resistance, the clerical regime is establishing or completing parallel secret and undeclared sites for its nuclear project."  The now exposed nuclear site is a 600-meter long tunnel complex beneath the mountains in Esfahan Province, six miles from the town of Mobarekeh. This site is the location of Iran's Mobarekeh Steel Company and within the Haft-e Tir military industrial complex, the largest industrial complex in Iran. NCRI said that it has passed this information to the IAEA. In 2009 the NCRI exposed the Fordow nuclear weapons complex near Qom to western intelligence agencies, as well as much of the other formerly covert Iranian nuclear weapons program sites since 2006 according to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK.

17 November 2013: Once again word is leeching out via Britain's premier media that the State of Israel is covertly working with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in coordinating the tactical planning for a strike to render moot the object of the P5+1 negotiations in Geneva this coming week. According to a just published article by the Times of Israel which cites Britain's The Sunday Times as the originating source (Two old foes unite against Tehran), Jerusalem and Riyadh have reached an agreement whereby Saudi Arabia will open their airspace and provide other tactical support in the current plan to preemptively kill all Iranian nuclear weapons ambition for the foreseeable future.

The Sunday Times reports that both Jerusalem and Riyadh clearly reject the American assurances coming from President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry and are convinced that they "amount to appeasement and will do little to slow its development of a nuclear warhead." An anonymous diplomatic source has told the Sunday Times, "The Saudis are furious and are willing to give Israel all the help it needs." So, the news today is that the French, Israeli and Saudi governments (as well as the rest of the at-risk GCC governments) have determined to unite behind the execution of a military option to eliminate the threat posed by an apocalyptically-guided Iran in possession of nuclear weapons. They have determined to preempt both a ridiculously "bad deal" and a nuclear-armed Iran. 

Israel and the Saudi's are defending their existence, and France is defending it's stake in the joint European Union and Sunni Arab nations "Union for the Mediterranean" (UfM). UfM member states Lebanon and Syria are both League of Nations mandate territories mandated to French control following World War I. As a note for those who are unaware, the UfM was created in Paris, France 13 July 2008 based upon the Paris and Marseilles Declarations and the Statues adopted on 3 March 2010. The UfM membership is comprised of the EU member nations, the League of Arab States, Israel, Palestine and Turkey. The Bible prophecy implications of the UfM relative to the texts of Daniel, Ezekiel and The Revelation of Jesus Christ are glaringly apparent.

Comparison: Roman Empire and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM)

Today's news comes with the arrival this morning in Israel of French President Francois Hollande along with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, Israel's lone ally sitting at the P5+1 negotiation table in Geneva, Switzerland, for further consultations with Israeli PM Bibi Netanyahu. On Wednesday, 20 November, PM Netanyahu flies north fully buttressed with his new (and also nuclear-armed allies) to meet in Moscow, Russia with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This will be a different Benjamin Netanyahu than Vladimir Putin has met previously, even without his former American ally.

The direct effects this newly emergent alliance will have on European, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions, and thus Bible prophecy, are currently unmeasurable but they clearly will also be immense. This SITREP  will be revisited for frequent updates in the coming days as events transpire. Stay tuned.

Late Development 17 November:  After meeting for several hours with PM Netanyahu, President Hollande of France (left in the image above) set the gauntlet Iran will have have to run if it is to emerge with an interim agreement with the P5+1 this coming Wednesday.  On the surface Hollande's gauntlet would appear to be a four-point set of demands that the Ayatollah's nuclear emissary will have to reject, possibly even before the negotiating session commences. The publicly announced conditions are:

1. The immediate assumption of international control over all Iranian nuclear installations.
2. The immediate suspension of all processing of  Uranium Hexaflouride (UF6) to 20% U-235.
3. The immediate reduction of Iranian stocks of Uranium Hexaflouride.
4. The immediate halt of construction at the IR-40 heavy water plant at Arak.

These conditions are totally consistent with achieving the Israeli, Saudi and French position that Iran relinquish its dream of possessing a nuclear weapons capability forever. It would appear that an expected Iranian rejection of these conditions will mean war.

The Kings of the East

20 October 2010: "Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow..." Revelation 9:16-17 (NKJV). Notice the emblem on Chinese PLA General Liang Guanglie's hat. Is it mere coincidence that the above Communist Chinese Army emblem contains the prophecied colors of the 200-million man army of the kings of the East?

Let's look as some prophetic specifics.

According to God, per Revelation 1:1, these kings of the East are on the move at the sounding of the 6th angel's trumpet during Daniel's 70th Week. Their army is numbered at 200,000,000 strong, and they kill a third of mankind while enroute across Asia to a crossing of the river Euphrates which is dried up in the 6th Bowl wrath of God Judgment found in Revelation 16:12-16. 

According to the text of Daniel 11, particularly verses 42-44, after the other Middle Eastern military campaigns which the Antichrist executes successfully, news (i.e. military intelligence) comes to him about an approaching enemy force from the East and the North. Antichrist goes out with his military forces to engage them in battle.

"He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels. But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many."

A 200-million man army coming from East Asia would not approach the Euphrates along a single axis of advance. No, sound military tactics and warfighting doctrine would determine that these Asian forces will enter the region in several columns across a broad, 800-mile front from the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea/Caucasus region. This 200-million man armed force will approach from the East and the North exactly as Daniel has foretold.

Incidentally, the third of mankind which killed by these military forces are not necessarily resident on the continent of Asia, but all over the world, and which when expressed in real numbers and based upon today's population of the earth, amounts to over 2.025 billion people. These deaths are attribbuted to the Eastern kings weaponry which is described as fire, smoke and brimstone. The text provides a clear description of nuclear warfare on an unprecedented scale, and it is at the same time quite symbolic of their nuclear weaponry and its effects: the fire - of a nuclear blast, the smoke - the over-pressure of the expanding sphere of destruction, and the brimstone- the fallout of nuclear debris.

I hold no doubt that the prinicple of these kings of the East is mainland China. The colors match, they can field a conquering army of 200 million men and they are nuclear armed. China is the emergent eastern superpower.

And where is this 200-million man Army going? To the Battle of Har Megiddo where the Antichrist awaits with his own armies several hundred miles west of the Euphrates River. These kings of the East will be at war with the Antichrist. Coming to this realization answered another question I have long pondered: why must the Euphrates River be dried up? The answer is because in that day all of the land west of the Euphrates will be within the boundaries of a much enlarged Israel. 

Here's proof:

"On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates— the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” - Genesis 15:18-20

“I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you. 29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land. And I will set your bounds from the Red Sea to the sea, Philistia, and from the desert to the River. For I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you." - Exodus 23:27-31

“For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do—to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him — then the LORD will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess greater and mightier nations than yourselves. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the River Euphrates, even to the Western Sea, shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand against you; the LORD your God will put the dread of you and the fear of you upon all the land where you tread, just as He has said to you." - Deuteronomy 11:22-25

"From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory." - Joshua 1:4

Interestingly, these verses also put the kibosh to the theory espoused by the proponents of an Islamic Antichrist - Eastern Leg empire since these soon-to-be-former Muslims lands will at that time belong to Israel - from Lebanon north to the former Hittite Empire which today comprises the bulk of modern Turkey and northern Syria, east to the Euphrates river and Iraq. When in all of previous history has Israel occupied the lands of the Hittites? Since the answer is never, then the occurance of Israel's occupation of the land promised by God in Exodus must be a future reality, and logically a result of the coming Gog-Magog war.

So why is this subject on my mind? In the past week both Bill Gertz and Debka posted reports on the presence of Chinese PLA Air Force warbirds in Turkey for participation in the recent "Anatolian Eagle" air combat exercise. The Su-27 and MiG-29 aircraft flew direct from China to a refueling on the ground in eastern Iran and then continued to the their deployment station at Konya Air Base in central Turkey. Previously only NATO allies and Israel participated in the exercise. Turkish PM Ergodan stated the Red Chinese participation signalled a raising of bi-lateral Turkish-Chinese military relations to a "strategic level" per an agreement signed in Ankara on 8 October 2010. An advance guard 'kings of the East" have arrived per the strategic agreement between Turkey and the People's Republic of China.

Bible prophecy is continually in the news these days.

Notes on the Latter Years Wars

12 May 2010: Here are some brief notes regarding eschatological issues I have noticed more than a few brethren have been asking questions about concerning the series of imminent latter years wars.

During the Psalm 83/Isaiah17 (and associated prophecies) war, Israel does take an initial hit on its population, but it is not a devastating or incapacitating hit. Nor is it a hit which destroys the county's national infrastructure. This soon-to-be fact is manifest by the Lord in Ezekiel 38/39. Shortly thereafter the war of Psalm83/Isaiah17 the Lord declares that Israel has recovered from this war and is in possession of great wealth. The Word of God came upon Ezekiel describing Israel in the post-Psalm83/Isaiah 17 reality, saying: (bold emphasis added)

Ezekiel 38:8
In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely.

Ezekiel 38:11-13
You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’— to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’”’

Notice in the above verses that Israel is living in complete safety. Israel has zero fear of any nuclear-armed or WMD-possessing enemy, not newly Islamist Turkey, not Shi'ite Iran under the Ayatollah and IRGC, nor Russia under KGB/FSB rule, nor any of the nations of the named Gog/Magog confederation. Is this not indicative of Israel becoming a superpower? In a type-contrast, did not the United States homeland continually live in peace and safety after WWII, until very recent times, due to our overwhelming military and economic superiority? This will almost pale in comparison to what Israel achieves in the near-term due to the sovereign will of God.

Also, notice in Ezekiel 39:21-29 the specific God-given purposes for which this prophetic and ultimate judgment against the Gog/Magog confederation will occur prior to Daniel's 70th Week.

“I will set My glory among the nations; all the nations shall see My judgment which I have executed, and My hand which I have laid on them. So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day forward. The Gentiles shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity; because they were unfaithful to Me, therefore I hid My face from them. I gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I have dealt with them, and hidden My face from them.""

“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Now I will bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name— after they have borne their shame, and all their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, when they dwelt safely in their own land and no one made them afraid. When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and I am hallowed in them in the sight of many nations, then they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who sent them into captivity among the nations, but also brought them back to their land, and left none of them captive any longer. And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,’ says the Lord GOD.”

Brethren, none of us should make any eschatological mistake about these events and what follows them in relatively short order, including our own imminent Harpazo. The prophetic fact of that matter is that Daniel's 70th Week is Satan's and his demons direct intervention in human affairs, centered on Israel and Jerusalem's Temple Mount, in an attempt to physically destroy all of that which God has just accomplished through Psalm 83/Isaiah 17 and Ezekiel 38/39.

Daniel's 70th Week is brought to an end with the full and indescribably majestic Revelation of Jesus our God and Messiah to the whole world.