Racing Towards the Finish Line

As mentioned before, I see several competing scenarios which could launch the world into the final steps leading into the Tribulation.

One of these "competing scenarios" of course, is all out war in the Middle East - leading into the epic battle of Gog-MaGog as defined in Ezekiel 38-39. Personally, (and this is completely speculation on my part) I don't believe the Church will be here to witness the invasion of Gog-MaGog, for a variety of reasons. Regardless, the destruction of this massive invading force, including Russia, Iran and Turkey will dramatically change the landscape in the Middle East - so dramatic that many of us believe it will set the stage for the arrival of the antichrist and his confirming of the covenant of Daniel 9:27 - a covenant which formally begins the seven year Tribulation.

However, Daniel 9:27 and the antichrist's confirming of this covenant could occur independently and unrelated to Gog-MaGog. In fact, watching the various efforts to forge a peace plan in the Middle East brings us closer and closer to the arrival of the antichrist. We know that only the antichrist will confirm this plan, and once this plan gets close to finalization, then, by definition, the antichrist would appear to "confirm" this plan. Watching the world leaders attempting to force through this plan in the Middle East is yet another "competing scenario" bringing us into the Tribulation.

Not only that - but seeing the EU's involvement is even more interesting, as we know that the antichrist comes from the revived Roman Empire (once it morphs into the "10 Kings" stage):

In this context we see the following stories:

"Direct negotiations to begin next week"

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas may agree to direct talks next week if Israel agrees to pre-1967 borders, according to a letter found by Reuters on Thursday.

The European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton reportedly said in the letter that Abbas would release a statement as early as next week, if both parties agreed to direct talks. Negotiations would begin before the end of the month.

Ashton also recalled the Quartet's demand that Israel stop building in the West Bank, in order to reach a peace treaty within two years. These conditions would "be issued concurrently with the announcement of the launch of direct talks."

A Palestinian source told Reuters that the talks would be based on a Palestinian state "on the basis of pre-1967 borders. This language is what has been accepted in all the agreements over the past 18 years by Israeli prime ministers, including Netanyahu in his first term."

"Powers drawing up framework for Mideast talks"

EU representative Catherine Ashton says Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas 'very close' to accepting direct peace talks with Israel, 'should be in position to give definitive answer by early next week'

Major powers are working on a statement to set the basis for direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, the European Union's foreign policy chief told EU foreign ministers on Thursday.

High Representative Catherine Ashton said in a letter seen by Reuters the statement would be issued early next week, if both parties agreed to proceed to direct talks, and negotiations launched in August.

The Quartet says Israel should halt settlement building in the West Bank and reach a full peace agreement with the Palestinians within 24 months, creating a state on the basis of the borders that existed before the 1967 war.

Another article on this push for peace:

"Palestinian Authority ready for peace talks, Ashton says"


So we see the push for a peace plan in and around Israel, and the push seems stronger than ever before. I personally believe that the antichrist is waiting in the wings for his moment to appear and confirm a covenant.

But there is another competing scenario - as we have been watching, and it too is making a major push. In this scenario we watch the conditions which seem to be precipitating the battle of "Gog-MaGog", which would presumably set the stage for the confirmation of a peace plan (following the epic devestation and destruction of the surrounding Islamic groups):

"Russia: Iran's nuclear plant to start next week"

Russia's nuclear agency said Friday that it will load fuel into Iran's first nuclear power plant next week, defying U.S. calls to hold off the start of the launch.

Rosatom spokesman Sergei Novikov said Friday that uranium fuel shipped by Russia will be loaded into the Bushehr reactor on Aug. 21, beginning the startup process.

"From that moment the Bushehr plant will be officially considered a nuclear-energy installation," he told The Associated Press.

The United States has called for Russia to delay the startup until Iran proves that it's not developing nuclear weapons. Russian officials said that the latest U.N. sanctions against Iran won't affect the Bushehr project.

Joel Rosenberg also weighs in on this topic:

"THE POINT OF NO RETURN"

The comments below are excerpts from an article in "The Atlantic" (link here), entitled. "The Point of No Return":

“For the Obama administration, the prospect of a nuclearized Iran is dismal to contemplate— it would create major new national-security challenges and crush the president’s dream of ending nuclear proliferation. But the view from Jerusalem is still more dire: a nuclearized Iran represents, among other things, a threat to Israel’s very existence

“[T]he United States Central Command, whose area of responsibility is the greater Middle East, has already asked the Pentagon what to do should Israeli aircraft invade its airspace [enroute to Iran]. According to multiple sources, the answer came back: do not shoot them down….”


"When the Israelis begin to bomb the uranium-enrichment facility at Natanz, the formerly secret enrichment site at Qom, the nuclear-research center at Esfahan, and possibly even the Bushehr reactor, along with the other main sites of the Iranian nuclear program, a short while after they depart en masse from their bases across Israel—regardless of whether they succeed in destroying Iran’s centrifuges and warhead and missile plants, or whether they fail miserably to even make a dent in Iran’s nuclear program—they stand a good chance of changing the Middle East forever; of sparking lethal reprisals, and even a full-blown regional war that could lead to the deaths of thousands of Israelis and Iranians, and possibly Arabs and Americans as well; of creating a crisis for Barack Obama that will dwarf Afghanistan in significance and complexity; of rupturing relations between Jerusalem and Washington, which is Israel’s only meaningful ally; of inadvertently solidifying the somewhat tenuous rule of the mullahs in Tehran; of causing the price of oil to spike to cataclysmic highs, launching the world economy into a period of turbulence not experienced since the autumn of 2008, or possibly since the oil shock of 1973; of placing communities across the Jewish diaspora in mortal danger, by making them targets of Iranian-sponsored terror attacks, as they have been in the past, in a limited though already lethal way;"

“I have interviewed roughly 40 current and past Israeli decision makers about a military strike, as well as many American and Arab officials. In most of these interviews, I have asked a simple question: what is the percentage chance that Israel will attack the Iranian nuclear program in the near future? Not everyone would answer this question, but a consensus emerged that there is a better than 50 percent chance that Israel will launch a strike by next July….”

“Based on months of interviews, I have come to believe that the administration knows it is a near-certainty that Israel will act against Iran soon if nothing or no one else stops the nuclear program….”

We can easily see from the above, two of the three competing scenarios (the third scenario not discussed today, and that involves a regional war, as some see in Psalm 83 and Isaiah 17, which would theoretically lead directly to "Gog-MaGog"). Each scenario is moving rapidly towards conclusion.

The push for a peace plan in the Middle East seems to be at an all time high right now, with a concensus from the "quartet" and now seemingly led by the new Roman Empire, the EU. The pressure to confirm such a covenant is very high right now and increasing daily. What a golden opportunity for the antichrist to emerge for his final plan.

Then, we see the Iranian nuclear situation, as described above as now reaching "the point of no return". Iran is very close to having the capability to produce nuclear weapons on line in full scale production - something that we know is unacceptable to Israel. Needless to say, an "invasion" of Iran by Israel will create conditions VERY favorable to seeing fulfillment of the Gog-MaGog battle.

All of this tells us one important fact. The closer we get to the beginning of the Tribulation, the closer we get to our prize - the Rapture of the Church. Perhaps the Rapture of the Church is yet another competing scenario for the beginning of the Tribulation and we know that must happen before the antichrist can seize power. The "restrainer" (aka the Church and the influence of the Holy Spirit within the Church) as described in 2 Thessalonians 2:5-8 must be removed first.

We're getting closer by the day. Our bridegroom must be finishing the final touches on the bride's home, a place called New Jerusalem - a place that resides within Heaven.

It's getting so so close. One can almost touch it. Jesus will be here soon for His Bride. What a glorious moment that will be!

As Jesus last words in the Bible state:

"He who testifies to these things, says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.'
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people.
Amen."
(Revelation 22:20-12)