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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83731864849441919342015-06-30T09:51:38.676-04:00ESCHATOLOGY TODAYCurrent world events seen through the clarifying lens of the LORD's inerrant prophetic wordSean Osbornehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-1374366195792123332015-06-29T20:31:00.004-04:002015-06-30T08:18:26.264-04:00Global SITREP C10-15: What's Next For The Islamic Republic of Iran?

30 June 2015: What is next for the Islamic Republic of Iran? With this very day having been previously agreed to by all parties in the P5+1 nuclear negotiation with Iran as the date upon which a final agreement would be signed, the fact that no such agreement will be signed today or on the postponed to date of July 9th is the first secular indicator of what is next for Iran.

Know this Christian: Iran has never had any intention of following through on any agreement over its nuclear program with other nations, not even those to which it has tentative understandings, such as the Russian Federation or the People's Republic of China.

What is next for the Islamic Republic of Iran has been in plain sight, at least for those who can read, since the totalitarian theocratic regime in Tehran officially adopted the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran in December 1979 (amended July 1989).

As codified in this constitution the central and unimpeachable mission of the Islamic Republic has always been and will always be "to fulfill the ideological jihad of Allah's way, that is, extending the sovereignty of Allah's law throughout the world (in accordance with the Quranic verse "Prepare against them [the world] whatever force you are able to muster, strings of horses, striking fear into the enemy of Allah. and your enemy and others besides them.")"

Bottom line: Iran has no true allies anywhere in the world. None. Iran has declared that its mandated mission direct from the false god "Allah" is to bring the rest of the nations of planet earth into submission under through whatever weapons they may wield. Iran will never relinquish its quest for nuclear weapons.

This declarative Iranian Twelver objective is nothing less than world conquest and world domination. Therefore, no nuclear agreement with the enemy nations of the world can ever truly exist because it is in direct contravention of the will of "Allah" for the Iranian Twelver regime. If you would like more detail on the Iranian constitution and what it says, then an article published last week by Lt. Col. James G. Zumwalt, USMC(Ret.) will serve you well.

Questions: Are the sum of the American, British, French, German, European Union, Russian and Chinese governments military, intelligence and political leadership unaware of these facts? No, they are not; all facets of the Iranian Shi'a Twelver ideology is understood by these nations in the most unambiguous terms. Are these nations acting in denial of Iran's ideological objectives? No, they are not; they are acting in spite of Iran's ideological objectives and in full knowledge that failure of the P5+1 negotiations with Iran will result in military action.

What must be crystal clear to today's Christian, no matter where he or she may currently reside, is that the Iranian Shi'a Twelvers have lifted up their demonically inspired heads to declare themselves irrevocably opposed to all that the God of Israel has inspired His prophets to say in His written word. Obviously, what is next for Iran is the express judgment spoken through the prophet Jeremiah. The God of Israel will take away the foremost of their might and subdue the regime by the sword (warfare) to its total destruction.

And what must be clear to the secular denier of the God of Israel, no matter where in the world you may live, is that when this prophecy comes to its literal fulfillment you will no longer be able to deny that the God of Israel is exactly who and what He has said He is. You must then call upon the name of His Son, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, the Lord Jesus Christ for your personal salvation. We all pray that you will come to this realization of your own free will before it is too late. John 3:16. Amen.

Sean Osbornehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-80323543930777427612015-06-19T07:09:00.000-04:002015-06-20T09:02:29.534-04:00Global SITREP C9-15: The Surest Sign of the "End of the Age"

19 June 2015: Our LORD Jesus Messiah began His Olivet Discourses virtual checklist of prophetic end times signs by pointing to the Temple on Mount Moriah and prophesying to the apostles that it was soon to be destroyed with not one stone to remain standing upon another. This prophecy came to pass exactly as described by Jesus 37 years later on 10 August (9th of Av) in 70 AD.

How appropriate would it be then for the Temple of the 70th Week to have its construction, completion and worship services commenced prior to the advent of the angel Gabriel's prophecy about Israel's 70th Week? I believe the Word of God Himself in the text of the Holy Bible tells us this will be the case.

Therefore, a standing and fully-functioning Jewish Temple on Mount Moriah would be the greatest physical sign of the imminent arrival of the final seven years of human history as we have known it since Jesus' own death, resurrection and ascension into Heaven and the rebirth of Israel in fulfillment of Isaiah 66:8.

John the Revelator writes in the first three verses of Chapter 11 the revelation which God gave to Jesus who made it known to the angel who presented it to John:

"I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.""
Here is a standing and fully functioning Temple at the very commencement of the 70th Week, upon the Lord's appointing the Two Witnesses to commence their prophesy and ministry for the 42 months (1,260 days) of the first half of the 70th Week.

Look at the grandeur, spectacle and sheer size of the Temple as imagined and scaled to correct proportions above. How long does it take in this era to prepare the ground and layout all of the requisite necessities for the construction of such a Divinely ordained structure such as this? 12 months? 2 years? Three? More?

The point is that a structure such as this will require a schedule and an executable plan to complete. Other religiously ordained things are required to place it into actual service, and they will require a certain amount of time also to complete.

Whatever these unknowns amount to in linear time, one thing is certain, all of these activities will all occur prior to the start of the 70th Week, as well as all of the logisitics which are necessary to make such a construction effort even possible. The Harpazo can occur at any moment, yet there is also the distinct possibility that the Bride of Christ will be witness to the prophetic events, such as the fulfillment of the Psalm 83 war, which are prerequisite events to any of this occurring.

As the text reveals, the "times of the Gentiles" are still in progress when the Two Witnesses begin their appointed and prophetic ministry and the construction and completion of the Temple structure occurs.

Sean Osbornehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-4270611254053528802015-06-09T06:38:00.000-04:002015-06-19T07:10:05.855-04:00Global SITREP C8-15: Mid-2015 Situation Report

9 June 2015: Everything is under our LORD's complete control and subject to His appointments and times. In this SITREP, over the new day or so, I will touch upon the events which are occurring in various places around the planet that are relative to our expectations in interpretation of His prophetic Word.

The number one issue in this regard remains the Shi'a Twelver-run Islamic Republic of Iran, also known as Elam in Jeremiah 49:34-39 and Parac (Persia) in Ezekiel 38-39. The flash points at this time are its expansionist war in the Republic of Yemen, its nuclear weapons program, the civil wars in Syria and Iraq, and Lebanese Hezbollah. Iran is the primary focus of the military forces of the Sunni Arab nations at this time. It is a focus that has led Israel and Saudi Arabia to conduct secret discussions on what will be done to address the threat Iran poses to their common interests - namely, survival. Any one of these current issues has the potential to ignite preemptive strikes by Israel and/or the Sunni Arab military coalition against Iran. The upping of the ante in this regard occurred this weekend when Iran's proxy force in Yemen launched a SCUD missile attack on the King Khalid Air Base in southernmost Saudi Arabia. The Saudis shot the SCUD down with an American Patriot missile battery.

I would also tie the fate of Damascus to these developments, but we already have a current and up-datable SITREP C4-15 tracing the prophetic impending demise of the ancient Syrian-Aramean capital city. There is something else going on in Syria which caught my eye: Iranian IRGC/Qods Force officers have begun summarily executing Sunni Muslim officers in Bashar al-Assad's remaining army on the front-line battleground around the city of Idlib. These officers found themselves and their troops to be in defensible positions at the nearby checkpoints at Mahmbel and Bsanqoul and conducted a tactical retreat towards better positions closer to Idlib. The Iranian's declared this action to be a "betrayal of the homeland" and executed the Syrian officers. This kind of treachery guarantees defeat for Assad's forces, mass defections to the rebels, and retribution against the Iranian officers now running the war in Syria.

These issues, in fact the entire state of the world in general, have caused something unprecedented to occur within U.S. military and civilian intelligence circles. In the decade of years previous to 2015, a highly respected, widely but privately distributed and obviously widely read (US/EU and Israel) Open Source intelligence report (based in the Washington DC/Northern Virginia area) which previously would never have published so much as a single word regarding Bible prophecy about these 'last days' nor acknowledge any validity whatsoever regarding Bible prophecy of near-future events, has suddenly reversed its editorial and content position and begun including Bible prophecy articles and advertisements heralding prophecy conferences all over the world!

Along with the usual updates on events on the Syrian civil war, Islamic State, Iran, Russia, China, EU the US and the plethora of other issues that keep current and former intelligence professionals well-primed via its daily ListServe emails, there is now a steady stream of reports and articles about the same kind of prophetic issues you are reading here and at other Bible prophecy websites and blogs. In fact, on Monday, the entire chapter of Matthew 24 was published with an active link to the Biblegateway.com NIV webpage. God is at work brethren!

Contrary to the beliefs of many, and directly related to the Ezekiel 38/39 prophecy, the Russian Federation is not as militarily powerful as is currently being claimed. Yes, they have nuclear weapons, and, yes, they have several divisions of modern, upgraded armor, aircraft and naval ships and newly uniformed soldiers, sailors and airmen, but to use a metaphor, that is just the shell of an egg of the Russian army. Inside that egg is a gelatinous mass that is anything but threatening and certainly not capable of sustained warfare far from the Russian homeland.

Consider what Ezekiel 38/39 actually says and view this prophecy in the context of the prophesies which have come to fulfillment just ahead of it. Essentially the Lord is telling us that when Russia and its pathetic military allies come against and suddenly fall dead upon the mountains of Israel - this is a "one and done" type of military operation!! Look closer at the text. There is no second wave, there is no retaliatory strike, there is no long-range missile war of attrition. There is nothing but death and destruction for the invaders.

Also, consider the words of "Sheba, Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all their young lions" in this major 'last days' prophecy. Are these the words of a weak military alliance, or are they actually the long misinterpreted words of incredulity from a strong alliance regarding a Russian-led attempt to invade and conquer modern-day Israel and Jordan? "Have you came to take a spoil" could be interpreted in modern parlance as "What? Are you kidding me?!" These same Arab/Western allies are very likely to be the same military forces which had reduced Iranian military capabilities as prophesied in Jeremiah 49:34-39.

What is likely to occur is that upon Russia's total defeat in Ezekiel 38/39 fulfillment the forces of the West will expand to secure whatever advances Russia has recently made, or will yet make in the near future, in Ukraine and the Crimea. Geo-political power vacuums are always filled by the dominant military power at that time. As it was in the days of ancient Rome, Western power is likely to be returning to the regions around the Black Sea as the very basic map below illustrates. Is this illustration not what Bible prophecy predicts to be the geo-political reality for the 70th Week?

Sean Osbornehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-56779304006948966832015-05-31T10:00:00.000-04:002015-05-31T10:12:15.692-04:00Global SITREP C4-15: Are We Witnessing the Final Days of the Ba'athist al-Assad Regime, and of Syria?

UPDATE 31 May 2015: It has been about a month since the last words were added here, so an update is definitely in order for SITREP C4-15. And in this interim period the answer to the question posed in the SITREP C4-15 title appears now to be a definitive "Yes!"

The current status has the "Islamic State" and the other rebel forces continuing to hammer away at what's left of Al-Assad's military forces and defensible territory; Russia has apparently all but abandoned its military ally in Damascus, and Iran's Lebanese Hezbollah proxy is not militarily powerful enough to halt the Sunni jihadist onslaught which is coming very close to surrounding Al-Assad's capital city. Short of Iran airlifting entire combat divisions into Damascus International Airport, there is little or nothing left to rescue the Ba'athist-Alawite regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Jeremiah 49:23-27 and Isaiah 17 do appear to be that much closer to a literal fulfillment in the very near future.

4 May 2015: There is now significant military pressure being placed upon the faltering Syrian Ba'athist regime of Bashar al-Assad and the city of Damascus by an array of Sunni Jihadist militias. This kind of military pressure evokes images from the prophetic texts of Jeremiah 49:23-27 and the more well-known Isaiah 17. Accordingly, a military disaster of epic proportions appears to be in Damascus immediate future, a future vision Spiritually inspired and described by Jeremiah and Isaiah.

A thorough review of those texts is in order. As can be seen from the above image they were written by the two prophets with the Old City in mind, the Damascus they were familiar with. However, the modern-day Damascus we are familiar with over two dozen centuries later is five to six times as large. In the next day or so this will be the focus of eschatological study that will be posted here.

Jeremiah 49:23 "Concerning Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet."

This verse identifies the current battlegrounds in Syria, from the northwestern frontier with Turkey: Tell Erfad (Arpad) to Hama (Hamath) on the Orontes River, to Damascus, 132 miles to the south. As occurred in the ancient past, these cities are to fall to an enemy originating from the region of ancient Assur (Islamic State) before Damascus falls to this enemy. The "sorrow on the sea" appears to be a direct reference to the nations of the Mediterranean Sea; i.e., the West, who act as enablers of what is occurring.

Therefore, verse 23 sets up the complete and totlal military disaster that follows in verses 24 through 27:

"Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail. How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy! Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts. And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad."

In the concluding verse Ben-Hadad is a direct reference to a false god, and the consuming by fire of the palaces thereof, the walls of Damascus, and all the men of war being cut off in that day, speaks to great carnage and destruction as this war reaches it decisive conclusion.

It is the burning and consuming by fire which I interpret to be a connecting dot to the same event that is presented in Isaiah 17, the utter destruction of the immense city that is Damascus as we know it today. The scope of the burning destruction and utter ruin into the heap of rubble as foretold by Isaiah should be measured against a recent image of Damascus presented below.

In my studies I have found there is nothing in these prophecies which suggests a peaceful end to the Ba'athist regime of Bashar al-Assad, and nothing good to come of the so-called peace talks. There is also the dire aspect of Isaiah's prophecy on what the Syrian war brings upon Israel and its population.

There is simply no getting away from and no sugar-frosting of the soon to be established prophetic fact that not only is Damascus to be utterly destroyed, but the whole of what we know today as Syria is coming to an end. And the destruction does not end there, but continues well into the "cities of Aroer," which is northwestern Jordan, and the near total depopulation of that entire region, and into Israel as well in the central region known as Ephraim.

I think we all need to understand exactly what these prophecies are telling us about what is now in the process of becoming a reality. We, in this present generation, have not seen and therefore do not properly comprehend and therefore are likely not mentally prepared for the unrestrained use of weapons of mass destruction.

Hiroshima, Nagasaki and the carnage of World War Two are distant memories of a generation passing quickly from the present scene. We hear news reports of chlorine gas and "barrel bombs" being used in the Syrian war, but this is virtually as distant from affecting our lives as the dust on the moon; it is a perspective of real war we simply cannot relate to, but will have to come to grips with soon enough.

Yet through it all we know our God is in control; these things must take place as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear in the Olivet Discourse, they are the birthpangs of what is to come at the appointed time.
Sean Osbornehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-61980173281659255742015-05-26T07:00:00.000-04:002015-06-09T06:11:20.197-04:00Global SITREP C7-15: The Islamic State - A Legacy of Saddam Hussein's Iraq

'Islamic State' growing with Iraq and Syria

UPDATE 26 May 2015: It is the opinion of the author of this Eschatology Today blog that SITREP C4-15 is directly tied to this C6-15 entry. This linkage comes directly from the manner in which the "Assur" of Psalm 83:8 has been interpreted by yours truly for several years now as the 'Sunni Triangle' of northern Iraq. This region is also the home of the late Ba'athist dictator Saddam Hussein and Sunni Muslim tribal region. This is an interpretation of a single word in the text of Psalm 83:8 that few of my peers have shown any willingness to join me in giving voice to, much less to even discuss in any meaningful way. So be it that I stand alone on this interpretive issue.

Above is a map of the growing Islamic state that I compiled on 22 May from multiple data points found in several recent open source reports. As recent as this image is "Islamic State' mechanized columns have in the past 72 hours pushed 50 to 75 kilometers beyond Palmyra on the main highways leading towards Damascus. Only Hezbollah, Iranian Shi'a proxy forces and the little that is left of Bashar al-Assad's own Syrian army stand between Damascus and the 'Islamic State.' In Iraq a furious effort is underway to defend Baghdad and the Shi'a holy city of Karbala. The coming battles in Syria and Iraq will have an unprecedented impact upon Sunni and Shi'a muslims throughout the Middle East and beyond. For its part the West continues to limit itself to dropping bombs on the IS formations. 'Islamic State' is simply ignoring the fact that Iran is nearing a battlefield nuclear capability.

It also appears to have escaped any mention by government spokespersons and the media that "Islamic State' is waging a successful campaign on two major fronts simultaneously. The success stems from the fact that on neither front does 'Islamic State' face opposing 'boots on the ground" capable of halting their advance. The 'perfect storm' continues to build in the Middle East with ongoing set of "free for all" wars from Libya to Syria to Yemen.

"Islamic State" with Ramadi spoils of war

19 May 2015: Is it making sense now, based upon the information contained below, how a Sunni "jihadist" army can suddenly emerge within a year of American combat troops departure from Iraq as demanded by the American Left and ordered by President Obama within months of his inauguration? The elite of the former army of Saddam Hussein, also known as the Republican Guard, several well-organized divisions of which simply melted away off the battlefield in Iraq twelve years ago, suddenly came roaring back wearing black pajamas and kaffiyeh and driving long convoys of Toyota Hilux pickup trucks out of the Syrian and Iraqi desert to overwhelm the Shi'a dominated New Iraqi Army. This "Islamic State" army knew exactly where to strike early on in order to acquire as war booty vast numbers of American-supplied up-armored humvees, M1A1 main battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, towed artillery and arsenals of weaponry and ordnance of every description.

Make no mistake, this is a victorious Islamic State that Obama built, and he snatched it from the jaws of Saddam's defeat. Everything that U.S. military forces achieved in Operation Iraqi Freedom between 2003 and 2011, especially the ground-pounding U.S. Marines and Army soldiers, was lost in this weekend's fall of Ramadi and thus the whole of Anbar Province to the "Islamic State." Yet self-important current and former U.S. Government officials are singing a completely different tune from a completely different reality. It's an insane tune that is sung to Jerry Samuels' 1966 psychotic melody of "They're Coming To Take Me Away - Ha-Haa!" It's a tune that ignores the fact that Saddam's WMD ever existed, or that much of it went to Syria where Islamic State now also controls vast regions of territory and the military installations where it was secreted away twelve years ago. And what do I hear from my fellow Americans? Nothing but the sound of Crickets.

 Col. S.A. Muhammed al-Khlifawi's (a/k/a Haji Bakr) Plan for the Islamic State

13 May 2015: Formerly secret files recently accessed and revealed by Germany's Der Spiegel Online International (a must read) media organization detail the plan for, the creation of the internal political structure for the "Islamic State" designed by an intelligence (al-Mukhabarat) colonel of Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist regime in Iraq. The 31 pages of meticulously drawn up and executed plans created by Colonel Samir al-Khlifawi, also known by his Islamic nom de guerre Haji Bakr, resulted in the emergence of what the world has known for the past two years as the "Islamic State."

The "Islamic State" is also without question the direct result of the second gravest strategic error committed by the United States twelve years ago this month (May 2003) during Operation Iraqi Freedom. This error occurred when the Coalition's political overseer in Iraq, American State Department diplomat Paul Bremer, unilaterally disbanded the Iraqi Army against the agreed policy of President George W. Bush to leave it intact. The first gravest error was a political commitment to the American political left made by Barack Hussein Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign, and which resulted in the 2010-2011 military abandonment of Iraq. Both of these contributed to the rise of the Islamic State within a year of the final withdrawal of US combat troops from Iraq.

Paul Bremer's initial action of disbanding the Iraqi Army in May 2003 resulted in instantly placing a quarter-million highly trained Iraqi officers and troops out of a job and immediately ripe for vengeance. The alleged plan for Saddam's military forces to simply melt away off the battle field in the face of overwhelming US military supremacy was a neatly contrived media fallacy. These elite Iraqi troops retired into the desert north and west of Baghdad and aligned themselves with the Al-Qaeda aligned Sunni jihadists under the leadership of Jordanian national Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi and his Islamic State of Iraq (ISI).

US and Coalition combat pressure between 2004 and 2010 sent the bulk of the ISI retreating into eastern Syria, especially a Syrian town north of Aleppo known as Tal Rifaat. During all this time, according to the intelligence documents "Haji Bakr" was running the show in deep cover in creating this jihadist "caliphate" from his headquarters in Tal Rifaat while Jordanian Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi (hailing from Zarqa, Jordan) was the face of the jihad in Iraq's westernmost Anbar Province and in the Sunni heartland, the so-called "Sunni triangle" north of Baghdad. "Haji Bakr" was killed in a firefight with other jihadists in January 2014.

As discussed multiple times within Eschatology Today posts, the "Sunni Triangle" is the exact same territory as ancient Assur existed upon when the singing prophet Asaph was inspired to compose the Psalm 83 prophecy. This is the the bedrock eschatological reason that I believe it is important to understand the origin, current existence and future fate of the "Islamic State" and its role in the coming final actions of the Psalm 83 War, especially with respect to the passage of Psalm 83:8. And we can see the direct connection, the Sunni Islamic tribal connection, between "Assur" and the "children of Lot" is plainly evident for all to see. It is as prophetically unambiguous as prophetically unambiguous gets in my opinion.

At the present time a rather significant situation has developed. The Iraqi-Ba'athist creation of the "Islamic State" is potentially a leaderless entity with its architect "Haji Bakr" dead, and the reported severely injured Islamic State Caliph Ibrahim (Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi) has apparently also been taken him out of the picture. Caliph Ibrahim's second-in-command, Abu Ala al-Afri, was reported by the Iraqi Defense Ministry via Iraqi state TV today (Wed, 13 May 15) to have been killed in a Coalition air strike on the city of Tal Afar. Another former senior Iraqi officer, General Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, was also recently reported to have been killed in combat against IRGC and Shi'a militias in the Sunni Triangle. General Al-Douri's reported death may be an Iraqi government ruse or just plain Iranian disinformation. The thing is that at this time the real leadership of Islamic State is a virtual unknown, but it would not surprise me in the least if yet another Jordanian Sunni jihadist emerged with the reigns of power over the "Islamic State."

Sean Osbornehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-32185508499402670562015-05-22T21:00:00.000-04:002015-05-22T21:15:08.494-04:00Global SITREP C6-15: Iran Threatens War Against US, Saudi Arabia and Egypt Over Yemen

UPDATE 22 May 2015: It took over a week to resolve this situation. In the interim since the last update a lot of hand-wringing and angst were to be found in numerous media reports... both those on the political right and the left.

In the end, in case none of those websites have informed you, it was the al-Mahdi-hastening terrorist Iranian regime which not only blinked, but shut both eyes and caved in completely to the non-negotiable demand of the Saudi-Egyptian and Western (US, UK and France) coalition of tier-one naval forces enforcing the blockade of Yemeni ports.

As of this morning the Iranian's heeded the demands of the Saudi-Egyptian-Western coalition and ordered their pawn, a/k/a the Merchant Vessel Iran Shahed, to sail into port Djibouti were all of the other nations merchant vessels bringing aid to the Yemeni people are making their port calls. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy (IRGCN) also stood down as instructed and thus lived to sail these waters for another day.

The bottom line is that Iran (as usual) was engaged in the highest order of bluffing and in the end put its tail between its legs, whimpered and did exactly as it was told by the emergent and dominant military alliance of the Arabs and the West. Not many will make mention about this, but what occurred this morning was one military victory over Iranian aggression that occurred without a single shot being fired. Gunboat diplomacy still works.

Hopefully PM Netanyahu was paying close attention on how to press a military advantage and make a jihadist enemy sit down, do as it is told and shut up in the face of overwhelming military power. Same goes for IS.

14 May 2015: This is an update I received from the Lord early this morning when He suddenly put the fully formed thought into my mind. Perhaps He has given the same realization to you, which is as follows: The military coalition currently fighting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, and the military coalition fighting to stop Iran in Yemen BOTH constitute allied Arab and Western military forces operating together, and are virtually identical the what the Lord prophesied to Ezekiel as "Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions..." Prophecy teachers! Are you teaching this?

In the Persian Gulf one or more Iranian naval vessels are reported to have fired upon a Singapore-flagged merchant vessel which escaped into UAE territorial waters this morning.

On the Saudi-Yemeni border heavy artillery barrages, both rockets and conventional shelling, are reported between Houthi and Saudi forces with damage being done to towns on both sides of the border. Saudi tanks and mechanized infantry forces have been observed in recent hours moving south towards the Yemeni border.

13 May 2015: The cargo ship Iran Shahed (image above) is currently enroute to Yemen, ostensibly to deliver humanitarian supplies. Current GPS location data places the Iran Shahed in the northern part of the Gulf of Oman sailing southwards at 8 knots and under escort by Iranian warships. Iran has threatened unrelenting war against any nation which interferes with the Iran Shahed's mission to deliver its cargo to the Yemen's Red Sea port at Al-Hudaydah.

The US, Saudi Arabia and Egypt all have warships maintaining a blockade to ensure no war materiel is delivered to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The situation in Yemen continues to deteriorate, with the most recent reported military action being a Houthi invasion of the southern Saudi Arabia's southern Jizan Province on Saturday. The Houthi rebels moved several miles and through several towns before defeating local Saudi defenders and seizing control of the city Ahad al-Masarihah. More than 60 Saudi soldiers were reportedly taken as prisoners of war by the Houthi rebels. An escalation of the fighting appears to be inevitable.

Sean Osbornehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-90827944614595427472015-05-06T03:29:00.000-04:002015-05-06T03:34:21.422-04:00Global SITREP C5-15: North Korea Testing Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile

ex-Russian Golf II-Class Submarine

6 May 2015: Historians say that Roman Emperor Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Present day American intelligence officials are saying that U.S. President Barack Obama is fiddling around while North Korea develops nuclear missiles and the submarine platform from which to launch them in order to make America burn.

The development of this technology was reported in yesterday's edition of Israel National News (INN) under the headline, "N. Korea Submarine Missile Allows Covert Nuclear Strike on US." The source article for the INN report was one I often cite here on matters of defense, intelligence and military matters of prophetic implications: Bill Gertz writing for the Washington Free Beacon. In fact, so profound are the implications of Bill Gertz' new article, which cites on-the-record albeit anonymous confirming statements by Pentagon and US intelligence officials, that the ink was barely dry and the digits white-hot off the computer when Israeli and other conservative media published their reports.

Missile Launch Tube on a Golf-II-class Submarine

The Bill Gertz article published in the Washington Free Beacon yesterday is titled "North Korea Conducts Ejection Test of New Submarine Missile" and contains the sub-text "Third sub-launched missile test by Pyongyang since November." Of course, it should go almost without saying that Eschatology Today readers are very aware that the North Korean and Iranian nuclear weapons and missile delivery programs are Siamese twins joined at the hip; the technology developed between them is virtually identical in every way.

So, the bottom line here is that the North Koreans are testing what US defense officials are calling the KN-11 submarine-launched nuclear-armed ballistic missile. They have Russian-made Golf-II-class nuclear missile firing submarines like the ones seen in the images above. This is the kind of nuclear weapon system that is designed for one mission and one mission only - to stealthily position itself off the enemy's coastline (America, no doubt) and fire a salvo of nuclear missiles at its great cities, or in nuclear airbursts at the well-calculated altitude to cause continent-spanning Electro-Magnetic Pulses (EMP) to bring our electronics-laden society to a screeching halt and defenseless against other incoming nuclear warheads.

This is not science fiction, this is what our enemy's are preparing to do to us and have been very successfully testing in perfecting their weaponry for many months and even years now. What!? You haven't you heard President Obama warn us repeatedly about this existential threat to our well-being and what he is doing as our Commander-In-Chief to defend against it? Was this subject not one of the lead stories on last night's evening news covered by the major media? Not to worry, you didn't miss a thing because both Obama and his media have been as silent about this as the great marble statue found in the center of hundreds and thousands of American town squares from sea to shining sea. Not so much as a peep.

But honorable and loyal Americans are speaking up; they are talking within the limits of their oaths to protect classified information, and while they still can talk, to diligent reporters like Bill Gertz who publish what they have to say so you and I know what's really going on in imperial Washington, D.C.

Some examples excerpted from the cited report.

"Current and former national security officials criticized the Obama administration for not doing more to counter the North Korean nuclear threat to the United States. "This missile, along with the KN-08, happened on Obama's watch and nothing has been done," said a U.S. intelligence official critical of the Obama administration. "By utterly ignoring North Korea's growing missile threats, Obama has allowed the threat of rogue state proliferators to fall out of the center of the national political debate," said John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. "This is a potential tragedy for the country."

Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney said North Korea's development of the KN-08 and the emerging SLBM present "threats to the continental United States and have been developed under the Obama administration's leadership." "Leading from behind is a failed strategy as evidenced by this very dangerous strategic threat to the continental United States of nuclear attack by a very unstable North Korean government," he said.

Allowing Iran to become a nuclear weapons power in 15 years under the Obama's administration's propose Iran nuclear deal "puts the United States in the most dangerous threat of nuclear attack since the height of the Cold War but from multiple threats—North Korea, China, Russia, and Iran," McInerney said."

We now know the truth is that North Korea currently has an arsenal of 20 nuclear warheads. They have an ongoing and increasing enrichment technology that will provide them with another 20 warheads by next year. This is an existent North Korean nuclear arsenal that was supposed to have been prevented from existing by what diplomatic vehicles? So-called "crippling economic sanctions" and multi-lateral negotiations, the so-called "Six-Party talks," between North Korea, China, Russia, the United States, South Korea and Japan, and with United Nations Security Council and IAEA over-watch, which lasted for four years, form 2003 to 2007. The years of negotiations were a complete and total failure, a charade of the highest order because North Korea detonated is first nuclear warhead in 2009. That was just six year ago, and Obama is doing the exact same thing with Iran today.

Does anyone think we need a modern-day prophet to tell us what is going to happen next? Is recent history our teacher? How about Jeremiah? Any questions? And, yes, as always, our God is in control.

Sean Osbornehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-77430120585664311272015-05-01T13:30:00.000-04:002015-05-01T13:51:59.793-04:00Global SITREP B9-15:Israel's Final Call

Update 1 May 2015: When someone speaks the truth, it should be acknowledged. This is what VP Joe Biden did when he tactfully spoke the truth about PM Netanyahu's comment that the P5+1 framework would "pave Iran's way to the bomb." Iran does not need to P5+1 to pave its way to a nuclear weapon; it has done that over the course of more than decade of indigenous technological development and assistance from other state and non-state proliferates of nuclear-related technologies. Bibi's statement was pure political theater in my opinion, too little and too late by at least a decade.

There is truth in one other thing VP Biden had to say last night at the annual dinner of the Washington Institute of Near East Policy. That truth is that Iran is just days away from construction of at least 8 nuclear weapons. That means Iran, given its Shi'a Twelver-driven agenda, does not need a final P5+1 final agreement to achieve its objective; that whole negotiation strategy was just a delaying tactic, a deliberate ruse, to keep Israel and the US from interfering by military means against its quest to manufacture weapons in its own nuclear laboratories. It has worked flawlessly as we can now all see.

So, with the P5+1 framework and June final agreement deadline having no real meaning for apocalyptic Iran, Israel's final warning has to translate into Israel's urgent action - unless it is also willing to accept a nuclear-armed Iran as the Obama Administration has clearly accepted it.

17 April 2015: We should have seen this coming, and subconsciously I think we all did expect it to happen. Barack Hussein Obama is now saying he accepts the Senate Foreign Relations Committee vote as only regarding sanctions on Iran, but not having any effect on the P5+1 negotiation agreement itself. So, the unconstitutional usurpation of power by this administration will continue until it is forced to leave office in January 2017 or the Congress grows a backbone and defends those powers our founding fathers saw fit to delegate to it.

Imagine, a front-burner Constitutional crisis being deliberately created at this time with all the other emergent threats rising precipitously around the world.

15 April 2015: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted unanimously, 19 to 0, to approve Congressional oversight of the Obama Administration's efforts in the P5+1 Iran nuclear negotiations. The full Senate vote will be near unanimous. For once Obama caved-in to the good guys, and as a result Israeli PM Netanyahu won a political victory here in the US due to his speech before Congress in early March.

Obama caved and will sign the Congressional oversight bill because his threatened veto against it would have been immediately shot down in flames by a near unanimous full Congressional vote to override. The 'lame duck' and roll-back season of the sun-setting Obama presidency has effectively just begun.

However, this may all be just so much window dressing due to the impossibility of Barack Hussein Obama getting the Iranian Twelver Ayatollah to agree in a written and signed final agreement to allow unrestrained inspections of its nuclear sites under IRGC military control. That is the major show stopper in the final push of the P5+1 between now and June to ink a deal. This will also buy Israel a couple of extra weeks in holding off on a strike until the talks have fully collapsed over this issue.

7 April 2015: It would seem, if the current reading of the OSINT tea leaves floating out of Jerusalem is correct, that PM Netanyahu may have offered President Obama a willingness for Israel to accept the interim JCPOA in exchange for a legally binding Iranian pledge to accept Israel's right to exist. Not only did Iran immediately reject the Israeli offer, but so did President Obama reject it out of hand.

With that water now long gone from under the bridge of no return, the next and likely final benchmark will come a week from today when the Senate Foreign relations Committee will vote on whether the final P5+1 agreement with Iran due in mid-June must be confirmed by a vote of the U.S. Congress. Given the very recent admissions by both Obama and the Iranians that the P5+1 final agreement will result in Iranian possession of nuclear weapons a Congressional approval would appear to be dead on arrival, or made a moot point by an Israeli military preemption.

Both the U.S. Congress and the Israeli government could be declared certifiably suicidal to accept any agreement which grants the apocalyptic Twelvers of Iran possession of a nuclear weapon. Therefore, it would seem that Obama's attempt, despite all of his campaign pledges to the contrary, to kick the Iranian nuclear can down the road for another U.S. President and Prime Minister of Israel to deal with, is easily forecast as a world-class whiff.

3 April 2015: At this time it might be useful to review the history of the Iranian nuclear issue from 2003 to the present.

In May 2003 the US was flush with having just vanquished the murderous Ba'athist regime of Saddam Hussein. It was in this same month that Iran, fully surrounded by US and NATO combat forces on its eastern and western borders and maintaining unprecedented and absolute military control of the Persian Gulf to Iran's south and the whole of the Middle East, began to send feelers out to the US about negotiations over its nuclear program. It was a ruse then just as it is a ruse now. President George W. Bush saw the ruse for what it was and rejected Iranian overtures because none of them addressed the issue of Iran's drive to obtain nuclear weaponry.

The EU3 (France, the UK and Germany) began making their own proposals in 2004-05, and they were joined by the US, Russia and China in 2005 to create the P5+1 group that we have today. The UN Security Council (the IAEA) was also involved with Iran separately on nuclear issues, but also in concert with the P5+1 regarding sanctions and the demand which has never been met that Iran halt uranium enrichment and the reprocessing of spent fuel.

In May of this year a full ten years of UN and P5+1 negotiations have yielded nothing in the way of an agreement by Iran to halt its drive for nuclear weaponry - the one thing the Shi'a Twelver regime in Tehran knows it needs to attack Israel and to create the chaos necessary to hasten an apocalypse for the sake of their nonexistent al-Mahdi figure. This has occurred despite severe economic sanctions and a total of six UN Security Council Resolutions.

What these past ten years have produced is a virtual library's worth of meaningless proposals and counter-proposals, all the while when Iranian nuclear weapons infrastructure continued to grow, and expand and, intermittently, some previously hidden and undeclared nuclear sites became exposed by Iranian opposition groups while negotiations continued, as did Western and Israeli covert actions such as Stuxnet, sabotage and assassinations of key Iranian nuclear scientists in order to harass Iran's progress towards an indigenous nuclear weapon. It is a war that will lead to bigger wars, and rumors of wars.

And we now know that Iran had a three-rail track to nuclear capability: it's indigenous overt nuclear sites, its indigenous covert nuclear sites and its covert sites in North Korea which have produced one or more working nuclear weapon designs which have been tested three times: October 2006, May 2009 and most recently in February 2013. And in all of this the issue of Iranian medium, intermediate and intercontinental ballistic advancement has never been addressed in parallel with the nuclear weapons issue.

And that brings me back to Jeremiah 49:34-39. Iran already has the arrows upon which to place their arrowheads, but it is the bow which fires the arrow that is the initial and critical subject matter of Jeremiah's five verse prophecy. I don't know with any specificity how it will happen, but God is going to break Iran's bow before it can fire an arrow. I believe that appointed time is upon us. That's all there is to it.

And then, as a result a likely rapid-fire sequence of of other prophetic events will follow in Lebanon, Syria and Israel, and ultimately Psalm 83 and its parallel prophecies. This we know as the "flood" of prophetic fulfillment. Let us meet these events head-on in prayer to our Lord.

2 April 2015: The global corporate media has been awash today with beaming headlines and hundreds of words of text about what came out of Lausanne, Switzerland in the P5+1 negotiation with the Islamic Republic of Iran. What came out of the negotiations is known by the acronym JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action).

Yet in all of the hundreds of words of corporate media text applied to this so-called "framework" agreement, which is to pave the way to a final agreement in June we are assured, there is not one sentence pointing out a single article of negotiated agreement between the P5+1 and Iran. That means the key points within this "framework" are made of nothing more substantial than what any good diplomat would describe as a pasture fresh cow-pie, and that I will describe as a catalyst for biblical prophetic fulfillment.

However, there is one statement within the JCPOA which is quite revealing and might be cause for a show-stopper military preemption. That statement acknowledges that as of today Iran's timeline to breakout with enough fissile HEU for the production of their first home-made nuclear weapon is 2 to 3 months. Therefore, Iran could construct its first home-made nuclear weapon before the claimed final agreement is achieved in June. I have little doubt that Israel has been fully aware of this now publicly revealed fact for some time.

1 April 2015: Here below is the text of what I believe is PM Bibi Netanyahu's final call to the international community regarding the Iranian nuclear program. This call was an official statement made inside the Prime Minister's Office.

"Yesterday an Iranian general brazenly declared and I quote: 'Israel's destruction is non-negotiable', but evidently giving Iran's murderous regime a clear path to the bomb is negotiable. This is unconscionable. I agree with those who have said that Iran's claim that its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes doesn't square with Iran's insistence on keeping underground nuclear facilities, advanced centrifuges and a heavy water reactor. Nor does it square with Iran's insistence on developing ICBMs and its refusal to come clean with the IAEA on its past weaponization efforts. At the same time, Iran is accelerating its campaign of terror, subjugation and conquest throughout the region, most recently in Yemen.

The concessions offered to Iran in Lausanne would ensure a bad deal that would endanger Israel, the Middle East and the peace of the world. Now is the time for the international community to insist on a better deal. A better deal would significantly roll back Iran's nuclear infrastructure. A better deal would link the eventual lifting of the restrictions on Iran's nuclear program to a change in Iran's behavior. Iran must stop its aggression in the region, stop its terrorism throughout the world and stop its threats to annihilate Israel. That should be non-negotiable and that's the deal that the world powers must insist upon. Thank you."

Now we will all wait for what I believe will be a relatively brief interval of time for the international community to act. Failing that, I believe the military option will be the next order of business because Israel's continued existence is non-negotiable.

Sean Osbornehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-29233735606378703452015-05-01T06:30:00.000-04:002015-05-01T06:45:36.016-04:00Iran Hijacks by Armed Force Merchant Vessel Maersk Tigris

UPDATE 1 May 2015: U.S. National Military Command Authority has directed that all United States-flagged ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz will be escorted by elements of the U.S. 5th Fleet. This directive is immediate and of indefinite duration. As of 06:30 Zulu (GMT) this morning the Maersk Tigris remains at anchor in the same position indicated on the map above. It's unlawful seizure on the high seas indicates an inherent weakness within the Iranian regime. 72 hours after the seizure of Maersk Tigris and the view appears to be that Iran has both overreached its military capabilities and bitten off more than it can chew. As a result Iran is strategically and literally situated between Iraq and a hard place. It can either opt for open hostilities or remain pinned in its corner.

29 April 2015: I have created the above map from maritime tracking data which was current as of 5 hours ago (2:45 PM EDT). This track shows the Maersk Tigris was just emerging from the inbound shipping channel of the Strait of Hormuz, and was heading for its next port call at Jebel Ali, UAE when IRGC Naval forces intercepted, fired upon, hijacked on the high seas and then forced the ship's captain to take a northerly course out of Omani territorial waters and into Iranian territorial waters. This ship is now at anchor just off the eastern end of Qeshm Island, and due south of port Bandar Abbas. This action is nothing less than armed piracy on the high seas.

28 April 2015: In the Persian Gulf Strait of Hormuz IRGC Navy forces have fired upon and attempted to seize the MV Maersk Tigris, a 52,000-ton merchant vessel operating under the Marshall Islands flag. Pentagon sources say there are no US citizens on board the vessel. IRGC Naval forces are reportedly attempting to take the merchant vessel into port Bandar Abbas, the home port of IRGC naval forces.

US aircraft and the guided missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG-99) are in the process of responding the MV Maersk Tigris distress calls. As of 11:35 EDT (18 minutes) ago a maritime website reported that the Maersk Tigris had suddenly changed course in the direction of port Jebel Ali in the UAE. It is also reported that armed IRGC naval personnel might be onboard the Maersk Tigris.

Sean Osbornehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-61860755259404404172015-04-27T21:00:00.000-04:002015-04-27T21:00:50.362-04:00Global SITREP C3-15: Israel Commences Air Offensive Against Syrian and Hezbollah forces in Syria

Israel Air Force F-16I Sufa

Update 27 April 2015: Most media in Israel are accurately reporting the additional airstrikes and Hezbollah's feeble attempt at retaliation on the Golan, so there's no need this evening for me to just reiterate what has already been reported. Just be aware that while a larger flare up is possible, Hezbollah is already hard pressed and really feeling the strain of supporting Assad's regime at the present time, especially due to the large combat losses of its soldiers on Syrian soil, and Iranian promises of new equipment and other supplies are easier said than accomplished.

25 April 2015: If you're like me you've been quietly and patiently waiting for the proverbial "other shoe" to drop in the Middle East. This shoe may have dropped overnight and may even be continuing at present according to multiple MidEast news sources from Lebanon to Qatar to Israeli media also. Those media sources report IAF F-16I Sufa (Storm) and F-15I Ra'am (Thunder) strike aircraft pasting targets to include weapons convoys and the Syrian Army's strategic rocket forces of the 155th (Scud-B) and 65th Brigades deployed along the Qalamoun Mountain range which forms a natural barrier along the Lebanese border.

On the above map you can see along the M5 Highway corridor the three specific sites the IAF is reported to have struck. On the north to south axis of the M5 find the Syrian towns of Qara, Yabroud and Qutayfa. If these reports are accurate, and there is no reason to doubt their veracity at this point, once again these strikes demonstrate total the domination of Syrian skies by the Israeli Air Force.

Thus far there is zero evidence of Syrian, Iranian or even Hezbollah antiaircraft missiles or gunfire reported to be opposing these IAF strikes. Back in December there was evidence of enemy anti-aircraft missile fire, possibly the Russian-made Buk-M1, against the IAF strikes, but those missiles flew wildly in the air indicating no effective radar control of the weapons as evidenced by published video (screen capture below) recorded from another IAF aircraft inside Syria.

In this screen capture image a pair of IAF F-15I Ra'am strike aircraft contrails are seen at the lower-left and a pair Buk-M1 missile contrails are seen to the right. What is clearly also seen is that the IAF aircraft reversed their direction and the Buk-M1's continued on their harmless flight away from the Israel aircraft.

Updates as they occur.

Sean Osbornehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-420286899805242522015-04-23T05:00:00.000-04:002015-04-23T18:50:26.873-04:00Global SITREP C2-15: Is the Saudi-Iran War in Yemen a Prelude to Something Bigger?

USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71, A/K/A "BigStick"

Update 23 April 2015: The Iranian Naval convoy led by the frigate Alborz (UK-made Vosper Mark V class frigate) arrived yesterday off the southern coast of Yemen. As the lead ship in the Iranian flotilla in the Strait of Bab-al-Mandab war zone, the Alborz is hopelessly out-classed by the immensely larger and more capable American, Saudi and Egyptian naval ships in the area.

Yet even this tremendously lopsided tactical situation has no guarantee of failure for the Iranian attempt to deliver more potent weaponry to its Houthi proxy warriors led by IRGC officers in Yemen.

Remember that the now exiled government of Yemen was a strong counter-terrorist ally of the U.S. for many years in the war against Al Qaeda and its Yemeni branch AQAP. And remember the even more recent and shameful events that occurred concurrently while Obama was capitulating to Iranian demands in the allegedly critical P5+1 talks in Lausanne, Switzerland to achieve the framework for the final deal.

In a memory refresh, recall that Obama summarily abandoned our Yemeni ally with a flip of his limp wrist; he abandoned the sovereign ground of the American Embassy in Sana'a, and then followed these acts of cowardice up by ordering the elite warriors of the U.S. Special Forces in Yemen to first stand down and then to abandon their weapons and retreat southwards across the Red Sea into Djibouti. For the existential enemy in the Islamic Republic of Iran and a non-starter nuclear agreement that has already been rendered moot, President Barack Hussein Obama did all of this. This is what you should be mindful off in the coming days. This is Obama's legacy; he built this.

Update 6:45 PM: The media reports stating that the Iranian ships turned around because they realized that US ships were tacking them is pure, unadultered Obama Administration cow pie. The Iranian's turned back to the north not because they feared the assembled fire power of US naval forces, but rather they realized they were no match for the Saudi and Egyptian ships with which they would have to do the dance of death if they tried to offload weapons to the Houthis. This is where Iran finally realized the limitations of its capability in raw military power projection, and they were summarily defeated by the Sunni Arab Navalforces without a single shot being fired. This is big.
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20 April 2015: Reportedly an Iranian naval convoy of seven to nine vessels is carrying weapons destined for Shi'a Houthi rebels in Yemen. This Iranian naval convoy is about to sail head-on into an allied naval picket line anchored by the USS Roosevelt, a/k/a "Big Stick," and its carrier strike group of a cruiser and three destroyers which are operating under the authority of a unanimous United Nations Security Council resolution to prevent any arms from reaching the rebels.

The immediate mission of the "Big Stick" and its strike group is to board, inspect and otherwise prevent the delivery of the weapons. It is doubtful the Iranian ships will comply, leaving open the possibility of an armed confrontation in the Arabian Sea. Such a confrontation carries the inherent risk of war that could quickly spread into the Persian Gulf and anywhere else US and Iranian forces are in close proximity to each other.

The leading question I am currently entertaining is if the now four-week old war being fought by the Saudi-led Arab coalition against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, now very much buttressed by the awesome firepower of US and other allied forces mustered in the Arabian Sea, might not soon find themselves in an all-out war with Iran. Jeremiah 40:34-39 comes immediately to mind as I ponder this possibility. We shall soon see.

Sean Osbornehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-6707011375835219892015-04-16T18:30:00.000-04:002015-04-16T18:33:37.719-04:00Global SITREP C1-15: Brinksmanship as Russia and NATO Edge Closer to Conflict

American RC-135U 'Rivet Joint' ELINT Reconnaissance Aircraft

Update 16 April 2015: The commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific (PACOM), Admiral Samuel Locklear, testified before the House Armed Services Committee yesterday that Russia has returned its conventional and nuclear forces to the same posture against the United Sates of America as they maintained during the so-called Cold War.

What that means in layman's terms is that Russia could launch into a nuclear war against the United States with very little advance warning. In this type of a posture any one of the simulated long-range nuclear cruise missile attacks by Tu-95 Bear bombers or fully modernized Tu-160 Blackjack supersonic bombers flown in the immediate future against targets on the US east and west coasts could turn out to be the real thing.

In the face of Obama Administration defense cuts (Obama's new found flexibility, no doubt) the ability of the US defenses are suspect at best. Admiral Locklear testified to a most distressing litany of capability shortcomings and problem areas in US military readiness to include: antisubmarine warfare, surveillance and reconnaissance, space systems, battle management, command and control (C2) as well as cyber-warfare, anti-air and anti-missile defenses, aircraft, airlift and fuel.

Details, once again, come from Bill Gertz' Inside The Ring column at The Washington Times.

12 April 2015: It has been revealed by Bill Gertz via the Washington Free Beacon that during the morning of this past Tuesday, 7 April, a Russian Su-27 Flanker intercepted and nearly caused a mid-air collision with an American RC-135 'Rivet Joint' Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) reconnaissance and collections aircraft, code named "Combat Sent," which was flying its mission in international airspace over the Baltic Sea.

The Russian fighter missed striking the American aircraft by a mere 20 feet in what U.S. officials protested as "unsafe and unprofessional" conduct by the Russian pilot. Gertz suggests that the mission was directly related to ELINT intelligence collection to confirm Russia's recent deployment of short-range Iskander nuclear-capable missiles to Kaliningrad and recently annexed Crimea.

The Gertz article also reveals:

"A report by the European Leadership Network, "Dangerous Brinksmanship: Close Military Encounters Between Russia and the West in 2014," states that last year NATO aircraft conducted more than 100 intercepts of Russian aircraft, three times the number of intercepts in 2013. A total of 11 encounters were described as being of a serious and "more aggressive or unusually provocative nature, bringing a higher level risk of escalation."

"These include harassment of reconnaissance planes, close overflights over warships, and Russian 'mock bombing raid' missions," the report said, noting that the intensity and gravity of the incidents coincided with the Russian annexation of Crimea.

"These events add up to a highly disturbing picture of violations of national airspace, emergency scrambles, narrowly avoided mid-air collisions, close encounters at sea, simulated attack runs, and other dangerous actions happening on a regular basis over a very wide geographical area.""

The continuing litany of Russian military provocations and near-miss incidents in the past several months on land, in the sea or air reads like the opening chapters of a military science novel written by the late author Tom Clancy. The critical difference here is that none of these incidents are fictional with a larger-than-life hero rushing in to save the day.

Any one of these types of calculated incidents could result in an miscalculated and unforeseen error involving nuclear-armed opposing forces. Not everything that has occurred in world history has an associated Bible prophecy; World War II and the 44-year long Cold War (World War III) being the recent prime examples. However, these wars and current events most assuredly do serve to shape the real-world that will exist as Bible prophecies come to their fulfillment.

This is the meaning I take from the angel Gabriel's explaining to the prophet Daniel the future course of events, wherein he stated in the 70 Weeks prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27

"The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined."

Ongoing Russian military provocations may just be ramping up toward yet another desolation of war while most of us are preoccupied with our daily lives. This is the specific purpose of the Eschatology Today blog in observing "current world events seen through the clarifying lens of the LORD's inerrant prophetic word."
Sean Osbornehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-82619444917204741662015-04-10T20:00:00.000-04:002015-04-10T20:07:26.924-04:00Global SITREP B6-15: Gog of Magog On The Move

Update 10 April 2015:  Just a quick update here to note some new odds and ends relative to this SITREP. There have been widespread rumors among ethnic Russian rebels of eastern Ukraine of an offensive being planned by Russian forces. The alleged time frame is between 12 April and 9 May. This is quite interesting due to the fact that Russian forces have also been on-the-move "exercising" in Transnistria, the strip of land wedged between the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine which is populated primarily by ethnic Russians. There would need to be a land bridge across southern Ukraine for Russia to have geographic continuity with Transnistria. A Russian military move here would become a catalyst for Moldova's reunification with NATO member Romania, or full integration as an independent republic into the European Union, or both.

Regarding the original portion of this SITREP posted on 7 March and the mention of South Ossetia (purple area in map above), it has come to my attention that Russia has basically annexed South Ossetia through the vehicle of the "Treaty of Alliance and Integration" between the Russian Federation and South Ossetia. This treaty allows Russia to "absorb" South Ossetia which it conquered from the Republic of Georgia in August 2008. The green area in the map above is Abkhazia, and it was annexed by Russia on 23 January. This is worth mentioning because, as mentioned in other Eschatology Today posts, this entire region is directly related to the prophecy of Ezekiel 38/39. It's probably just a matter of time before Russia twists the dagger it now has pointed directly at Georgia's capital Tbilisi.

During 2014 Denmark scrambled its F-16s nearly 60 times in defense against incoming Russian strike aircraft. That's an average of 5 simulated nuclear attacks per month for an entire year in which Americans were preoccupied with the Obama Administration's instigated racism in our nations heartland. Let us not be distracted from this threat any further.

2 April 2015: Due to the inherent weakness demonstrated U.S. President Barack Obama in a leadership position within NATO (i.e. his post-election "flexibility" no doubt), Russia is directly threatening nuclear war over is annexation of Crimea, and says the same condition (threat of nuclear war) applies to its claim over NATO member states in the Baltic region: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Here is the latest report from The Independent in the UK.

Gog of Magog continues to move in the direction from which the LORD God will place hooks in his jaws to turn him around and draw him to destruction on the mountains of Israel as foretold by the prophet Ezekiel, chapters 38 and 39.

22 March 2015: Ezekiel 38/39 foretells of Gog of Magog being turned around by Divine hooks to launch an invasion southwards against Israel. It's looking more and more likely that the direction in which Magog's military forces will be turned away from are the Baltic states, northern NATO, the northern tier of the European Union.

Mikhail Vanin is allegedly a Russian diplomat, the Russian Ambassador to Denmark. He recently informed that small Baltic nation that Russian nuclear weapons will be turned against it if Denmark participates in NATO defensive missile shield. Do you understand this? A Russian diplomat has publicly announced through the Danish Jyllands-Posten newspaper the threat of nuclear blackmail against the peaceful Danish people should its government mount a defense against blatant Russian military aggression.

This is peaceful diplomacy of the modern Russia? No, this is warmongering by a totalitarian state against all of the nations along its entire periphery in the Baltic Sea region. Denmark, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden. Of these eight Baltic states only Sweden is not part of NATO, but it is a part of the European Union. Russian cannot threaten one of these nations with nuclear war and not threaten all of them. And all of them are American allies. 2016 cannot come soon enough.

1800 15 March 2015: An update I posted to Eschatology Today just over one year ago was confirmed via a BBC report posted one hour ago. In the single paragraph update of 5 March 2014 for "Ukraine Invasion Update: Russian Disposition of Forces with a Nuclear Threat!" I wrote:

"The nuclear warfare message from Russia last night was clear as a bell. It is a message that Vladimir Putin delivered with the launch of a Cold War era, road mobile RT-2PM 'Topol' (NATO Name: SS-25 'Sickle') ICBM. This ICBM is normally armed with a single 550kT nuclear warhead and multiple decoy warheads. Russian Strategic Rocket Forces launched the SS-25 (image below) from their Kapustin Yar site on the Volga River, some 280 miles east of the Ukrainian border, towards a target that was successfully impacted 1,230 miles distant at the Saryshaghan range in eastern Kazakhstan. On a reciprocal bearing this SS-25 would have made impact in the heart of Poland or one of the other newer member NATO nations in Eastern Europe. The message from Putin to the West: Is Ukraine worth fighting a nuclear war over?"
The BBC report was a follow-up on the Russian government documentary that aired today in which Vladimir Putin confirms he placed Russia's nuclear forces on alert as an unmistakeable threat to the US and the NATO alliance over Russian aggression in Crimea and Ukraine. The launch, trajectory and impact point of the SS-25 'Sickle' warhead at that time prove the validity of what was written here about the quickly forgotten threat.

That Russia would air this particular program with such a blatant admission while Putin is in the midst of a 10-day Missing-In-Action stunt is not lost on this observer because the nuclear threat to the U.S. and NATO remains. Let this current situation be a warning to Israel regarding the Iranian nuclear threat which cannot be allowed to mature further. Fair warning.

0500 15 March 2015: With rumors running amok for the past week, it is now obvious that something unusual is definitely going in inside the Kremlin. Following days of incessant and increasing rumor mongering originating within Russian Federation websites, an official denial came from Alexi Mukhin, Director of the Center for Political Information, regarding the rumored "incapacitation" Vladimir Putin on Friday 13, March. However, along with that denial from Director Mukhin a request for the heads of major media to stay close to Moscow in preparation for a major public announcement was also made, and which was followed thereafter by some rather cryptic statements he made to Pravda.ru about Putin's peerless leadership status within the Russian Federation.

Such cloak-and-dagger style goings on hasn't been seen in Russia since the days just prior to the collapse and dissolving of the Soviet Union almost 24 years ago. Following the very public assassination of Putin critic Boris Nemtsov word leaked from Kremlin sources of a "hit list" of major Russian political, business and media players. Vladimir Putin's own going to ground this past week could well be related to the targeted assassinations. So we wait for the major public announcement from the Russian President.

7 March 2015: The Russian Federation has launched large-scale war games throughout its Southern Military District (image above) plus Russia's newly annexed territory of Crimea, as well as its bases in Abkhazia and South Ossetia (formerly the western and northern districts of the Republic of Georgia), and in Armenia. These military forces consist of two entire land armies, large numbers of Special Forces (Spetsnaz), four brigades of paratroops, a Marine brigade plus several independent Marine battalions, the entire Black Sea Fleet and the 4th Air/Air Defense Forces Command.

These war games are an unambiguous message to NATO and Israel about Russian military forces preparedness to engage in full-scale war at a moments notice. Reinforcing this message is the Russian Defense Ministry announcement of these war games continuing over the course of the next month, which not so coincidentally happens to overlap with the time remaining for the P5+1 nuclear negotiations with Iran to reach an agreement. Also not coincidentally is the geographic fact that the large swath of territory that is the Russia's Southern Military District is directly north and contiguous with the Iranian border. Most important from the biblical eschatological perspective is that this territory fully encompasses the northern territories identified in the prophecy of Ezekiel 38/39.

Related to this is news from the Ukrainian government that Russia is using the current ceasefire not to withdraw its troops from eastern Ukraine, but to instead rotate them with fresh troops from Russia. The Ukrainian government estimates there are now a minimum of 18,000 Russian troops on Ukrainian soil in Donetsk and Luhansk provinces. Gog of Magog is clearly on the move with his military forces.

Updates as they occur.
Sean Osbornehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-73222146195885483732015-04-05T08:22:00.000-04:002015-04-06T06:26:06.282-04:00Global SITREP B10-15: Parah Adumah in Howell, NJ (A Red Heifer)

5 April 2015: Lakewood, New Jersey is well known as having a very large Jewish community and the Beth Medrash Govoha (BMG), a Haredi Yeshiva founded five years prior to the creation of the State of Israel. With a student population of 6,500 students the BMG is one of the largest Haredi Yeshiva outside of Israel, if not the largest.

As reported by a local newspaper, The Lakewood Scoop, just three months ago, 11 January 2015, a group of the Rabbis from the BMG were called to a farm in nearby Howell, NJ that is run by a Jewish businessman named Herb Celler, the son of Auschwitz survivors, to investigate the possibility that a pure Parah Adumah - Red Heifer - is present on the farm (image above). Upon concluding their close inspection of the red heifer the now extremely impressed and excited Rabbonim sent word via eleven high definition photographs to their brethren in Eretz Israel.

As most of the Bride of Christ has come to be informed over the years, the Haredi expectations of the appearance of a pure Red Heifer has become eschatologically important to us as well. A living, unblemished (kosher) red heifer within just a very few miles drive of where I live in New Jersey, is almost inexpressible, but I'll try.

For Haredi Jews ever since the restoration of all Jerusalem, the site of the Temple Mount, to the state of Israel in June 1967, there has existed the expectation of the appearance of a pure Parah Adumah is a sure sign to them of the coming of the Moshiach and the rebuilding of the 3rd Temple. For us this red heifer represents a clear signal of the nearness of a specific God-breathed purification rite (in the above linked Numbers 19) for the construction of the 3rd Temple which is a real-world indicator concerning the imminent nearness for fulfillment of the angel Gabriel's prophecy regarding the 70th Week. Talk about chills going up and down one's spine and hairs standing on end! A truly incredible sight is this red cow!

By the way, Mr. Celler turned down an offer that came out of New York of one million dollars for this cow. He said this cow is not for sale and he is sending this gift from God to Israel as a gift.

Now, just to make sure everyone who reads this understands the issue clearly, here is the GotQuestionsDotOrg entry on this subject:

Question: "What is the significance of a red heifer in the Bible? Is a red heifer a sign of the end times?"

Answer: According to the Bible, the red heifer—a reddish-brown cow, probably no more than two years old which had never had a yoke on it—was to be sacrificed as part of the purification rites of the Mosaic Law. The slaughtering of a red heifer was a ceremonial ritual in the Old Testament sacrificial system, as described in Numbers 19:1-10. The purpose of the red heifer sacrifice was to provide for the water of cleansing (Numbers 19:9), another term for purification from sin. After the red heifer was sacrificed, her blood was sprinkled at the door of the tabernacle.

The imagery of the blood of the heifer without blemish being sacrificed and its blood cleansing from sin is a foreshadowing of the blood of Christ shed on the cross for believers' sin. He was "without blemish" just as the red heifer was to be. As the heifer was sacrificed "outside the camp" (Numbers 19:3), in the same way Jesus was crucified outside of Jerusalem: "And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood" (Hebrews 13:11-12).

The Bible does teach that one day there will be again be a temple of God in Jerusalem (Ezekiel chapters 41-45). Jesus prophesied that the antichrist would desecrate the temple (Matthew 24:15), and for that to occur, there obviously would have to be a temple in Jerusalem once again. Many anticipate the birth of a red heifer because in order for a new temple to function according to the Old Testament law, a red heifer would have to be sacrificed for the water of cleansing used in the temple. So, when a red heifer is born (which is quite unusual) it might be a sign that the temple will soon be rebuilt.

Yes, this red heifer born and raised on Herb Celler's farm in Howell, NJ was declared kosher by Haredi Rabbonim on 2 April 2015, the second birthday of this unblemished red heifer. Rabbi's are now coming from Israel to see her.

Sean Osbornehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-79526654695173363192015-04-05T06:00:00.000-04:002015-04-05T06:19:11.391-04:00He Is Risen!!!

5 April 2015 - 16 Nissan 5775: He is Risen and is Very Soon to Come Again!!!

"And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn."  - Zechariah 12:10

Sean Osbornehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-88940786186314887322015-03-30T18:30:00.000-04:002015-04-10T06:45:05.438-04:00Global SITREP B5-15: More on Jeremiah 49:34-39

Final Update 30 March 2015: At least I hope this will be the final update to this SITREP. However, it may be the most important. It has been my assessment for many years that Iran has at least one, possibly more, working nuclear weapons. I also have always maintained that North Korean nuclear tests have been de facto Iranian nuclear tests.

Now comes information posted today from a respected military intelligence report which suggests exactly that, but with a twist. De facto Iranian nuclear tests have occurred in North Korea, and so is their assembly and storage site located in North Korea. According to the mil intel report two and a half years ago (October 2012) Iran began stationing IRGC troops and technicians at a base in North Korea and very near the Chinese border. Their dual purpose is to work on missiles and nuclear weapons assembly. This deployment followed by one month the signing of a technical cooperation pact between the DPRK and Iran.

With the reported key detail of the framework agreement (scheduled to be announced tomorrow) between the P5+1 and Iran holding that there is the "safeguard" of a one-year warning to a breakaway effort by Iran to produce a nuclear weapon by IAEA monitoring of Iran's centrifuges in Iran, what good does that do if Iran's military nuclear effort is based in North Korea, and in nuclear terms, a "stone's throw" from the Chinese border?

Not only is the alleged P5+1-Iran agreement worse than anyone, including Bibi Netanyahu, believed just 4 weeks ago, but it's essentially a mega-farce in continuing parade of mega-farces. Warm and fuzzies for everyone!

21 March 2015: Are there any indications within Bible prophecy of a nuclear-armed Iran? If you find one please let me know immediately. Until that time, and excepting only Ezekiel 38/39, the only 'last days' prophecy there is regarding Iran is the subject of this and numerous other posts to Eschatology Today: Jeremiah 49:34-39. The prophecy is about a very violent preemptive military neutering of Iran, and a conflict in which Iran's enemies end up subduing the regime to its complete destruction. And it all begins in that part of modern-day Iran where its nuclear infrastructure in concentrated. Historically, biblical Elam had ceased to exist as a nation over five hundred years prior to Jeremiah receiving this prophecy from God circa 600 BC. This leave no doubt that Jeremiah's prophecy is one whose fulfillment was appointed for these 'last days.'

It should therefore come as no surprise to any student of Bible prophecy that the much heralded P5+1 (EU/E3+3) nuclear negotiations with Iran are on the verge of collapse just days prior to the March 31 deadline. The collapse is due as much to the Iranian regime's rejection of the conditions being imposed by the P5+1 as it is due to the European partners rejection of major aspects of the "deal" negotiated by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. The long and the short of these negotiations are that the Iranian regime has played both Obama and Kerry as fools, and which is something the European partners want no part of such absurdity as they know all too well the end result of baseless negotiations with a totalitarian dictatorship bent on imposing their ideology upon the rest of the world.

So, what we're left with is our faith in the prophetic word of God and knowing that its fulfillment is near. Very near indeed.

11 March 2015: Did anyone notice how Iran responded by PM Netanyahu's speech to the U.S. Congress? I am absolutely certain some of you did notice. For those that did not, and for those who don't fully grasp the significance of the Iranian response, this update is for you!

Exactly one week after PM Netanyahu's speech the Iranian Assembly of Experts elected the notorious Hojjatieh Twelver Ayatollah Mohammed-Taqi Mesbah Yazdi. Ayatollah Yazdi is the Iranian cleric who brought Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power in Iran. Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi managed to fall off, or was deliberately and politically knocked off of the top echelon of the clerical elite in Iran during 2013. A ruse during nuclear negotiations, no doubt. He was then summarily dismissed by most intelligence agencies as having little or no influence in any future decision to replace Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

Here is an example of that type of intelligence dismissal of Ayatollah Yazdi that was published by Israel's Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center on July 8, 2013:

"The erosion of Mesbah Yazdi's status may be temporary and it is quite implausible that he will lose all of his political and religious influence. It may, however, undermine his ability to play a central, influential role in future political struggles, particularly the succession struggle that will likely emerge after the death of the current Supreme Leader."

The Israeli's could not possibly have forecast a more erroneous intelligence assessment, as he was down but by no means out of the picture. Particularly the big picture which will remain in flux until early 2016.

A re-assessment on exactly what is going on within Iran's powerful 86-member Assembly of Experts is in progress. At present it appears as if Ayatollah Mohammed Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi (80), and Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati have jointly managed to get a majority of votes to elect the similarly named Ayatollah Mohammed Yazdi (83) to the leadership position and send the body as a whole on a lurch to the stridently fundamentalist side of Iranian politics. It remains to be seen who may yet become the next Supreme leader of Iran.

6 March 2005: As even the main stream media in the Middle East is now acknowledging, the specific content and context of PM Netanyahu's speech to the U.S. Congress has received open and unambiguous approval and support from the Saudi Arabian government, proving what I wrote recently of the military cooperation between them in the ongoing planning for a strike against Iranian nuclear targets is nothing less than a cold hard fact.

So incensed are the Saudi's with Obama's Iranian agenda that one Saudi newspaper columnist said Obama was the worst US President in history; another citing Netanyahu's axiom that when it comes to Iran and the Islamic State, "the enemy of your enemy is your enemy" had particular resonance in the government halls of Riyadh. The Saudi's are keenly aware of Iranian encirclement of their kingdom - from across the waters of the gulf to Yemen in the south where Shi'a Houthi rebels have taken control of the county with Iranian direct support.

5 March 2015: With real-world events having once again fixed our gaze and our diligent study upon the prophecy of Jeremiah (Yirme'Yahu) 49:34-39. Through continuing study the Lord has continued to reveal new insights that I feel I would be remiss as a watchman to omit from mentioning.

Many are fearful to the point of hand-wringing angst that should additional sanctions be applied or Iranian nuclear sites be attacked by outside forces one of the first things Iran would do in response would be to militarily shut down the Strait of Hormuz to the flow of global commerce, especially crude oil.

Here's where reading Jeremiah 49:34-39 causes one to look critically at what the Lord has foretold. Specifically, how could the Islamic Republic follow through on its often repeated threat to close down the Strait of Hormuz given what our Omnipotent God has declared through His prophet?

How does Iran shut down this critical waterway when God has destroyed the crown jewel of Iranian military power? How does the uber braggadocian Iranian regime make good on its threats when God has caused them to be chathath (to be shattered, dismayed, broken) before their enemies? Notice carefully that there is more than one enemy in the context here. Through Jeremiah the Lord has promised "I will send the sword after them, til I have consumed them."

The world which has no regard for and no interest in the prophetic declarations of the God of Israel spends its time worrying, and fretting, and fearing that which ought not be. That kind of activity has no place here. Unlike others who worry needlessly and express fear over things they have no control over, Christians empowered by the Holy Spirit are in an automatic "In God We Trust" mode day in and day out.

Sean Osbornehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-1967965571985249072015-03-29T11:00:00.000-04:002015-03-29T19:15:02.957-04:00Global SITREP B8-15: Saudi-Iran War Moving Into Yemen; Rise of the 'king of the South"

UPDATE 29 March 2015: It has taken American and western mainstream corporate media three days to begin reporting on this overt military confrontation between a coalition of 10 Sunni Arab nations and Iran on the Yemeni battlefield.

Better late than never, but be alert for disinformation nestled in alongside facts. The corporate MSM are suddenly reporting this coalition came to be on this date, mostly likely to cover their backsides in giving it little attention under direction of the Obama Administration media handlers because it did not fit neatly with the narrative of Yemen being an Obama Administration pro-Iran success story and achievement in the Arab world.

The fact of the matter is this military coalition commenced offensive operations on its own tactical volition at midnight in Yemen 72 hours ago, and only today did the Arab League place its official stamp of approval on the creation of a joint military force to oppose Iran in Yemen, and, also the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, as well as operations against enemies in Libya. Within the next 30 days the Arab League will approve a budget, the location and staffing of the military headquarters as well as the specific command and control (C2) mechanisms for the joint military force.

There is every indication at this point that this Sunni Arab joint force will become a permanent internal structure of the Arab League, with participation of member states being voluntary depending on the location of the circumstance requiring a military solution. Also of interest to us is the fact that among the several executive actions taken at this Arab League summit there was only a one-year budget approved for supporting the Palestinian Authority.

With respect to Bible prophecy, I believe we are watching the fulfillment of the prophecy given to us in the 11th chapter of Daniel (Daniel 11:40-43) by the angel Gabriel regarding the last days "king of the South." The Arab League summit which created this institution was held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Also, take a special note of the participation of Sudan in this coalition. The country has long been an ally of the Islamic Republic of Iran even though it is overwhelmingly a Sunni Muslim country.

Additionally, the government of Turkey, not a member of the Arab League, has taken sides with the Sunni military coalition against Iran. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said he has grown tired of Iran's efforts to dominate the Middle East. Erdogan is supposed to have a scheduled state visit to Tehran within the next couple of days. Erdogan is expected to press the Iranian government to "withdraw its support and whatever forces it has in Yemen, Syria and Iraq and to respect their territorial integrity."

On the battlefield itself, Saudi Arabian air and ground forces have reportedly annihilated a Houthi column of light armor and troops that was approaching the Saudi border. Just as with the battle against the Islamic State, the inclusion of boots fighting on the ground in Yemen will be essential. A high-priority target for the coalition air forces will be the destruction of Scud-B and North Korean-made No Dong ballistic missiles and MiG-29 aircraft delivered by Russia which are capable of striking Mecca.

Special Note:
Brothers and Sisters, I would ask you to look long and hard at how blazingly fast these 10 Sunni nations - from Morocco to Pakistan - came together with their military forces to directly challenge the Iran-backed Houthi Shi'a militia in Yemen.

And Israel they leave alone?!?!

In fact, it appears as if they are counting on Israel to take the fight directly into Iran. I am now seriously wondering: Will this be the "coalition of nations" I wrote about beginning in September 2010 that could fulfill the prophecy of Jeremiah 49:34-39?

To that notion I am adding the links below to previous Eschatology Today posts in order to tie all of this together in one neat package for future reference should this coalition of nations turn its attention and arrayed swords towards the preemption of Iranian nuclear hegemony.

Global SITREP B5-15: More on Jeremiah 49:34-39

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

27 March 2015: The direct Saudi-GCC-Egyptian military intervention in Yemen has a name: Operation Decisive Storm. A total of 10 Sunni Arab nations have committed their military assets to restoring the rightful government of President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power in Sana'a. This military coalition includes Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Morocco, Sudan, Egypt and Pakistan, and the military objective is to destroy the Iranian-supplied Houthi rebels and their allies.
Over 185 fighter aircraft took part in the first large strike against enemy forces at a range of targets across Yemen yesterday. Saudi, Egyptian, Sudanese and Pakistani troops are being mobilized for land combat operations in Yemen. Russia and Iran are consulting and coordinating their response to the Sunni military coalition's intervention. Saudi Arabia and it's allied air forces have declared a "no fly zone" around the whole of Yemen.

25 March 2015: The Sunni Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is well on its way to a full-scale military intervention against the Iranian-supplied proxy army of Houthis (Za'idi Shi'a) before it can reach what may be the last redoubt of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in the coastal capital of Aden. President Hadi had become a close American ally in the war against AQAP terrorists until his sudden and unexplained abandonment by the Obama Administration.

While President Hadi's pleas for military assistance fell upon deaf ears in the Iranian-born, Valerie Jarrett-dominated Oval Office in Washington, D.C., this was not the case in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. King Salman bin Abdulaziz has ordered the heaviest of the kingdom's artillery and mechanized infantry brigades to pre-invasion assembly points along the Saudi-Yemeni border which lies adjacent to the traditional Houthis homelands in northern Yemen.

It appears to this observer that the de facto retreat of American forces, including our elite Special Forces, from Yemen constitutes prima facie evidence of the Obama Administration's capitulation to Iranian demands within the larger framework of their ongoing nuclear capitulations, thereby advancing and enhancing Iran's regional hegemony over Saudi Arabia and the other Sunni kingdoms and emirates of the Arabian Peninsula.

Valerie Jarrett and Barack Obama have also apparently erased any White House memory of what occurred to the U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG-67) on 12 October 2000 at anchor off port Aden, Yemen in what was the first overt strike against U.S. military forces and the American people by the terrorists of Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda, and the government of Sudan, which killed 17 sailors and wounded another 39.

Sean Osbornehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-61915954547953354472015-03-17T17:06:00.000-04:002015-03-19T17:24:18.664-04:00Global SITREP B7-15: Israel's Electorate Gives a Resounding Win to Likud and Bibi; A Resounding Defeat for Obama and his V15!

17 March 2015: Exit polling data is now clearly showing that Likud led by Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has achieved an substantial electoral victory by what may turn out to be a 9, 10 or more seat margin once today's ballots cast by conservatives, religious parties and the IDF are tallied in full. It does appear just one hour after Israeli polls closed that the blatant interference run in Israel's national election by Barack Obama, the U.S. State Department and their Victory 15 (V15) operatives has fully backfired and cost the leftist Labor and Hatnua coalition any chance of electoral success.

18 March 2015: With about 99% of the ballots now counted Likud has attained a 6 seat majority, 30 seats total, over the Zionist Union in the election for the 20th Knesset. Welcome Back Bibi! The conservative, nationalist and religious block led by Likud will easily attain the required 61 seats in the 120 seat Knesset.

I would like to be very clear: This electoral victory was not a miracle, not by any means. This electoral victory was the manifest will of God Almighty!

So, with the election over and a nationalist-religious coalition arranging itself to assume power, what's next for Bibi Netanyahu? Taking stock, Bibi is without question the most important national leader of any free nation in the world since Winston Churchill; he is now the longest-serving Prime Minister in the history of modern Israel, as well as a leader who is obviously as feared by his foreign and domestic enemies as was our own President Ronald Reagan. Most importantly, Bibi Netanyahu is man who has been precisely placed in time and place by the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; he is the first man I have seen in the past six years to directly confront Barack Hussein Obama and tell forcefully him in no uncertain terms a resounding "No!" and then come to the American Congress to explain why his no means no.

So, the question that occurs now is, what is next for Bibi Netanyahu?

I believe that the answer is without question Bibi Netanyahu has been hand-picked by God to lead Israel through the coming prophetic wars in the run-up to Israel's prophetic 70th Week. This is an awesome responsibility and something I believe led Bibi to go to the Western Wall accompanied by his wife Sara in a follow-up to the visit he made at the wall just prior to departing Israel for his speech to the American Congress. We all know what Bibi said in that speech. We all take him at his word, and so should his enemies.

I believe this is a new Bibi Netanyahu, and he will be the Israeli Prime Minister who will not hesitate to direct his generals to confront Israel's existential enemies near and far; he will be the Israeli Prime Minister who says "No!" to the creation of a "Palestinian" state that would be utterly incapable of honoring any commitments to peace, safety and security to the people of Israel.

I believe the Israel that will exist in four years of Bibi Netanyahu's leadership, guided by the hand of God, will far, far surpass the Israel that exists today in ways that will astound the world. If you are an investor, now would be a good time to commence large-scale investments in Israel for the gains to be made are quite literally prophetic. And its all for the glory of God.

One more thing. Pay no heed to Obama or his administration's toadies and lackeys, nor the Arab League emir Elaraby and other thoroughly deluded Muslims. The statements regarding "no sovereign Palestinian state" in the West Bank were not idle electioneering slogans designed to draw extra last-minute votes; it was instead the incoming Netanyahu nationalist government's advance statement regarding a new policy. The one-state solution is the only solution because it is the solution God has foreordained through His prophets. Read: Deuteronomy 30:7; Psalm 83; Isaiah 11:14; Ezekiel 28:24-26; Joshua 13; and Ezekiel 38/39.

Sean Osbornehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-34336687317064935532015-03-16T19:29:00.000-04:002015-03-16T19:29:07.180-04:00Terry James OpEd: A True Profile in Courage

 Senator (R-AR) Tom Cotton in Afghanistan, circa 2008-9 as Captain Tom Cotton, United States Army.

16 March 2015: This is an Eschatology Today first. A guest OpEd from the very gifted speaker and outstanding Bible prophecy author, Terry James, on the subject of true courage, leadership, honor, duty that is personified by the new Republican Senator from Arkansas, Thomas Bryant Cotton. Tom Cotton is a man I would one day like to see elected as President of the United States, the sooner the better as far as I am concerned. I also concur 110% with what Terry has to say below.

A True Profile in Courage
Terry James

Normally, I don't like to get overly involved in the specifics of congressional matters. However, these courageous congressmen who are taking the full vitriol of liberal Democrats, mainstream press and liberal, pajama-boy social media types need to know that they are supported in what is perhaps the most dangerous threat the world has faced since the Cuban missile crisis --if Iran gets nuclear weapons and the capability to deliver them (which, they apparently already have).

God is in Control, but He expects us to make His Voice heard, especially in these crucial days involving Israel, I believe.

My own newspaper in Little Rock apparently refuses to print the following opinion piece I sent them, but instead printed many articles in opposition to Tom Cotton's and the others' letters opposing the terrible deal being made with Iran. This, despite Arkansas, in the mid-term elections, demonstrating that it is the most conservative state in the union. Thus, I know the paper has received an overwhelming number of op-ed pieces favoring the courageous senators, but has refused to print them.

We can reach many more than that one newspaper as Christians, as long as we are allowed access to Internet.

Thanks and Blessings,

Terry James

Tom Cotton—Our Very Own Profile in Courage

John F. Kennedy, should he be suddenly allowed amongst the living, would have a tough time recognizing the party he once headed—the—in my view—now perverted party his brother, Ted, left in his wake.

The president who faced down Nikita Khrushchev during the missile crisis of October 1962, would, I'm convinced, be appalled at members in the Democrat Party calling "traitorous" patriots who would oppose America's bitter enemies. That is what Democrats and their leftist, wooly-minded, blogging, sycophants are calling congressional leaders who copied the Iranian terrorist regime on a letter saying those congressmen would not support a go-ahead deal, allowing development of nuclear weapons with the Iranian leadership, blood-vowed to wipe both Israel and the U.S. off the globe.

Arkansas' own newly elected senator, Tom Cotton—the senator who initiated the letter, joined by 46 other congressional members—is being subjected to every invective possible, magnified in its fervor a thousand times over by mainstream news and entertainment media. Cotton and the other patriots are accused of being traitors by exposing President Obama's "bad deal," as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it in his speech to Congress on Tuesday, March 3.

The Democrats doing the name-calling in high-pitched squealing, like the proverbial stuck pig, conveniently forget the likes of Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and John Kerry going to some of the world's worst tyrants, in person, to try to thwart efforts of President George W. Bush. They conveniently forget JFK's own brother, Edward M. Kennedy, back in the days of the Reagan Administration, going to the Soviet Union, in person, to assure then Premiere Yuri Andropov that he and the Democrat leadership would find ways to govern Ronald Reagan and his opposition to the Soviet regime's designs on the rest of the world.

John F. Kennedy, if his most famous literary work was in truth his patriotic thought process manifested, would, I have little doubt, consider for inclusion Senator Tom Cotton in his work Profiles in Courage.

I hope every Arkansan who is in touch with reality (and the fact that we are perhaps the most politically conservative state in the union shows most are in touch with reality) will recognize Tom Cotton and the others who joined him for the courage and wisdom they have shown in the face of political and media hatreds those patriots have only begun to experience.

Sean Osbornehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-855050824240083052015-03-09T11:00:00.000-04:002015-03-10T06:05:00.856-04:00Global SITREP A12-15: It's Happening!!

UPDATE 9 March 2015: Today's update to this SITREP is purely to refute a recent article authored by Leo Hohmann that was published by WorldNetDaily (WND). Hohmann's article claims early on that "WND contacted several prophecy experts and Bible teachers to get their take on this phenomenon." I will now execute this refutation without the obligatory, in-your-face merchandising of agenda-driven, dubitable quality WND literary and DVD productions.

The first refutable point to be made is that Leo Hohmann's article, "Has antichrist ascended to world stage?," is condescending right from the get-go as he characterizes a great many dedicated Christian students, researchers and teachers of Bible prophecy in a most disreputable and diminishing manner. According to Mr. Hohmann these many Spirit-filled and distinctly learned personages of the Bride of Christ are merely "speculating" "prophecy buffs." This characterization evokes the notion that their important work in the Word of God is nothing more than an inconsequential abstract hobby.

The second refutable point is that it has not yet dawned on Mr. Hohmann that none of the prophecy students writing about the sudden ascendancy of the new Greek Prime Minister have said anything of the sort that he is the antichrist, or that he will become the antichrist. What they have said is analogous to, "this is what the Bible says, and this is what I see, so let's keep an eye on this guy to see what happens from this point forward." This is what good watchmen do regarding the prophetic Word of God.

Thirdly, and to the contrary of Mr. Hohmann's non sequitur, none of his inferred "prophecy experts" actually are "prophecy experts." This is primarily due to the simple fact that no such thing exists as a human being "prophecy expert." There are men and women who can quote Biblical chapter and verse, but none of that guarantees a perfection of understanding and application of the proper hermeneutic exegesis. The Holy Spirit is the purveyor of such expertise and none of the "experts cited in Mr Hohmann's article have cornered the Bible prophecy market in this regard.

Fourthly, a brief look at Hohmann's three cited sources. First up is the WND headliner, the ubiquitous "Joel Richardson," a prolific ghost writer of prophetic eisegesis, and whose primary claim to Bible prophecy expertdom is a half-dozen or so unbiblical books, mostly published by WorldNetDaily, with each uniformly declaring contrary to the express Word of God about Greece (Daniel 8:8-9), yet with unequivocal certainty, that the coming Antichrist will be an adherent of Islam from Turkey. How's that for unbiased substance, eh?

The next cited "prophecy expert" is Pastor Carl Gallups. At first glance Carl Gallups is one whom I did not expect to see referenced in this article. At second glance, I see why he follows "Joel Richardson." His interpretation of Bible prophecy, which is available in another brand spanking new WND Superstore book, is especially egregious. This is especially true regarding his interpretation of The Revelation of Jesus Christ. (he says the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 was the Third Trumpet, meaning we all missed the Harpazo and we're now deep into the 70th Week!) Simply put, it is just trumpeting preposterous. It pains me to write that Carl Gallups is candidate numero uno to have to write a hundred times on the prophecy interpretation classroom chalkboard the text of Revelation 22:18-19. Make that two-hundred times.

Finally, we have the third WorldNetDaily Superstore Bible "prophecy expert" Mark Blitz. Mark, according to Hohmann's article, states flat out that the new Greek PM is not the antichrist. Of course, Mark is correct, Alexis Tsipras is not the antichrist. Not yet anyway; we'll have to see how things unfold. However, I do disagree with Mark Blitz that being a 'watchman on the wall' is anything but a speculative waste of time, and I did not have to stay in a Holiday Inn last night to come up with that. Nor did I write a book about the prophetic significance of a sequence of blood moons interspersed with a solar eclipse when all the Spirit-inspired Word of God really says three times is, respectively:

"The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord." Joel:2:31 NKJV

"The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord." Acts:2:20

"I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood." Revelation 6:12

Most "prophecy buffs" interpret these verses to state that the Lord will break open the Sixth Seal during Gabriel's prophetic 70th Week (Daniel 9:24-27) and on one occasion, and one occasion only, the sun will become black and the moon will turn red. One time, not four times with a bisecting dark sun prior to the 70th Week.

Prophecy experts? Negative, folks. These gentlemen do not even attain complete agreement with each other much less the majority of the rest of the Bride of Christ.

However, and the point of all this is that now I get it, I really, really do get it. I interpret this self-aggrandizing article is nothing more or less than an in-your-face commercial advertizement for WND book and DVD sales. This is hardly prophetic when it comes to WND, it's rather a very consistent matter of practice: they want your dollars for their commercial interests.

15 February 2015: This Global SITREP leads off with the current Mid East Prophecy Update video from Pastor JD Farag. The lead-off topic in Pastor JD's video sermon presentation is the current update topic subject in the Eschatology Today 'The Origin of the Antichrist' blog post - the new PM of Greece...

 Alexios Tsipras (Cipras) Was Born: Tisha B'Av, Sunday 28 JUL 1974!

In the above video Pastor JD freely admits that he was at first dismissive of the political developments in Greece, but with sound counsel in the form of Emails and web postings coming from the Mainland (Pastor JD is in Hawaii) he became intrigued. As you watch this MUST SEE video (captioning included) you will learn why Pastor JDs intrigue was transformed to become the impetus for this video and why this SITREP is titled as it is.

Also, Pastor JD references the NTEB website article (from whence the above image of Tsipras was borrowed) and information posted there directly linking the new Greek PM with the Pope and Vatican. I've already referenced my own discussion on this with Terry James at Rapture Ready. Here's a link to Terry's 2 February "Nearing Midnight" commentary "Antichrist Archetype Emerges."

So let's consider, within the context of the Psalm 90:10 defined 70-year generation plus an additional 10 years defining a generation of strength, what is currently happening:

1) Just prior to Israel's 70th year as a reborn nation in fulfillment of Isaiah 66:8 we have standing on the various world stages:

2) A strong candidate for Ezekiel 38/39 'Gog of Magog' leading a militarily resurgent and adventurous Russia;

3) A charismatic leader suddenly assuming power in the prophetic nation of Greece and executing actions in his own name;

4) This same newly emergent leader, acting as a candidate for the EU Presidency just a few short months ago, meeting with the Roman Pope to discuss a peace treaty for the Middle East.

5) The very real possibility in the near term of simultaneous multi-front war erupting on Israel's northern, central and southern frontiers as foretold in Psalm 83, Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 11.

Is there any question about the season we are living in? Is Jesus your Savior; your family's Savior?

Sean Osbornehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-71687942113022502772015-03-08T11:00:00.000-04:002015-03-08T11:25:56.724-04:00The Origin of the Antichrist
This image is a computer-generated bust of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the man that the angel Gabriel prophesied to Daniel as the the forerunner or prototype of the coming Antichrist.(Daniel 11)

UPDATE 08 March 2015: Additional research brings me back once again to this topic. In a closer reading of the details recounted of Daniel's vision (Daniel 8:8-9 NKJV), I believe these two verses lead to a specifying on the national origin of this man of sin, which is contrary to many earlier exegetical works. For example, the exegesis of Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, or of Chuck Smith, correctly interprets verse 8 to have been Alexander the Great and the break-up of his massive Macedonian-Greek empire into the four successor empires.

 Battle of Pydna 168 BC, Roman conquest of Antigonid Empire

Sidebar:  These four successor Macedonian Greek empires were ruled by dynastic families which descended from Alexander's most senior military commanders, ALL of whom and of which were Macedonian-Greeks from their founding circa 305 BC to their very last day which was marked either by direct annexation and/or a military conquest by the Roman Republic or Roman Empire. In sequence they were: Antigonus in 168 BC at the Battle of Pydna in Greece (see map above); Lysimachus (Pergamum) which was ceded to Rome by its last king Attalus III in 133 BC; Seleucus (Seleucid Empire) when its last king was deposed by the Roman General and Consul Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the Great) in 64 BC, and finally, the Macedonian-Greek Ptolemaic Empire of Egypt whose last ruler was the Macedonian-Greek Queen Cleopatra VII Philopator (yes, that Cleopatra!) in 30 BC.

However, at verse 9 they only assign an interpretation to the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a long acknowledged fore-runner of the antichrist. Where I am now differing is an interpretation that verse 9 is two-fold in that it also points directly to the future antichrist as well.

Let's read Daniel 8:8-9 ...

" 8Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven. 9And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land."

Notice in which directions the "little horn" grows exceedingly great: to the south, to the east and toward Israel itself. Antiochus IV Epiphanes' Seleucid Empire was an eastern empire carved out of Alexander's Empire from the get-go of verse 8. So he did not move militarily to the east as he spent the vast majority of his military efforts going to the west, and to the south (Ptolemaic Egypt) and against Israel caught in-between.

The coming Antichrist military exploits will be towards the south (Libya, Egypt) and the east (kings of the East) and Israel, as seen in Daniel 11:40-44. How do we know this? By reading the beginning of verse 9 to know that he comes "out of one of them" and noting in which directions of the compass his military power is projected, and which, again are to the south, the north and the east. So from which of the four Alexandrian Empires does he come from? From the westernmost and the first of them to have fallen to Roman conquest, that of Antigonus which is modern day Greece in Europe!

15 February 2015: A quick look at the comments section of this post in December will illustrate that the even before the election of Alexios Tsipras to become the current PM of Greece the politics of that nation were being monitored by Eschatology Today for the interpretive reasons made clear at the end of this blog post. My comment on 26 January noted the likely outcome of a vote of confidence against the former Greek PM and the ascendance of Alexios Tsipras to that position of power.

This is now a hot topic on many Christian prophecy websites with many speculating on whether or not this man is the awaited Antichrist. That's a determination that will have to wait until some point in the future to know for certain. However, for the moment, I am intently watching all developments with respect to this man. My most recent observations I shared with Terry James of Rapture Ready this morning; it seems only fair that I share them with you all as well.

To begin with, Alexios Tsipras is a native born Athenian Greek; the son of a Greek father from Epirus (Ionia) and a Greek mother born in Eleftheroupoli. Mr. Tsipras refused to be sworn in the his post as Greek PM by Greek Orthodox Archbishop Ieronymos, and also decreed that neither would his entire cabinet be sworn in by the the Archbishop; that the Archbishop need not even attend the entirely political ceremony. This is highly unusual in Greece where political oaths of office have virtually always been religious in nature, but perhaps not so much in the case with Alexios Tsipras being a self-professed atheist.

However, that being said, there is very good reason to watch what happens in the moths ahead. Straight up, I find this Greek's appearance on the world stage just prior to Israel's 70th year as a reborn nation extraordinary as a matter of timing. In 2014 as a candidate of the EU Commission Presidency he made a declaration that he could lead the economically broken EU back to economic prosperity in less than 10 years.

Most importantly I think is the fact that he took the office of Greek Prime Minister with these words: "I declare in my name, honor and conscience to uphold the Constitution and its laws." John 5:43 records what Jesus said to the Jews about the future Antichrist: "I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive."

Without question the Greek Prime Minister is now the most prominent atheist on the Earth. Alexios Tsipras plus everything he does in his own name will be watched closely in the coming months.

3 December 2014: It had been suggested to me by some very astute fellow eschatologists that within the text of 2 Thessalonians 2:3 discussed below...

"When looking at the Greek which follows 'Let no man deceive you by any means' the next words in the sentence are...

"ὅτι ἐὰν μή ἔρχομαι ἀποστασία πρῶτον καί ἄνθρωπος ἁμαρτία ἀποκαλύπτω υἱός ἀπώλεια"
"because unless to come apostasy first and a human being sinful revealed, the son (of) destruction.""
... I've taken and applied the wrong meaning for the Greek word apostasia (apostasy). They are saying the meaning is not the literal, plain text apostasy, but an alternative meaning of departure. As Dr. Thomas Ice and others will explain the meaning, "Thus, this passage would be saying that the Day of the Lord will not come until the rapture comes before it." Well, yes, of course that's what Paul is saying in the context of the entire chapter of 2 Thessalonians 2. But I am not dissuaded from believing that the meaning of the word apostasia is literal and it really means apostasy.

This is where I make a distinction on the meaning of this word. The apostasy is not from the faith of salvation in Christ Jesus that a believing Christian holds, but the kind of apostasy in which a grand departure from God is the point that Paul had made in this prophetic text.

This meaning is obvious to all who survey the world and see that an apostasy, a departure, from the one true God to a false god such as the al-Lah has been occurring globally and in real-time. But this literal meaning of apostasia is even more egregious in a nation such as ours where the claim can be truthfully made that it was founded upon Christian principles. Not only is this country departing from its Christian roots, it is departing from God the Father.

The other day I learned of a very young girl who was a participant in a Disney theme park production where she had to express her feeling about those things most important to her in her young life. Several times Disney rejected her heart-felt offering and through several edits of the text with her mother they simply could net get her offering of what was important in her own life accepted by the corporate entertainment and mass media giant that is The Walt Disney Company.

The reason for the continued rejections, as the mother and daughter finally discovered, was the fact that this young lady had centered her piece on a belief in God as being the singular reason why everything there is exists, in her life and the world and universe at-large. Without God, nothing else would be as it is in other words. Disney was literally rejecting this young girl's work simply because the word God appeared in the text. The Walt Disney Company rejects God. Not the small-g god, but the real big-G God. This is apostasy, literal and in our face, if we choose to see it. Period.

Of course most of us know this is nothing new, Disney has been rejecting God for a long time now and a previous campaign among Christians in highlighting this fact has over time fallen by the wayside, so much so that this little girl and her mother were unaware of it as millions of other Christians are likely unaware of it today.

So, I'm saying that a very real apostasy from God, as Paul was explaining to the Thessalonians as being a sign pointing towards the occurrence of the Harpazo exists and it is here today. Now that leaves just one other revealing thing for us to consider doesn't it. Indeed it does in my humble opinion.

24 November 2014:  Why it is that the Word of God contains so much detailed information about the coming Antichrist if the Bride of Christ is to be Harpazoed prior to his arrival on the world scene? As one who has diligently studied all things eschatological this makes no sense to me. The Saints which come to be born-again during the 70th Week will have no problem knowing who he is, so I have come to the point of realizing this detailed information does not appear to be part of the Lord's word for their benefit. So, who is it for? I have come to hold the view that these details are included in the Word of God for the Bride of Christ to recognize him prior to the start of the 70th Week.

Now before there's an uproar, I have heard hear all of you in advance because I have posed the obvious objections and debate talking points to myself first and also to other eschatologists. So I am sure at this point some are saying that recognizing Antichrist would tantamount to a sign that the Harpazo was imminent and the Harpazo is a signless event more correctly tied to an unknowable number of "the fullness of gentiles has come in" according to Paul in Romans 11:25.

However, is the Harpazo truly a signless event? In Paul's second letter to the Bride of Christ in Thessalonica (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12) he explains to them that they should not be fearing that they have been 'left behind' because they are suffering such great persecution as has been prophetically taught to them. Paul instructs them that "the great and awesome day of the Lord" will not come to pass unless to things happen first: a great apostasy and the revealing of the Antichrist. These are definitively a pair of signs in the 'last days' that must occur prior to the Harpazo which itself is prior to the start of the 70th Week.

Let's go straight to the text of 2 Thessalonians 2:3. When looking at the Greek which follows 'Let no man deceive you by any means' the next words in the sentence are...

"ὅτι ἐὰν μή ἔρχομαι ἀποστασία πρῶτον καί ἄνθρωπος ἁμαρτία ἀποκαλύπτω υἱός ἀπώλεια"
"because unless to come apostasy first and a human being sinful revealed, the son (of) destruction."

The text then goes on to specifics about the Antichrist which were first revealed in great detail in the angel Gabriel's narrative to Daniel (Dan. 11:36-39) on this subject.

The key point I'm at here is that the phrase "the day" or "that day" is implied in most translations of this specific sentence. Those two words are literally not there. The focus is the context of what Paul is responding to the Thessalonian church about is the fear they have been left behind from the Harpazo.

Based upon the literal plain text I interpret Paul to be saying that it is not possible for anyone to have missed the Harpazo unless apostasy and the antichrist revealed come first.

Here's where I take Paul's teaching and apply it to our current reality.

It seems to me, looking forward, that a covenant/treaty for seven years would be in a negotiating stage for some time, months perhaps, prior to it being confirmed, or placed into effect. The confirmation of the treaty commences the 70th Week.

This is not unlike the covenant/treaty between the EU/E3+3 (P5+1) and Iran begin negotiated at the present time.

This specific kind of negotiation between a Westerner of the attributes we know in detail that the 'son of destruction' will possess would absolutely reveal him to the Bride of Christ in this 'last days' season. This time frame would be smack dab on the dispensational transition from the Church age to 70th Week, but the actual revealing of Antichrist to the Bride of Christ would occur prior to the 70th Week. And the Bride of Christ would likely be all but climbing out of our skin in effervescent anticipation in witness thereof.

19 February 2011: I believe this update contains the correct association both Old and New Testament Scriptures which are sufficient to end once and for all the debate over whether the coming Antichrist will be European or Islamic.

According to Daniel 2 a night vision from God was given to Daniel to interpret Nebuchaddnezzar's dream about a great image which stood before him. It was the image of a statue of excellent splendor and awesome in its form. The image was a symbolic representation of the course and sequence of world empires begining with Nebuchadnezzar's own Babylonian Empire and on well into the future. The subsequent or second world empire what that of the Persians, which was followed in turn by the third world empire, that of Alexander the Great and his Macedonian-Greek Empire which completely eclipsed the first two. The four remant empires of Alexander's were eventally and completely absorbed and taken over a couple of hundred years later by the ultimate fourth world Empire, the Roman Empire which was detailed in Scripture as follows (Daniel 2:40-43):

"And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay."

And that is the end of the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream which God Himself gave to Daniel. That's all there is folks, nothing follows, the dream was certain, it came from God, and the interpretation was certain, it came from God also. God declared for all time through this ancient dream that there would be four world empires, and only four world empires. Yet, as we shall see, there were details to be added to this information that would come from the angel Gabriel to Daniel.

According to Daniel 10 a fallen angel had fought with and delayed Gabriel for 21 days while he was enroute to deliver this message. And we are told that he was assisted by the Archangel Michael in defeating that fallen angel. The fallen angels name is not given -- as if it were unimportant to any prophetic future events. However, we are informed that after delivering his message to Daniel the angel Gabriel would return to re-engage the angel of Persia, once again assisted by the angel of Israel, Michael the Archangel, and that the angel of Persia would be followed by another (fallen) angel, the angel of a western conquering empire. This is the third empire from Nebuchadnezzar's dream, the angel of the Empire of Grecia. Here's where it gets very interesting relative to the near prophetic future.

This "angel of Grecia" supernaturally empowered Alexander's Empire up and through to the Seleucid Empire and Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who is discussed in detail in the original article below. The key point is that the name of this fallen angel of Grecia known through the Revelation of Jesus Christ, as recorded in Chapter 9 verse 11 and Revelation 17 verse 8.

"And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon." (Revelation 9:11 NKJV)

"The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is."
(Revelation 17:8)

This fallen angel's name doing the bidding of Satan is Abaddon/Apollyon. He is the one who fulfills "The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition." That fallen angel was and will yet be again a prince of Grecia... not Persia. A Western empire, not a Persian, Arab or Islamic Empire.

09 July 2008: The Beast. The anti or in-lieu-of false messianic man of ancient Bible prophecy is the long-anticipated 'end times' character in both Old Testament and New Testament texts. He has always been an enigma, a man of mystery, prophesied to be of fierce countenance, a master of deceit and deception, of such unearthly evil power and charisma that by his mere presence all of mankind will be subdued and submit to his will.

The beast will be a man who ultimately will be wholly possessed by a demonic spirit ascended out of the abyss and identified by the name of Abaddon in Hebrew and Apollyon in the Greek; a man of mind bending unconscionable evil destined to stand as Satan incarnate during Daniel's 70th Week. He is a man whose name John revealed in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, chapter 13 verse 18, would count to or calculate to the Greek alphabetical-numerical equivalent of χξϚ (chi-xi-stigma) or six-hundred, three-score and six. 666.

Antiochus was the eighth in an unbroken direct line of descent of Greek Seleucid kings whose empire was the largest of those inherited in the division of Alexander the Great's Greek Empire into four lesser empires. Antiochus IV Epiphanes was an usurper who ruled the Greek Seleucid empire between 175 and 164 BC when he suddenly died of a disease. Antiochus had abandoned his born-name, Mithradates, and gave himself the name Epiphanes, which means 'god manifest" because he believed he was the living incarnation of Jupiter, the Romanized name of the principal pagan Greek god Zeus. On 15 Kislev 167 BC (6 December) Antiochus originally performed the to-be-repeated act of standing up an image of himself in the Jewish Temple known as the Abomination of Desolation. Antiochus also splashed pigs blood on the altar, sold Jews into slavery, destroyed every scroll of Jewish Scripture he could locate, forbade the daily sacrifice and the Jewish rite of circumcision under pain of death.

With all of these prophetic Biblical references to the Greek, the number of the coming Antichrist name equating to a Greek alphabet gematria, and the detail to which the prophet Daniel spoke concerning Greece, that he would come from the people who would destroy the city and the sanctuary (In 70 AD the Roman 5th Legion - Legio V Macedonica - was one of the principal legions involved in that military action) I became convinced that Daniel has further prophetically identified the national origin of this coming Antichrist. Indeed, Daniel 8 provides us with this specific identifier.

Daniel 8:21 (NKJV)

And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king.

Daniel 8:21 (YLT)

"And the young he-goat, the hairy one, the king of Javan; and the great horn that [is] between its eyes is the first king."

Greece was known in ancient times as Javan. Javan was the son of Japheth, and a grandson of Noah. Javan and his offspring, Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim, settled in the West, in Europe. So here we have in this verse from Daniel an identifier of Alexander the Great as the symbolic male goat which conquers the Persian Empire. Daniel then continues in verse 22 with his Divinely inerrant prophetic description of how Alexander's Greek Empire would be divided into four kingdoms that would not have the same power as Alexander's.

Then we have in verse 23 a time-warp to the distant future yet which remains anchored to Alexander's Empire, as "that nation," and to the 4 kingdoms which would rise from it, all four referred to as being the same. A prophetic "worm-hole," if you will. This time warp takes us directly to Antiochus IV Epiphanes, and also thousands of years into the future to the man he is the specific model for, the Antichrist:

23 And in the latter time of their kingdom,
When the transgressors have reached their fullness,
A king shall arise,
Having fierce features,
Who understands sinister schemes.

Daniel continues with his description of both Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the coming Antichrist:

24 His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power;
He shall destroy fearfully,
And shall prosper and thrive;
He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.
25 " Through his cunning
He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule;
And he shall exalt himself in his heart.
He shall destroy many in their prosperity.
He shall even rise against the Prince of princes;
But he shall be broken without human means.
26 " And the vision of the evenings and mornings
Which was told is true;
Therefore seal up the vision,
For it refers to many days in the future."

It is my absolute conviction that Daniel's prophecy informs us in no uncertain terms that the coming Antichist will specifically arise from a Greek ancestry, that he will be a direct descendant of Javan via one of his sons whose progeny populate Europe and most of the nations of the West.
Sean Osbornehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-33213568347727749332015-03-05T08:46:00.000-05:002015-03-05T06:10:00.950-05:00Republican National Committee: One State Solution - Israel

Update 5 March 2015: Now is the time for the Republican National Committee to make its stand, along with a good number of Democrats, with the State of Israel. The support demonstrated to Israel and its Prime Minister 48 hours ago must be followed up with an action, a work, demonstrating to God, to Israel, to Iran and all of Israel's Islamic terrorist and even her secular enemies, in the Spirit of the inviolable covenant of Genesis 12:3.

This is by far the most popular post in the history of the Eschatology Today blog, with double the number of views of any other post and clearly demonstrating that the subject of Israel in the Conservative American view is one of the utmost importance. Ours is a view diametrically opposed to that of our President and the others of that particular bankrupt ideological point of view. It is also a view shared by the GOP with respect to the Obama Administration's ongoing denigration of Israel.

I cannot help but wonder what would occur if all of US would contact a member of Congress, either your Senator or Representative, or both, expressing the will of the American people that our Congress execute a tangible action in support of Israel in the ongoing war with Iran. That opportunity is now because the Congressional vote on increased sanctions to be levied upon the Iranian regime will occur within days perhaps. This is a way in which each of us can directly impact events on the world stage, potentially prophetic events at that.

Git'R'Done America.

Thus says the Lord of hosts:

"Behold, I will break the bow of Elam,
The foremost of their might."

21 January 2012: Last week at the Republican National Committee at its winter meeting meeting in New Orleans, LA adopted a resolution that calls for a one state solution to the never ending crisis in the Middle East. The resolution resolves for a single state under one law in the territory of Israel, Judea and Samaria with Israeli citizenship rights extended to all. This resolution all but acknowledges the results of Asaph's Psalm 83 prophetic prayer.

The resolution (part of the Republican National Platform for the 2012 Presidential Election) has a preamble which describes Eretz (the Land) of Israel as God-given to the Jews and resolves "that the members of this body support Israel in their natural and God-given right of self-governance and self-defense upon their own lands, recognizing that Israel is neither an attacking force nor an occupier of the lands of others; and that peace can be afforded the region only through a united Israel governed under one law for all people."

This is a tremendous departure from the anti-Genesis 12:3 Republican 2008 platform which stated: "We support the vision of two democratic states living in peace and security: Israel, with Jerusalem as its capital, and Palestine."

Those who say there is no difference between Republicans and Democrats have another thing coming.

The Jewish Daily Forward: GOP Calls for One Israel 'For All People'

Text of the RNC Resolution sponsored by Cindy Costa, Committeewoman South Carolina:

AN RNC RESOLUTION TO COMMEND THE NATION OF ISRAEL FOR ITS RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

WHEREAS, Israel has been granted her lands under and through the oldest recorded deed as reported in the Old Testament, a tome of scripture held sacred and reverenced by Jew and Christian, alike, as the acts and words of God; and

WHEREAS, as the Grantor of said lands, God stated to the Jewish people in the Old Testament; in Leviticus, Chapter 20, Verse 24: "Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey"; and

WHEREAS, God has never rescinded his grant of said lands; and

WHEREAS, along with the grant of said lands to the Jewish people, God provided for the non-Jewish residents of the land in commanding that governance must be in one law for all without drawing distinction between Jewish and non-Jewish citizens, as contained in Leviticus 24:22, and

WHEREAS, the Nation of Israel declared its independent control and governance of said lands on May 14, 1948, with the goal of re-establishing their God-given lands as a homeland for the Jewish people; and

WHEREAS, the United States of America, having been the first country to recognize Israel as an independent nation and as Israel's principal Mideast ally, has enjoyed a close and mutually beneficial relationship with Israel and her people; and

WHEREAS, indeed, Israel is the United States of America's greatest friend in the Mideast; and

WHEREAS, the roots of Israel and the roots of the United States of America are so intertwined that it is difficult to separate one from the other under the word and protection of almighty God; and

WHEREAS, there are those in the Middle East who have sought to destroy Israel from its inception as anation; and

WHEREAS, those same enemies of Israel also seek to destroy the United States of America; and

WHEREAS, the United States of America and the nation of Israel have enjoyed cordial and mutually beneficial relations since 1948, a friendship that should continues to strengthen with each passing year.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by the Republican Nation Committee that the committee by this resolution commends the nation of Israel for its relations with the United States of America.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the members of this body support Israel in their natural and God-given right of self-governance and self-defense upon their own lands, recognizing that Israel is neither an attacking force nor an occupier of the lands of others; and that peace can be afforded the region only through a united Israel governed under one law for all people.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Senate Leadership and each of the legislatures of the states within the United States of America with the request and recommendation of this body that a similar resolution to that stated herein be proposed within their respective bodies.
Sean Osbornehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-29695884730397552652015-03-04T04:00:00.000-05:002015-03-04T19:21:25.171-05:00Global SITREP B4-15: An Open Invitation to Kick In Iran's Nuclear Doors

Updated 4 March 2015: If the approaching 31 March 2015 deadline for the Interim Nuclear Agreement with Iran hasn't become big news yet, it soon shall become big news. Either the Interim Nuclear Agreement's collapse or its implementation will make big news.

More importantly, as can be clearly discerned from PM Netanyahu's (embedded above) speech to Congress yesterday, either of those potential news items will be the foundation for an even bigger news item in the near future that I have inferred as the title of this SITREP: An Open Invitation to Kick In Iran's Nuclear Doors, otherwise known to students of Bible prophecy as Jeremiah 49:34-39.

President Obama's evil agenda in this regard was fully exposed before the entire world yesterday when he wasted no time at all in characterizing PM Netanyahu's speech, which he claimed he did not have the time to watch, as containing "no viable alternative" to a nuclear armed Iran. PM Netanyahu's call for "a better deal" in which he specified the specific elements that would make it a better deal that Israel would not like, but could live with, also fully exposed the bankrupt nature of Obama's agenda.

However, and I must repeat myself here, PM Netanyahu made perfectly crystal clear that Israel CANNOT LIVE with the agreement that Obama is attempting to shove down Israel's throat. This forces us to stand with PM Netanyahu against a sitting American president in a time of war. And its not like everything I have ever written about Obama was not a prescient forecast that a day like this was going to arrive one day. By all appearances that day will arrive in the current month of March 2015.

What did Jeremiah prophecy?

The next question is... who will be kicking in those doors? I have touched on this subject before, here and here. It is a sure bet that Bible prophecy sites all over will be touting Jeremiah 49:34-39 as being what Israel will do to Iran now. But is that what Jeremiah prophesied? Did he say God will send Israel and Israel alone to execute His judgment? Or did Jeremiah say that God would send the four winds from the four quarters of heaven to execute this judgment? Bible prophecy comes to fulfillment precisely as it is written; God inspired His prophets to say what He wanted them to say, so we must pay close attention to what Jeremiah 49:34-39 says precisely less we fall into the trap known as 'newspaper exegesis.'

For Israel to not go it alone there are a couple of potentials that could bring about a coalition of nations striking to remove Iran's ability to enrich uranium to the weapons grade level, and to "break the bow of Elam, the foremost of their might." One might be a circumstance could be an IAEA revelation proving beyond a doubt to the P5+1 negotiating side that Iran did indeed have a secreted, undeclared parallel nuclear weapons program just as has now been alleged with Lavizan-3. Another circumstance that could suddenly arise is a North Korean nuke test. Immediately after the text U.S. high altitude radioactive isotope sampling and nuclear forensic analysis could reveal a unique signature isotope that could only have been produced in Iran. Again, for the P5+1 negotiators it would be game over for Iran.

The next few weeks might will really be something, for I fully expect Iran to go all out in a mad dash to make negotiations over its nuclear program a moot point.

 Noon 3 March 2015: As PM Netanyahu was speaking before the US Congress, word came from Geneva that Iran has flatly rejected the so-called "sunset clause" that would mandate a complete halt to all Iranian nuclear work for ten years. Yes, the Ayatollah has thrown his black turban on the floor and flat-out rejected Obama's non-starter 10-year nuclear hiatus for Iran.

The single most important thing Bibi Netanyahu said today, and he was absolutely correct in saying what he said, was that no matter if Iran accepts Obama's "deal" or rejects it, either option before them leads to a nuclear weapon capability.

So where does this truth leave the world-at large; what option remains available to stop the Iranian drive down either path to nuclear weapons capability? This is not rocket science my brethren. The only option left is the one which removes Iran's capability to enrich uranium to a weapons grade level, and that means destroying all of its enrichment facilities.**

**When I wrote the above underlined sentence I had not yet been afforded the opportunity to watch or even hear PM Netanyahu's speech, yet that sentence is virtually identical to what the Prime Minister said as he began his closing remarks. And he meant every word of it. Hopefully both Obama and the Ayatollah were listening intently.

Lavizan-3 Revealing by NCRI-US on 24FEB15

3 March 2015: The day of Israeli PM Netanyahu's much anticipated speech to a joint session of the U.S. Congress is also the one-week anniversary of the NCRI-US revelation to the world of yet another previously unknown underground Iranian nuclear weapons site known as Lavizan-3. (Reference: Global SITREP E8-14: Another in a Series of Imminent Nuclear Crises with Iran Beckons)

Consider this: WHY was it necessary for the Republican Speaker of the United States House of Representatives to invite the Prime Minister of the State of Israel to speak before the a joint session of Congress today?

A) Because he's basically a really nice guy and it was polite of him to issue the invitation?

-or-

B) Because if Barack Hussein Obama had been the U.S. President on December 7, 1941 America would have lost Word War II?

This anniversary comes complete with the fact that if the world's most prolific terrorist and Shi'a Twelver apocalyptic regime had nothing to hide underground at the Lavizan-3 site, then a near immediate invitation to the IAEA offering complete and unfettered access would have preceded by days the Israeli Prime Minister's much heralded arrival in New York City. Instead of addressing the NCRI-US revelations head-on in a forthcoming manner consistent with honest negotiations with the P5+1 partners what has arrived from Tehran via its usual toadies and lackeys is nothing more substantial than rampant obfuscation, derision and other assorted irrelevant non-technical debris. Garbage in other words.

It is most instructive to note that as the NCRI-US press conference was revealing the existence of Lavizan-3 a week ago, U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice was concurrently describing the arrival of Israeli PM Netanyahu in the United States as "destructive." Speaking of something being "destructive," it has apparently never dawned upon Ms. Rice that the Lavizan-3 nuclear site was under construction when Iran had allegedly halted all nuclear-related activities according to the 2007 National Defense Intelligence Estimate. How is it that a National Security Advisor to the President of the United States could be so ill-informed, so totally out of touch with documents this government has produced? Has President Obama been deliberately kept out of the loop on such important matters of state?

It is a near certainty that when PM Netanyahu addresses today's joint session of Congress he will present a very comprehensive and highly vetted briefing to our elected Senators and Representatives of what President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry, in all of their oft claimed transparency, have been hiding from them over the course of several months now. It is the abject fear of the Obama Administration over what PM Netanyahu will reveal today that forced Obama to reveal at the last minute that the framework agreement being negotiated with Iran includes a minimum ten-year sunset clause.

What also remains unacknowledged is that the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has the ability to unilaterally abrogate the framework agreement at the drop of his black turban. That alone is reason for Bibi Netanyahu to 'kick the tires and light the fires' of the Israeli Air Force's most capable strike aircraft. They do not require an Iranian invitation to kick in the doors of all of Iran's secret nuclear facilities.

Sean Osbornehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-21946021837349788822015-03-02T19:00:00.000-05:002015-03-03T02:57:20.984-05:00Global SITREP B3-15: Psychological Warfare of the Last Resort

Israeli Air Force F-15I Ra'am (Thunder) Strike Aircraft

"Git'R'Done"

2 March 2015 Evening Update: Word on the "street" is that the expected bombshell of the highly secretive Obama-Ayatollah nuclear weapons negotiations was leaked early this morning by an insider with highly significant access. The leaked item has been dubbed the "Sunset Clause" and accordingly is a blatant capitulation by Obama to the Ayatollah providing for a "time limited" final agreement. Essentially, when the agreed upon time limit, (reportedly 10 years) expires Iran will be free to go whole hog into the unlimited production of weapons grade enriched uranium.

The Obama negotiation capitulation would guarantee the Ayatollah the weapons of mass annihilation he needs to bring about a global apocalypse in order to summon a non-existent 12th Imam out of hiding... except that Israel will be forced to strike unilaterally in the interim to nullify the Iranian nuclear weapons program. Obama appears dead set on crafting an agreement that guarantees war.

Bibi Speaks to Congress tomorrow. Stand by...

2 March 2015: Given that baseball season is finally upon us, Global SITREP B3-15 shall be considered as 'strike one' against the blatant untruthfulness of the Arab media reports. Eschatology Today has led the way in vetting this subject, so we should get credit for the first strike thrown.

Now, and to its credit, the Obama Administration late last night issued a statement to The Washington Times stating that the al-Jarida/Ma'an News Agency report about Obama ordering a shootdown of Israeli planes attacking Iran nuclear facilities "is totally false."

"Steee-rike twooooooo!!!"

Not to be outdone, the White House-based National Security Council (NSC) also issued via its Twitter account its own denial stating "there is no truth to 'reports' about Obama & Israeli jets."

"Steee-rike threeeeeee!!! You're outa here!"

1 March 2015: A report from the Arabic-language al-Jarida newspaper of Kuwait has suddenly gone viral on the eve of PM Bibi Netanyahu's historic speech before a joint session of the U.S. Congress. The strange thing about this year old report is that it's virulence was not due to the journalistic stature of the originating Kuwaiti newspaper, but from a "Palestinian" media conglomerate based in Arab-occupied Bethlehem and Gaza known as the Ma'an News Agency, and a handful of sensationalist newspapers in Israel, ably aided and abetted by numerous U.S. media outlets.

These twin aspects alone should attest to the veracity of the Ma'an News Agency regurgitation of the alleged al-Jarida report on Saturday, therefore making this SITREP extraneous to the real issues before us at the present time. However, because numerous sensationalist Israeli media picked up and re-broadcast the Ma'an regurgitation right after the Sabbath day had concluded in Israel the alleged issue has taken on a life of its own. This is a benchmark of psychological warfare, and it is aimed at your brain.

The issue according to the Arabs is that President Obama communicated a threat to Israel last year to shoot down any Israeli air strike caught winging its way towards Iranian nuclear targets. That would be enough of an allegation on its own, but the Arab media didn't stop there. They then claimed that the IAF launched "experimental" sorties of IAF strike aircraft over the course of several weeks in 2014 to make sure the strike's planning would be successful. Not content with that tidbit being juicy enough for world media attention, the Arabs added even more. Not only did the IAF run their experimental sorties, but the Arabs claim that the IAF penetrated Iranian defensive radar coverage and went on uncontested joyrides across the length and breadth of the territory of the Islamic Republic. This, apparently, was just too much for the more salacious members of Israeli media to resist and an Arab-conjured disinformation virus was released upon an unsuspecting world.

The truth is that no such thing ever happened. No order to strike Iranian nuclear targets was ever issued by PM Netanyahu and his cabinet in 2014. No, the IAF did not "manage to penetrate" Iranian air defenses and fly unimpeded wherever they wished over the Islamic Republic. One would think that media of a Western orientation as Israel's is would recognize this rubbish for what it was, but sensationalism sells advertizing and advertizing means shekels in pockets, especially when hordes of internet surfers come riding in to 'read all about it.'

I have mentioned on this Eschatology Today blog several times over the past 24 months that a strike by Israel on Iranian nuclear sites in 2012 was planned to occur but the plan was aborted. In Israel today the just retired IDF Chief-of-Staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz has strongly hinted to Israeli media he opposed that planned strike and thereby attesting to its reality.

As I have strongly cautioned many times in recent months, a war is in progress and the first casualty in any war is always the truth. The blatant disinformation created by the Kuwaiti al-Jarida and Ma'an News Agency reports that was picked up as "Obama Threatened to Shoot Down Israeli Planes" and given greater exposure by several Israeli media websites, which was then repeated by a Who's Who of American media staples such as, but not limited to: NewsMax, WorldNetDaily, FoxNews, Breitbart, and the Washington Times, all without any journalistic vetting whatsoever of the original reports, which was then subsequently accepted as de facto truth by Bible-prophecy websites here in the United States has proven my point about this kind of psychological warfare.

We know better, or at least we should know better. "Wars and rumors of war" as our Lord warned are a fact-of-life for us at the end of this present age. Question: is a rumor of this type really believable? Do we really accept that President Obama would issue an illegal military order to American military forces to shoot down the Israeli Air Force and our officer pilots and enlisted men would comply with that illegal order? Really? If so, then we've been more thoroughly and completely psychologically conditioned for a world gone mad than I have heretofore realized. I'm thinking the Lord mustn't tarry much longer, that the Harpazo had better occur soon before more of us become susceptible to believing such lies.

"And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet."

See that you are not troubled by these things.
Sean Osbornehttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-8373186484944191934.post-11613196015623073412015-02-27T06:30:00.002-05:002015-03-04T03:30:08.026-05:00Global SITREP B2-15: Just Some Odds and Ends on Prophecy, War, and China

27 February 2015: I know this is an inherently dangerous thing to do, but I've been thinking, or rather, I've had thoughts come to me that I've had to consider fully. Here are a few of them.

What if the prophecy of Ezekiel 38/39, commonly known as the 'War of Gog/Magog,' and the prophecy of Jeremiah 49-34-39, commonly known as 'Judgment on Elam' were the Lord's prophetic warning about the same event. What if Ezekiel was given the full prophetic picture the Lord wants us to know about in advance and Jeremiah 49:34-39 gives us the detailed picture that is simply a single verse found in Ezekiel 39:6a

"And I will send fire on Magog and on those who dwell securely in the coastlands, and they shall know that I am the LORD."

What if those coastlands are the 1,520 miles of the Iranian coast a great portion of which was ancient Elam, on the northern side of the Persian Gulf. Prior to having this thought come to me I had thought that Iran would be militarily reduced through a brief but violent event such as Jeremiah has prophesied. Now as we move closer to the actual prophetic events it appears to me that they might both me with respect to the same prophetic event.

Most interpretations of Ezekiel 38/39 do not hold to a view where human armies and weapons destroy the confederation of Gog's allies who fall upon the mountains of Israel. No, on the contrary the prevailing interpretation is that God Himself directly intervenes here in order to reveal Himself to Israel as their Savior and magnify and sanctify Himself before the nations of the world.

What if there is a direct connection between these two verses where the Lord is speaking:

"Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand, and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand." Ezekiel 39:3

"Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the foremost of their might." Jeremiah 49:35

In context and in literal similarities, the possible connection here of these prophecies is something to be considered.

****

 Highway 8 north of Kuwait City, February 1991

The next item is not so much a thought as it is a realization: despite the fact that US, British and other allies in the Middle East are attacking Islamic State targets in both Syria and Iraq, these are mere pinpricks. This so-called "Coalition" is not truly waging war against the Islamic State.

If the Coalition, led by the US and the UK were truly waging war against the Islamic State, then we would be seeing and hearing about sustained strikes against Islamic State targets by B-52, B1 and B2 bombers reaching out and touching them with napalm, fuel-air explosives (FAEs) and very heavy ordnance as was done by a real Coalition during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm; the desert highways in territory held by the Islamic State would look like Highway 8 running north out of Kuwait City in 1991.

Remember when the feared Iraqi Army of Saddam Hussein was surrendering to unarmed journalists and photographers and anyone passing by? That's what happens when your the enemy in open desert being fed a 'shock and awe' daily diet of heavy Coalition ordnance coming out of a clear blue sky and no amount of prayers to a false god can save you. That was war back then. This is a PR sham now.

****

 The Middle East circa Asaph's time of 1000 BC

About Psalm 83, there are also some new interpretive thoughts swirling around. I am starting to think that the final action of this ongoing might not be as the first actions were in 1948, '67 and '73 that involved the armies of nation states such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt with support from 8 or 9 others. I'm thinking the final action will be about a confederated act of war that involves large formations of Islamic Jihadists attacking from Lebanon, Jordan, the West Bank, Gaza and Sinai. A confederation that is, more or less, what we know right now as the Islamic State.

I've never been comfortable with the notion that Assur in Psalm 83:8 is a reference to modern-day Syria. As most know by now I believe this Assur literal in the text and refers to the area of Assur in Asaph's time, seen in the above image as circular purple-colored area; what was referred to during Operation Iraqi Freedom as "The Sunni Triangle." In 1076 BC the great Assyrian Empire collapsed after Tiglath-Pileser I's death, swiftly crumbling and falling backwards into a rump state where it had originated. The map above directly correlates to the period when Asaph lived and wrote Psalms.

Also seen in the map image above is the land inhabited by Israel at this same time in a light purple on both side of the Dead Sea. This is the Israel and the region that Asaph knew and is very likely how the Psalm 83 prophecy was framed. Arameans at this time controlled wide swaths of territory from Aram-Damascus eastwards to the modern-day Saudi Arabian border at the head of the Persian Gulf. Look closely and this territory almost resemble what the territory of the Islamic State look like today, give or take a wilayat or two.

The peoples and locations named by Asaph is Psalm 83:6-8 closely resemble in the physical and ideological sence what we see today in these same places controlled by Islamic jihadism in Lebanon, Jordan, the West Bank, Gaza, Sinai and with some strength coming to them from the Islamic State heartland of ancient Assur.

****

Welcome to the new China

 This segment of SITREP B2-15 takes us to the new China. Not the China we often and normally think of in the fearful terms of the "kings of the East" per the prophecies of The Revelation of Jesus Christ (more on that below). This is the new China that is rising up in leaps and bounds from within the Communist state founded by Mao Zedong. This is the China in which Father, Son and Holy Spirit are resident in Beijing!

I must first graciously thank our Brother-in-Christ, Lawrence of India, for sending me the research that I joyously poured through and then digested in order to write this long-planned segment. Brother Lawrence is an India-born academic who holds a Ph.D. from the University of Madras, Chennai, India, and is the Associate Professor of Strategic Studies and International Relations at Madras Christian College as well as being the Adjunct Research Fellow at the former Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, now known as Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Thank you Lawrence!

Let's go the the video tape!

Some facts: The current conservative estimate is that there are 80 million born-again Christians, and that is a very, very conservative estimation because the evidence for a much larger number is found in the fact that China is being transformed before our eyes, and this change is transforming the global balance of power. As Lawrence has told me, there is a "silent revolution" occurring in China these days. As each week passes by thousands upon thousands of Chinese are confessing Jesus as their Lord and Savior; the sheer numbers of our new born-again brethren are increasing exponentially and will likely reach or exceed 160 million in a very few years. They say that by 2030, should we get to that year, China will be the largest Christian nation on earth. This is not to say that Communist persecution does not exist, it does, but the persecution is a symptom of the exponential growth that the control freaks in Being have feared for some time. But this also may be changing for the better very rapidly as well.

Did you know that the city of Nanjing in Jiangsu Province is the largest Bible-producing city on planet earth? Did you also know that the current communist government of China proudly boasts of this fact! What the Chinese government is also proud to reports is that 49 million of the 69 million Bibles produced in a year are for the Chinese market - in China. Nanjing also produces Bibles in 80 different languages destined for use in 70 different countries around the world. Here's another inescapable fact: there are more born-again Christians in China then there are members of the Communist Party. Tell me the atheist founders of modern China would not be rolling in their graves were that possible!

Yes, they would be, but then again, they would not recognize the China of today. The 40th anniversary of Mao's death rolls around on 9 September 2016. In those forty years China has transformed from an impoverished agrarian nation of about 800 million to an industrial market capitalized nation of 1.4 billion people. A little over a decade ago a Chinese government economist did a study of market economies with and without churches. The author of that study marveled during coast to coast on a tour of America and wondered about what was the key difference between the most prosperous material civilization in the history of human society and the China that he knew. After apples to apples comparisons in all categories imaginable the Chinese economist realized that America's strength, it's economic miracles and blessings rested in that fact that America was a nation of people of faith in God. The difference between China and America lie in the respective absence and presence of churches across the entire land of each. The economist realized that market economies and active churches filled with people of faith were at the heart of American success, and for China to repeat that success the answer was obvious.

I have always wondered about how in the Book of Revelation, chapter 16 which prophesies about the massive 200-million man army of the 'kings of East' which march westwards across Central Asia towards the River Euphrates which the 6th angel has dried up in preparation for their arrival. As discussed here previously, it is the Antichrist that this massive army from the east marches against. For certain our brethren Bride of Christ in China will be taken in the Harpazo, but it is and will be until that blessed day the rise of the Christian church in China that powers the free market economy making that massive army possible.

Sean Osbornehttp://email@example.com

subset: commoncrawl