Russia threatens pre-emptive strike, yet we plan wargames with them on our soil

I'm not catching the military or diplomatic benefit here... On the one hand, we are engaged in joint games with Russia, on our soil.

Russian paratroopers to 'seize' US facility on our soil in elaborate war games
"According to reports, the U.S. and Russian military will be engaging in an anti-terrorism exercise that will involve Russian paratroopers using U.S. weapons to “take and hold” the main facilities of the CIA and Denver International Airport in Colorado and the National Security Agency in Utah. ... Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Colonel Alexander Kucherenko publically announced this 24-21 May “anti-terror drill” this Friday past noting that this will be the first time Russian airborne forces have held exercises with the US airborne forces on US territory. Colonel Kucherenko stated, “According to the exercise scenario, soldiers of the two countries will hold a tactical airborne operation, including the reconnaissance of imaginary terrorists’ camp and a raid. After the operation, a helicopter will evacuate the soldiers.” He further added that Russian airborne troops would be training with US special service weapons in these drills in Fort Carson, Colorado."

On the other hand, Russian top officials said they will bomb our NATO troops if plans for a missile defense shield move forward in Eastern Europe...

Russia says it could pre-emptively strike missile shield
"Russia's top military officer has threatened to carry out a pre-emptive strike on U.S.-led NATO missile defense facilities in Eastern Europe if Washington goes ahead with its controversial plan to build a missile shield."

Well, isn't that special. Let's take a look at Russia in recent political history and then in biblical prophecy.

Remember, Russia was the Mother Bear anchor for the old Soviet Union of Socialist Republics, or USSR. "The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics" (also known as the USSR or Soviet Union for short) consisted of Russia and surrounding countries that today make up Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. The USSR was founded in 1922, five years after the Russian Revolution overthrew the monarchy of the czar, and was dissolved in late 1991." (source)

The book Petrostate: Putin, Power, and the New Russia summarizes the recent history of that ancient state this way-
"In the aftermath of the financial collapse of August 1998, it looked as if Russia's day as a superpower had come and gone. That it should recover and reassert itself after less than a decade is nothing short of an economic and political miracle. Based on extensive research, including several interviews with Vladimir Putin, this revealing book chronicles Russia's dramatic reemergence on the world stage, illuminating the key reason for its rebirth: the use of its ever-expanding energy wealth to reassert its traditional great power ambitions. ... The book provides an informative overview of oil in Russia, traces Vladimir Putin's determined effort to reign in the upstart oil oligarchs who had risen to power in the post-Soviet era ... Goldman shows how Russia paid off its international debt and has gone on to accumulate the world's third largest holdings of foreign currency reserves--all by becoming the world's largest producer of petroleum and the world's second largest exporter."

It IS an economic and political miracle, one that Christians see has God's fingerprints all over it. Nations rise and fall, they don't usually rise again, and if they do, like the Roman Empire, there's a 2000 year gap between iterations. The Olmec civilization fell. Babylon fell. The United Kingdom Empire fell. The Tang dynasty fell. The Anasazi civilization fell and then vanished. So a decade between Russia's rise to fall to rise again is amazing. Downright miraculous.

Prophetically, Russia plays a major part in upcoming history. Ezekiel 38-39 describes Russia as a strong aggressor with a focus on taking a spoil and plunder. It  is one of the main confederates in a dreadful alliance that attacks Israel in the last days. Ezekiel 38 opens with God talking to Gog through Prophet Ezekiel. Gog will get an evil thought to come against Israel like a cloud, her and all her confederates, to take plunder and spoil. They will attack the peaceful and unsuspecting people who dwell in safety in unwalled villages. God allows the attack so that He can show Himself Holy to the world and He protects Israel in so doing.

Look at the geography here. I couldn't even include all of Russia because it is so big the nation labels become unreadable. And Russia's allies the "-stans" are both east of the Caspian sea and west of it. And in between there and Israel are the Arab states. All these territories and nations attack Israel in the last 7 years. Israel is so tiny on the map you can't even see it. God is so amazing to protect her, making her an immovable rock!

"And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth are gathered together against it." (Zechariah 12:3)

Russia it is believed, is the nation mentioned as the one "from the far north", who will "...come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land." (Ezekiel 38:15-16).

It has been speculated that the spoil Russia comes to take is oil. And indeed, Israel has discovered great riches and reserves of natural gas and oil that is easily accessible and quickly converted to usable fuel. One thing that has been historically consistent with Russia is her ambitions. They have always been large, and in this era her ambitions rest on gas and oil. It is one reason the nation is so protective of itself and sees the installation of NATO missiles in Eastern Europe, especially Kaliningrad, which is Russia's close neighborhood as something they do not want to happen.

Yet we are going to do wargames with Russia. It sure is a crazy world, with shifting alliances and sudden moves, threats, wars and rumors of wars. We don't know what will happen tomorrow, but we know what will happen soon, the bible tells of the Isaiah 17 prophecy where Damascus and larger Syria are destroyed, where Israel's near neighbors are decimated, (Psalm 83), where Ezekiel prophesies the destruction of the alliance of Russia, Iran, Turkey/Armenia, Libya, Sudan etc. by God Himself. We know the last book in the bible, Revelation, speaks of battles of the Kings of the South and of the East marching against Israel. All this and much more is prophesied. And being promises of God, they will not fail.

"Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant." (1 Kings 8:56)

And Russia will be right in the center of these, some of His last promises. God is great, His plans never fail. I am amazed how He uses nations and events to bring to pass His will. After a startling fall and seeming defeat on the world stage, Russia is back, the bear is awakening from her short slumber and beginning to growl her intentions across the pages of prophecy.

"And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints." (Psalms 89:5)

Russia: 'an attack on Iran is an attack on Moscow' and other Middle East news

Iran has been pretty bellicose lately, daring to threaten nations and assume power it does not have. Two weeks ago Iran threatened the United States by telling the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier to leave the Strait of Hormuz and not come back. That was pretty startling to hear. Stennis's tour was up and they were about to leave anyway, relieved by the USS Carl Vinson, but Stennis did an about-face in the Arabian sea and there it is to this day. Iran also threatened to close the Strait, but that was an overstep because it is Iran and Oman whose territorial waters extend into the Strait. I wonder what Oman thinks about their neighbor's threat to close waters upon which Oman depends.

Now Iran warns Gulf states not to compensate for oil shortfalls after Western sanctions
"Iran has warned its Gulf neighbors to not compensate for any shortfall in its oil exports after it has been hit with Western sanctions, the Iranian OPEC representative said on Sunday. “If the oil producing nations on the Persian Gulf decide to substitute Iran’s oil, then they will be held responsible for what happens,” Mohammad Ali Khatibi was quoted as saying by Sharq newspaper. “We would not consider these actions to be friendly,” Khatibi added."

He was really speaking about Saudi Arabia not making up the shortfall...

"Sanctions have been imposed on Iran when European Union countries agreed in principle to embargo imports of Iranian oil as part of the latest Western efforts to step up heat on Tehran. These countries will look to other oil exporters to increase output to make up for the shortfall and Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said on Saturday his country was ready to meet any increase in consumer countries’ demand. Iran is the second-largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries cartel, after Saudi Arabia which currently exports some 6.2 million barrels per day (bpd) and has an output of about 3.5 million bpd, according to OPEC estimates."

So not only is Iran threatening Israel, not only is Iran threatening the West, now they are throwing their weight around to their neighbors, their brothers in the Arab League.

Maybe Iran feels safe enough to do that because Russia is their new best friend.

Russia: 'An attack on Iran is an attack on Moscow'
"Russia has given Iran its bear hug and warns Israel and the West that an attack on Tehran would be considered an attack on Moscow. The threat heightens the prospect of World War III in the event of a military strike on Iran. “Iran is our neighbor,” Russia's outgoing ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, told reporters in Brussels. “And if Iran is involved in any military action, it’s a direct threat to our security.”

Neighbors? Not in the geographic sense. Two nations are between them, Georgia and Azerbaijan. Moscow is 1600 miles from Tehran.

Maybe Russia is still thinking Georgia and Azerbaijan are still part of the old Soviet Union. Yeah, that's it.

On the map, look for Israel. See how tiny it is. See all the looming geography surrounding that tiny nation, the size of New Jersey. They ALL want her wiped out. In this Al Jazeera article, we see the quotes again about wiping Israel out. "The Islamic Republic of Iran has a solid history of tough talk, but it has escalated its provocative rhetoric in recent months. Sardar Mohamad Reza Naghdi, the commander of the Basij armed group, has said his organisation is "counting the moments" and waiting for an excuse to "put an end to the Zionist agenda".

But that's not news. Psalm 83:2-4 tells us this exactly:
"For behold, Your enemies make a tumult;
And those who hate You have lifted up their head.
They have taken crafty counsel against Your people,
And consulted together against Your sheltered ones.
They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation,
That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”

In that same Al Jazeera article, the question is asked,

"What is motivating Iran's tough talk of enriching uranium and shutting down a major global oil chokepoint?" Why all this ramped up rhetoric? Here is what has gone down recently:

--September 2010 the Stuxnet computer virus attacked Iran's nuclear power plant in Bushehr.
--December, a high-altitude stealth reconnaissance drone was downed in Iran, and images of the drone were broadcast on Iranian TV with banners hanging off of its wings which read: "We'll crush America underfoot" and "US can't mess with us".
--Several mysterious explosions at key locations in Iran. In October 2010, a blast at a military base in the western province of Lorestan killed "several" and was dubbed "an accident" by the government.
--Explosion in November killed 17 at an arms depot west of Tehran. Later that month, a blast was heard near the city of Isfahan.
--Although the US navy has twice in the past week rescued Iranian crews in Gulf waters - once from Somali pirates, once from a wrecked vessel - its presence in the Gulf is nonetheless unwelcome and seen as a threat by Tehran.
--Strings of deaths, disappearances, and, in one case -reappearance - of Iranian physicists continues to deepen the acrimony and mistrust between Iran and the US and Israel.

What is driving Iran, at root? Secular nations look for secular answers, but at root is Iran's goal of preparing the world for the final Mahdi's arrival. Therefore at root is a religious reason that is the polar opposite of biblical truth. That is because satan is behind it, and we know that satan is a liar and the father of lies, and a murderer from the beginning. (John 8:44). It seems that the demonic prince of Persia is still holding on to Iran for his stronghold. (Daniel 10:13)

As Jack Kelley explained in his weekly essay last night:

"It’s no secret that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is preoccupied with the coming of a Shiite Islamic messiah figure, al Mahdi. This continues to raise concern that a nuclear-armed Iran would create the kind of global chaos he believes will be necessary to set the stage for the Mahdi’s return. Recent events seem to confirm this. For example, after years of promising that their nuclear ambitions are purely peaceful, Iran just announced their intention to test a 1 kiloton nuclear warhead this year. Iran’s Supreme Leader is thought to favor announcing Iran’s nuclear capability as an accomplished fact as soon as possible."

"Al Mahdi, which means the guided one, is said to have gone into “occlusion” (disappeared) in the year 941 AD, at the age of five. Shiite Moslems believe he will reappear at the end of the Age. They say his reappearance will be preceded by chaos, war and bloodshed. When he comes he’ll establish a world wide Islamic caliphate, and following a cataclysmic confrontation with evil and darkness that lasts 7 years, the Mahdi will lead the world to an era of universal peace."

"As he has publicly explained, Ahmadinejad believes he’s been called to “pave the path for the glorious reappearance of Imam Mahdi, may Allah hasten his reappearance.” To some, this means creating the chaos necessary to bring al Mahdi back."

Another motivating factor is the plunder. Perhaps that plunder is oil. After the Psalm 83 war occurs and Israel defeats the coalition of Lebanon, Hamas, Hezbollah, Jordan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, they occupy all those lands again. Remember, the LORD had promised Abraham certain lands and described the borders of it in Genesis 15:18-21. This is a part of the Abrahamic Covenant, specifically outlining the dimensions of the land God promised to Abraham and his descendants. Israel hasn't occupied them all yet. But they will. (Ezekiel 20:33–37, 40–42; 36:1–37:28).

Here is a map of the Genesis 15 covenant lands:

See the scriptures that talk of the plunder being the motivation for Iran, Russia, Turkey et al to attack Israel:

"[Have you come] ... 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?’” (Ezekiel 38:12-13)

Saudi Arabia has a lot of oil. According to Wikipedia, "Saudi Arabia has the largest oil reserves in the world. It is the world’s top oil exporter and producer. Oil actually accounts for “90% of the country’s exports and nearly 75% government revenues.” On the Abrahamic Covenant map, Saudi Arabia is the pink one.

With all the war rhetoric, drumbeats, and tension, I am reminded of Henry Kissinger's old adage, coming to fruition in these last days--

"Control oil and you control nations; control food and you control the people."

These heated words from Iran are emanating from the epicenter of all the world's attention and tension right now: Middle East, where the oil (plunder?) is. The major problems in the world right now are there, as Isaiah 17, Psalm 83, and Ezekiel 38-39 tell us, and also Europe, the place where the revived roman empire will spit out the Antichrist. (Daniel 7:23-24). Did you know that Germany, currently Europe's economic engine, is flirting with leaving the Euro currency and union? The news from Europe, the last empire in Daniel's dream, is dire. The antichrist will control the world through food: access to it through purchase and through participation in the economy is denied unless the consumer wears the Mark of the Beast. The Gog Magog war happens because of plunder/ treasure, that the enemies have come to steal.

It is all shrinking down to oil & food, Middle East and Europe. Just as Jesus said it would.

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Psalm 83, Gog-Magog nations lining up as bible said they would

No one knows when the Lord will descend and call us up to Him in the Rapture. That is because Romans 11:25 says the rapture will happen when the full number of the church God has in mind has been reached. "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in."(NIV) No one knows the number nor how close we are to it.

However the Lord told us that we will not be in the dark, as the unbelievers are, "But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief." (1 Thess 5:4). While we do not know the day nor hour, we will sense the Tribulation season approaching because Jesus gave a long discourse listing the signs that will herald the beginning of the birth pangs of the Tribulation (Matthew 24:8), and He gave a list of signs that will occur during the Tribulation (Matthew 24:9-35; Revelation 6-19) In addition to that, the Holy Spirit inspired the bible writers to herald some signs too, in 2 Timothy 3:1-9; 2 Peter 3, for just a few examples). Finally, He gave us the Prophets. Some OT prophecy is fulfilled, and some of it is not. Parts of Isaiah 17 are not, parts of Isaiah 19 are not. Part of Obadiah is not. Ezekiel 38-47 is not. Isaiah 65 Psalm 83 is not. Those prophesies and many others are still to come.

Therefore here is the first admonition of this blog post. Please do not despise the prophesies. Paul's final warnings in his letter to the Thessalonians contained this plea: "Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil." (1 Thess 5:19-22). Paul is saying the prophesies are there for a reason. They may not contain things that you want to hear, but do not hate them because of that. The Holy Spirit and Jesus spent a lot of ink preparing for our edification the warnings of the last days. They should not be dismissed.

Secondly, because we study the prophecies, and study the Word in total, we can glean a chronology from them. There are certain things in history that have not happened yet, so of course if they have not occurred, that means they will. God's Word is sure.

"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts." (2 Peter 1:19).

Studious scholars have come to an interpretation of the chronology that seems consistent across the board. Most seem to agree that the Gog Magog battle of Ezekiel 38-39 will occur at or just inches over the threshold of the rapture- at latest. One reason is that the detailed directions from the Lord as to how to handle the aftermath (Ez 39) state that Israel will burn the fuel from the weapons for 7 years. The battle must take place at the outset of the Tribulation at latest because the Tribulation is 7 years, and no one will need fuel after that in the Millennium. (Rev. 22:5).  I don't have room in this post, nor is it the point of the post, to delve into all the reasons why but that was just one.

So given that we see things coming together prophetically in, say, the Gog Magog battle, how much closer would the rapture be to us in time? Close.

Here is news of what is happening to ready the immediate fulfillment of the Gog Magog Battle (Russia, Turkey, Iran, et al attack Israel), Isaiah 17:1 (Damascus destroyed) and Psalm 83 battle (Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt attack Israel). These three prophecies in particular are considered threshold events to the Tribulation. I include these news excerpts without commentary. They all point to the rapid fulfillment of the verses mentioned above. They all are indicative of conditions that will be present when the missiles fly. In my opinion, they are all pretty heavy. However, there are many other news excerpts I could link to, but you get the idea.

Iranian war fears spark closure of Israel reactor
"ISRAEL is preparing to shut its nuclear reactor at Dimona, where it makes nuclear weapons, because of the site's vulnerability in a war with Iran.The decision, taken by the Israel Atomic Energy Commission and the country's civil defence authorities, follows a realisation that the facility could be vulnerable to a missile attack."

I think Israel closing its only nuclear plant is a very big deal. We have the bible and know an attack is coming. They must have intelligence that points to an attack they believe may happen soon.

Russia docks flotilla at at Tartus Syria
"DAMASCUS: A large Russian naval flotilla led by an aircraft carrier has docked in the Syrian port of Tartus in what Damascus state media hailed on Sunday as a show of solidarity by close ally Moscow."

Russian Navy to base warships at Syrian port after 2012
"Russia's naval supply and maintenance site near Syria's Mediterranean port of Tartus will be modernized to accommodate heavy warships after 2012, the Russian Navy chief said on Monday. "Tartus will be developed as a naval base. The first stage of development and modernization will be completed in 2012," Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky said, adding it could then serve as a base for guided-missile cruisers and even aircraft carriers."

Report: Iran begins uranium enrichment at underground site
"A hardline newspaper close to Iran's rulers says the country has begun uranium enrichment at a well-protected underground facility."

Hugo Chavez jokes about having an atomic bomb during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visit to Venezuela
"Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his Iranian ally Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met in Caracas on Monday, where they expressed their love for one another, took jabs at the United States and joked about having an atomic bomb."That hill will open up and a big atomic bomb will come out," Chavez said, pointing to an area in front of the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, according to a report from Reuters."The imperialist spokesmen say... Ahmadinejad and I are going into the Miraflroes basement now to set our sights on Washington and launch cannons and missiles," Chavez continued."

Another Iranian nuclear scientist killed: Israel blamed
"An Iranian scientist working at a key nuclear facility in that country was killed Wednesday in Tehran, the latest act in what appears to be a widening covert effort to disrupt Iran's nuclear program."

IDF official: Iran, Hezbollah stepping up efforts to save Assad regime in Syria
"Military Intelligence chief says face of Middle East is changing in such a way that it is no longer recognizable. "Iran and Hezbollah are strengthening their efforts to ensure the survival of the Bashar Assad regime in Syria, Military Intelligence Chief Major General Aviv Kochavi said on Wednesday."They are providing [Assad] with knowledge, weapons and other means and recently with active involvement," Kochavi said. Kochavi also said that the face of the Middle East is changing in such a way that it is no longer recognizable. "It may be that the winds of change carry opportunities and promise, but in the short and medium term the risks are increasing," he stated. On Tuesday, IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz said that the turmoil in Syria could cause Assad to seek military confrontation with Israel. "Assad cannot continue holding on to power and his downfall is expected to cause a crack in the radical axis," Gantz said."

Pastor JD Farag's prophecy update this Sunday included a graphic I present here. Listen to the 30 minutes update here. It is well worth your time.

This graphic below shows nations that are listed as part of the Psalm 83 battle. Israel soundly defeats them all and occupies the land. (Obadiah 1:15-21)

The graphic below lists the Gog Magog nations that ally to attack Israel. Those are the white arrows.

It is all coming together, accelerating, even. The prophecies are combining to a near fulfillment that is ready to ignite at any moment.

Joel C. Rosenberg wrote yesterday, "The blunt truth is this: We are in deep trouble as a nation. We are facing the horrific and accelerating breakdown of the family — infidelity, divorce, abuse. We are seeing accelerating apostasy within the Church. People are turning away from God, betraying family and friends and ignoring the life-changing message of the Bible. Crime is surging, especially violent crime. The pornography industry now makes more than ABC, CBS and NBC combined. Our national debt has shot past $15 trillion — 100% of our GDP — and there is no end of runaway spending in sight. Washington and Wall Street are rife with corruption. The number one highest-grossing film in the nation right now is called The Devil Inside. Tragically, the list goes on and on." He continued with a startling statement. He said "that America is not simply in decline; we are actually headed for collapse — an implosion — unless we make fundamental and sweeping changes soon."

He made a plea for people to repent and believe the Gospel. It is a plea we are all making with increasing urgency these days. I made it just today - again - with a family member - again. I ended the dialog by saying "Heed these words. Time is short," the same ending Joel Rosenberg concluded his essay with.

Rosenberg linked to a simple Gospel web animation. It is here. Please share it widely and often. Why? Because time is short.
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