Russia is a player in Prophecy, but not the USA...

To all who have any discernment,we are currently witnessing the diminishment of the 70 year US sphere of influence in the Middle East.

I cringed as I witnessed the spectacle of Vladimir Putin’s U.N. speech excoriating the western nations for ignoring international law, dis-embowling Libya, Syria and creating ISIS through our meddling in the Middle East.

Putin is a supporter of embattled Syrian President Bashir Assad. He has committed Russian ground troops, tanks, ships and an air strike force to defend Assad. Putin is also an ally of the terrorist Iranian regime. They too have poured troops into Syria to defend Assad and are currently fighting to defend the beleaguered Assad regime.

It is obvious that Putin is exploiting the Sunni/Shiite rift in Islam, taking the side of the Shiites, and developing a Shiite alliance, armed and trained by Russia. The goal is a Shiite crescent from Syria all the way to the Caucasus

On the other hand, Obama and the West have long been supporters of the Sunni, which are 80 percent of the Muslim world. The Saudi’s have virtually bribed, blackmailed or out right purchased the leadership of the Western world, including America. At their bidding the US has spilled much blood and spent much treasure to try to ensure an order in the Middle East to keep the oil flowing.

Sunnis and Shiites hate each other even more than they hate and fear anyone else.

The center point of the Obama foreign policy has been the so-called “Arab Spring”. Coming out of his “post colonial ” worldview,(i.e. that the West has gained at the expense of the third world, and that therefore Western gains must be reversed), Obama has undermined the former secular, pragmatic , and admittedly harsh governments of the post WW2 Middle East.

I wouldn’t want to live under a Mubarak(Egypt) or a Qadhafi(Libya) or even under a Saddam Hussein(Iraq). They were tyrants indeed, but they had to be harsh to hold back even more savage forces, which they knew well, in their own lands. None of the above had an official policy to persecute Christians. But the ones who are currently filling the void left by these undermined leaders do indeed practice genocide against Christians!

Bashir Assad is one of those “old order ” leaders. He does indeed have blood on his hands, and is the current subject of the bloody “Arab Spring” uprising. Obama wants him out of power, and the West has funded, trained and financed several Sunni armies to oust him.

One of the more vicious of these US funded groups, turned their attention from ousting Assad to carving out for themselves an area between parts of the embattled Syria and the hastily abandoned Iraq, to deform ISIS. (The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria).They are unleashing a reign of terror throughout the world that hasn’t been seen since the Nazis or Stalin.

Under much pressure from world opinion,the Obama administration has waged a very limited, feckless, and pinprick war to “degrade” ISIS’s capacity.

Vladimir Putin surprised the whole world, on the day after his UN speech, by unleashing fierce airstrikes against ISIS Targets, warning US aircraft to “Stay out-of-the-way”. One Syrian foreign minister said two days of Putin’s airstrikes have accomplished more than a year of the US effort to “degrade” ISIS.

These bold actions by Putin would have been inconceivable even in the days of the George W Bush administration. He senses the weak, ineffective resolve of the World’s former superpower, and is saying “Get out of our way, you have had your chance, let us show you how this terrorism is dealt with“.

Putin’s air force will not be hampered by the suicidal rules of engagement American forces have been tethered to.

But Putin isn’t just trying to take out ISIS, (the vicious Frankenstein we created and armed). Putin is out to defend Assad, therefore he is also taking out CIA backed rebel bases. In any other time this would be regarded as an act of war by an enemy.

The coalition Putin is assembling and arming is similar to the end times coalition spoken of by Ezekiel the Prophet that will come against Israel in the last days. It includes Turkey, (Meshech and Tubal,Gomer, Togarmah ), Iran(Persia) Somalia and Sudan(Ethiopia) Libya and parts of North Africa.

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.(Ezekiel 38:1-7)

The individual addressed, Gog, has assembled a confederacy to come down into the Land of Israel to take a spoil. When God says “Be thou Prepared and prepare for thyself…” it is literally “Be thou an Armorer unto them and to thyself”.

America is not mentioned as a factor in the last days prophecies. We could currently be seeing her demise in influence. Two anecdotes illustrate this;

This is from a transcript of the Rush Limbaugh Show; White House Has Priorities in Order

“RUSH: What do we get from the White House? “The White House is reaching out to the transgender community for a list of things that its members want as they follow their lifestyle choices.”

Well, it’s obvious here, ladies and gentlemen, this White House has their priorities in order. “The initiative was launched with the help of White House Chief Data Scientist DJ Patil, who expressed concern that there is very little data of what the transgender community needs from the government.” Why does the transgender community need anything from the government? I mean, why does anybody need — I mean, like this, places to pee?”

More ominously, there is this article, US UN Delegates Refuse To Applaud Israel In a profoundly moving speech Benjamin Netanyahu confronted the UN on it’s silence in the face of Iranian promises to destroy Israel. But the US delegation distinguished itself by refusing to applaud. Samantha Powers walked out of the speech.

What is the reason for America’s astonishing blessings anyway? I would say it is the blessing of God.

And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.(Genesis 12:3)

From Rapture Ready’s Terry James:

Is This Gog-Magog?
Zola Levitt and I were talking privately, and Zola was thoroughly exercised about the topic of replacement theology. Some mainline denominations were beginning at the time to adopt the rising theological position termed “progressive dispensationalism.” The “doctrine” put forward that Christ’s throne had been transferred to Heaven with the Lord’s sitting down at the right hand of His Father. Therefore, the Davidic throne (throne of King David,) was also transferred from an earthly throne to Heaven. This meant, according to the progressive dispensationalists, that Israel had, in effect, been replaced in matters involving God’s promises to the nation.

This was not much different than pure replacement theology, and Zola was about to address, as I recall, the Pre-Trib Research Center group at Dallas that December on this topic. Such once-conservative seminaries as Moody and Dallas Theological had begun to go strongly toward the progressive dispensationalist viewpoint.

Zola, as anyone who knew him will attest, was passionate like few others about Israel and God’s dealing with the Jews. I have never seen him quite so animated as during that conversation somewhere around the turn of the century, as I recall. He said that he and Dr. J. Vernon McGee had once “gotten into it” on a television program over whether Israel was back in the Middle East for fulfillment of prophecy. Dr. McGee held that while it was interesting that Israel had its nation restored after more than 1,900 years in its geographical homeland, he didn’t believe this meant that Israel was necessarily there for the final time. They could yet be put out of the land and return again at a later date.

This, of course, was like throwing a glass of gasoline on a raging fire. Zola said they really got crosswise. Zola held that Israel was there for the final time—for the wind-up of this dispensation (Age of Grace) and into the Tribulation. I told him that Dr. McGee knew the truth now, his having gone to be with the Lord at age 84 in 1988. Zola’s only comment was: “Well, I would hope so...”.

Boy! Would old Dr. McGee have done a 180 on his view of the situation, if he could suddenly be shown developments since getting his—as Zola would later say of his own impending going to be with the Lord—promotion to that magnificent realm. As a matter of fact, I sometimes have wondered if they have not again had their conversation, with both now being in complete agreement on the veracity of God’s Word in regard to His promises to His chosen people.

Every day that passes brings into focus that truth. Israel is like a laser pointer indicating with pinpoint precision that these must indeed be the closing days of this Church Age. Stage-setting for fulfillment of Bible prophecy, as we have pointed out many times, literally fills today’s geopolitical, socioeconomic and religious landscape. Culture and society aren’t just headed toward the cesspool—we have arrived in the septic tank.

The world’s economy is poised to implode, with those in charge of the Fed (Federal Reserve Bank) not knowing which way to turn. to raise interest rates will bring the world’s economy crashing down. To not raise interest rates means that dynamic exigencies as part of the intricately linked world monetary system will heat up even further, making the ultimate crash far worse than any in history when it happens.

The pope is traversing the world apparently spouting strange doctrinal changes in his Catholic system and sticking his papal nose in every free nation’s business. He seems to me in cahoots with the Marxist ideology espoused by those who are said to have mentored the current U.S. president.

Russia looks to be making alliances that will one day -perhaps sooner rather than later—form a coalition like that forewarned by the prophet Ezekiel in his Gog-Magog prophecy. Iran occupies the geographical area of ancient Persia. This Israel-hating state of satanic rage is Putin’s client-state, as is Syria—these and other nations of the Islamist sort prophetically destined to be part of a horrendous end-times event.

Specifically, we must ask whether the most recent movement by Vladimir Putin might be, in fact, the actual staging for this great conflict of Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39.

Those who hold to the likelihood that a Psalm 83 war will precede the Gog-Magog attack will say this cannot be the time of that great Ezekiel 38-39 conflict. I continue to respectfully disagree with the proposition that such an inner ring of nations as given in what I believe to be an Imprecatory prayer by God’s chosen nation in Psalm 83 indicates a separate military action. I continue to believe that the prayer offered in Psalm 83 will be answered powerfully and unequivocally by the God of Heaven with the all but total annihilation of the combined Gog-Magog forces of all surrounding nations who come against Israel.

That Russia has inserted itself into the Middle East in ways that trouble America’s top military generals goes without saying. The Russians have said they won’t hesitate to send a large contingent of ground troops into Syria if the request is made by the Syrian regime.

The AP reported September 17 that Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said Damascus wouldn’t hesitate to ask for Russian troops if needed. At the same time he denied that Russian combat troops were already fighting in Syria. Proof continues to accumulate that the Russians are moving in to stay in the region. Many military and other intelligence officials are asking in television appearances what the build-up means. Ezekiel, we remember, said some would be asking the same question as the Gog-Magog invasion began to take shape.

One respected intelligence advisory writes the following.

The Russian military deployment to the Bassel al Assad air base in Latakia, Syria, is continuing at a rapid tempo, Stratfor can confirm. Previous imagery of the airfield, taken Sept. 4, showed significant engineering works underway. New imagery from Sept. 15, provided by our partners at All Source Analysis, reveals the completion of several large concrete aprons that were previously under construction. A large amount of Russian military equipment has also arrived at the airfield. A battalion-sized Russian contingent now appears to be located at the base, along with artillery and attack helicopter support. Several large Russian transport aircraft are also visible on the runway and the nearby ramps. (Stratfor, “Russia fortifies its position in Syria,” September 17, 2015)

With American fighter jets and other military assets in the same general area, there is growing concern that an incident of dangerous sort could happen whether by accident or by instigation. The Russian and American officials have been shown to be engaging in meetings over developments in the war-torn region.

Are we seeing the beginning of a Russian build-up for the fulfillment of the Gog-Magog assault?

I’m of the opinion that this is indeed a point in the staging for that prophesied war. Just what point is anyone’s guess.

My own thinking is that the Gog-Magog assault will take place some time after the Rapture of the Church. This is because this will be a world-shaking, cataclysmic event. Many other lands besides just this region will be affected. This war, in my view, will take the world out of the business-as-usual state that Jesus prophesied will be prevalent at the time He next intervenes into human history in a catastrophic way. Judgment will fall, the Lord said, that very day, just as in the days of Noah and the days of Lot (again read Matthew 24:36-42 and Luke 17: 26-30).

We see developing a sure signal that the Tribulation period is fast approaching. It it time for believers to work hard to bring as many of the lost into God’s family as possible. At the same time, we must remember to lift up our heads and keep looking up!

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