Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Daily Headlines: Proxy Wars And Tipping Points

We've already seen how the U.S. is becoming more and more involved in the conflict in Syria (see here) with support for the radical Islamic groups who are attemtping to overthrow Assad's regime.

Russia, Iran and Turkey have chosen sides and they are exerting full effort to keep Assad in power.

This proxy war is heating up:


Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is preparing a major offensive in the coming days against the opposition targeting his regime, an informed Syrian government source confirmed.

The source told WND yesterday Assad was warned by Russia that if the coming counterinsurgency targeting the opposition is not successful in the next 4-6 weeks, Syria should be prepared for a war

“We have confronted the Russians about stopping their continued arms shipments to Syria,” said Clinton. “They have, from time to time, said that we shouldn’t worry – everything they are shipping is unrelated to their [the Syrian government's] actions internally. That’s patently untrue.”

Continued Clinton: “And we are concerned about the latest information we have that there are attack helicopters on the way from Russia to Syria, which will escalate the conflict quite dramatically.


The Obama administration said Tuesday that Russia is sending attack helicopters to Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime and warned that the Arab country's 15-month conflict could become even deadlier.

With diplomacy at a standstill, the reported shipment of helicopters suggests a dangerous new turn for Syria after more than a year of harsh government crackdowns on mainly peaceful protests and the emergence of an increasingly organized armed insurgency.

Russia and Syria have a longstanding military relationship and Syria hosts Russia's only naval base on the Mediterranean Sea.

Russian military support in the form of materiel as advanced as attack helicopters would deal a serious blow to efforts to starve the Syrian army of supplies.


Given the worsening crisis in Syria, the Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper reported that the Russian army is apparently being prepared for a mission in Syria. Citing anonymous sources in the military leadership, the newspaper said that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the general staff to work out a plan for military operations outside Russia, including in Syria.

The units being prepared for an intervention are the 76th Division of airborne forces (an especially experienced unit of the Russian army), the 15th Army Division, as well as special forces from a brigade of the Black Sea fleet, which has a base in the Syrian port of Tartus.

According to the newspaper report, deployment depends on the decision of the Russian government and the UN. However, the plans also foresee that the troops might intervene without UN approval.

On Monday last week, three Russian warships were sighted off the Syrian coast. An anonymous source from the Russian government told the Iranian newspaper Tehran Times that Moscow wants to show NATO that it will not allow any military operation against Damascus under the guise of a humanitarian mission.





In Europe:



The European Commission has been providing legal advice to others who are considering possible scenarios should Greece leave the euro, a European Union spokesman said.

Olivier Bailly said Tuesday that, legally, limits could be imposed on movement of people and money across national borders within the EU if it's necessary to protect public order or public security — but not on economic grounds.

"Some people are working on scenarios," he said, but refused to confirm or identify which organizations and people were working on them.



Olivier Bailly said Tuesday that, legally, limits could be imposed on movement of people and money across national borders within the EU if it’s necessary to protect public order or public security — but not on economic grounds.

EU finance bosses have discussed controlling ATM withdrawals, subjecting the citizens of member states to rigorous border checks, and imposing capital controls “as a worst-case scenario should Athens decide to leave the euro,” Reuters reports.

The banksters are seriously worried about the a second Greek election on June 17 and are working on “contingencies” should a leftist coalition, SYRIZA, win the second election and increase the probability that Greece will ultimately renege on its EU/IMF bailout and dump the euro currency.

SYRIZA is a Greek abbreviation for Coalition of the Radical Left. It is comprised primarily of democratic socialists, green left groups and Maoist, Trotskyist and eurocommunist organizations.


On Monday, EU central banksters rushed to prevent a run on Spain’s banks as they teetered on the edge of disaster.


Fitch Ratings last week cut Spain’s credit rating to BBB, just above junk status.

The EU’s third largest economy is also looking for a bailout. Italy believes the deal to prop up Spain represents “the removal of a filter” that separated Spain and Italy from the group of heavily indebted EU countries, with Greece leading the way. Italy’s “public debt” currently accounts for 120 percent of its GDP


The banksters warn that Italy will follow Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain, and eventually seek an aid package as the EU begins its descent.

It now appears the EU will impose some sort of police action to prevent its citizen-subjects from taking money out of banks and preventing them from fleeing the country as chaos ensues in the wake of one country after another toppling.



European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has said member states must agree to a big common budget, a future banking union and - ultimately - political union in order to save the EU.

Barroso, EU Council president Herman Van Rompuy, European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi and Jean-Claude Juncker - the head of the euro-using countries' club, the Eurogroup - are drafting a joint paper on how EU leaders can stop the crisis.

"I will urge the European Council to take concrete commitments towards a fully developed economic and monetary union and a process that maps out the steps how to get there," Barroso told MEPs.

He said the next step - which "might require [EU] treaty changes" - would be a "banking union."

Barroso's final step - fiscal and political union - would see EU countries issue joint bonds, co-ordinate tax policy and co-ordinate national spending on everything from healthcare to schools and social welfare.




The U.S. And The World:



The industrial countries have a choice. They can act as if all is well except that their consumers are in a funk and so what John Maynard Keynes called "animal spirits" must be revived through stimulus measures. Or they can treat the crisis as a wake-up call and move to fix all that has been papered over in the last few decades and thus put themselves in a better position to take advantage of coming opportunities.


Today John Embry told King World News that, despite the rally, investors should brace for “global financial crisis II.” Embry also said this crisis will be “more unpleasant than the first one.” Embry, who is Chief Investment Strategist of the $10 billion strong Sprott Asset Management, also told KWN that gold and silver will reign supreme during the upcoming turmoil. But first, Embry had to say about the Egon von Greyerz prediction of a massive global bailout: “I believe that’s very realistic. They will go down the path of trying to continually bail this system out to prevent a collapse. Nobody wants to be at the helm when the ship goes down, so they will try to move heaven and earth to prevent that.”


“The only way they can do that is with exactly what Egon (von Greyerz) suggested, and that is with a massive, global bailout. I think it’s absolutely essential that the listeners be aware of the depth of the problem, and not listen to the mainstream media which glosses over everything and tells you to be in the conventional assets and that everything is going to work out fine. I don’t believe that’s going to be the case.


Either you take the debt clean-out right away, and that means a very hard deflationary depression, or you do what I suspect they will try to do and that is keep pumping money into the system to keep the whole banking (system), derivatives and economies afloat.


That will lead to some sort of monetary distress that could end in hyperinflation. I think that’s the worst outcome, but there is no good outcome. Basically you have a set of circumstances, that past events have created, which leads to no good avenue going forward.”



Pacepa, who served as a top aide in the Romanian communist regime, tells Accuracy in Media, “The Democratic Party has become dangerously infected with the Marxism virus. I recognize the symptoms because I once lived through them, and I believe it is my obligation as an American citizen to help the conservative movement to prevent any further spread of Marxism in my adopted country.”

But Pacepa speaks out, saying that, in addition to the White House hiring Van Jones, he saw the Marxist agenda at work in the agenda of the White House and the Democrat-controlled Congress during Obama’s first two years, when they “began dutifully following in Marx’s footsteps by redistributing our country’s wealth and putting under government control a part of its health care, banking system, and automobile industry.” His observation is this regard is not unique, but Pacepa goes further, citing evidence of how planks in the Communist Manifesto parallel the Obama legislative agenda. Yet, Romney doesn’t want to call Obama a socialist because of what the liberal media will say about the charge.

“Marxism is a malignant tumor on the body of any country,” Pacepa writes, highlighting the stakes involved in the presidential campaign. “This is another thing I learned during my years at the top of Marxist Romania. Marxism, like any cancer, works silently—you can feel it only after it has spread throughout the whole body, and then it is usually too late.”

Recal from Isaiah 17:4, Israel is destined to take a hit around the time of the destruction of Damascus:

"In that day, the glory of Jacob will fade; the fat of his body will waste away"

Could this information be foreshadowing of what is to come (don't forget about Syria's arsenal of chemical weapons)?



Israel will evacuate the entire population of Tel Aviv if it is hit by missiles, particularly if they have unconventional warheads, the commander in charge of Israel's central region told AFP.

Colonel Adam Zusman, chief of the Home Front Command in Israel's Gush Dan region, which encompasses the city of Tel Aviv and its environs, said an attack on the centre of the country would force massive evacuations.

"In case of a missile attack on the centre of Israel, especially unconventional, the population from Tel Aviv and other cities will be evacuated and relocated in other areas of the country," Zusman told AFP in an interview at the weekend.

"Massive evacuations will take place in case of unconventional attacks and if buildings are destroyed by a missile."

Zusman said Israel continued to face serious threats from Iran and its allies, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Gaza's Hamas rulers.

"We estimate that in case of war, hundreds of missiles will hit Tel Aviv and its nearby cities. As a result of these attacks, there will be hundreds of Israeli casualties.

"In the next war, nobody will be able to drink a coffee in Dizengoff," he said, referring to a popular street in downtown Tel Aviv.

"Israeli civilians will have to face the threat. Today, every civilian is threatened in Israel."



18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Can you imagine what it must be like to live in Israel right now. The fear that they must feel. I think of the moms and dads and the worry they have for the safety of their children. I pray for them.

I pray for the Christians in the Middle east. Oh my, what it must be like for them. Pray they will continue to have faith, trust and endure to the end.

We here in America are so blessed. I have at least eight or so bibles,and many christian books, we have the freedom for now to read, study, go to the church of our choice. We have no clue what it is to suffer for the sake of Christ.

I get frustrated at Christians, myself included. We need to take this opportunity that God has given us and tell all about the gospel of grace. The sooner we do this, the sooner the fullness of the Gentiles will come. Pray that the lost will encounter a real born again Christian that will share the gospel with them. That a door will be opened .

Great blog Scott. I pray for all of my brothers in sisters in Christ.

MB

Alice said...

Can the saber rattling get any louder?

And "global bailout"... is that an oxymoron?

MB, beautiful and powerful thoughts this morning! Those are my prayers, exactly!

Thank you Scott! God bless you!

We are oh, so close! Even so, come Lord Jesus! Maranatha!

Mrs.C said...

“Putin to Visit Israel Amid Syria, Iran Concerns”
06/12/12
“Russian president to visit Israel for first time in 7 years; Moscow's stance regarding Syria, Iran at odds with Israeli positions.”
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=273624

WHAT!? Why now? Talk about evil itself coming to town! Whew! We’ll see if Putin's "visiting" Israel actually does happen, and if it does, what for? A warning to Israel face to face? Does he want to know more about “Flame” as it was the Russian company Kaspersky that discovered it, AND Russia is one of the countries the Flame virus has infected. This virus has been actively, spying, sabotaging, some experts say for 5 to 8 years! They also have now confirmed that Stuxnet and the Flame were created by the same people.

“Flame Computer Virus Linked to Stuxnet: Researchers”
“High concentrations of computers compromised by Flame were also found in Lebanon, the West Bank and Hungary. Additional infections have been reported in Austria, Russia, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates.”
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-06-12/news/32194943_1_stuxnet-computer-worm-flame

Putin presently may or may not come to “visit” Israel , we shall see! Considering Putin fits the character and behavior of Gog to a T!.It may not be a “visit”, but rather an invasion that quickly follows the coming Isaiah 17 war, that will bring Putin to Israel…WOW just WOW!

God Bless!

Dylan said...

So Putin will go to Israel but O'bummer will not.

Caver said...

Dylan, our thoughts here exactly.

Our muslim-n-chief won't go. Still, I marvel at the brilliance of how Bibi has turned Obama's initial disdain and arrogance into his advantage.

Anonymous said...

Gold and Silver bulls are mistaken.
Those markets WILL BE CRASHING
along with stocks soon enough.

EWI has made a VERY STRONG CASE
that the ONLY SAFE place in the
coming collapse will be the dollar.

Bulls continue their little silly
games of ALWAYS trying to believe
there is a "bull market" somewhere.

I doubt it.

A bull in the US dollar yes, BUT
NO WHERE ELSE !!!!

With that being said, stocks are
on the VERGE of a number 3 crash.
BUT the ONLY way it will happen is
with a break of 12, 100....

last nite the level of 12, 288
was discussed, but that appears
to be ONLY a set up level.

The MAIN level is still 12, 100.

ANY VIOLATION of that, and it is
BYE BYE for bulls....

ALOHA !!!!

Stephen >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

BTW >>>>> Efforts to LIMIT ATM
withdrawals in the EU will lead
to a massive EU bank run.
Loss of confidence is the END result of a BEAR pattern in social
mood....and THE USA will not be
able to escape.

They did not in 1929, they will
not now....

Stephen >>>>>>>>>>>>

Barry said...

What about the peace and safety? I thought Ezekiel said that they would be living in peace and safty (Ezekiel 38:11)when Gog and his armies invade Israel? God Bless

Scott said...

Peace and security is a better and more accurate description. Israel is actually more secure today, particularly militarily, than they have been since 1948.

Mrs.C said...

Hi Brother Barry,:)
The words "Peace and safety", comes from 1 Thessalonians 5:3. :) In Ezekiel 38, Gods Word says that Israel is "at rest", followed by a comma, "that dwell safely".

Ezekiel 38:11
11.And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,

1 Thessalonians 5:3
3For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

God describes His People as being "at rest" followed by the enhancement of "dwell safely". Why "at rest"? At "rest" from what? They will be recovering from the horrendous Isaiah 17 war, which leaves them helpless, severely wounded, and vulnerable to the Ezekiel 38 invasion just as God wants them to be. They will have God, and God only to save them.
Ezekiel looked into the future at Israel, and saw no "defense" walls around the many cities (villages) of Israel. The walls of Ezekiel’s day, wouldnt stop missiles or anything else for that matter in today’s world. In addition, a "village" in Ezekiel’s day, without walls, would indicate that they have no enemies - no need for defensive walls, they were secure, safe. Israel ALREADY feels "safe" in their state of mind. To quote Bibi from just a month ago.

“It was only a few years ago that people did not feel safe in this country, and today the situation is different”

God Bless!

Anonymous said...

That makes no sense.
There can be no rest in "helpless, severely wounded, and vulnerable".
That sounds very fearfull and very very far away from rest and secure.
Many other prophecy scholars show that the middle portions of Isaiah 17 had there fulfillment in the past when they were carried away.

Israel will suffer some loss but Israel will win greatly and the world will be afraid of them because of what they did to Damascus.
They will rest from the labor of war and they will be secure and prosper for a time intil Gog comes for the spoil.
Only the remnant will suspect that it does not add up to the whole story but the rest will be unsuspecting and full of pride in their military power.

What Colonel Zusman says is more truthfull for the people.
Bibi speaks as a politician from the gov and military point of view to reassure his people and to warn the nations around them.
That is not very reassuring.
Only after Isaiah 17 they will have no enemies but only for a while.
Blessings
PR

Mrs.C said...

Brother/Sister PR,
After fighting a multiple fronted war in Isaiah 17, Israel will NEED rest and recovery! They are “secure” as you say, only because GOD HIMSELF NOT ISRAEL, had stepped in at the end of the Isaiah 17 war to prevent His People from being completely wiped out! Many read the first Verse of Isaiah 17, and go no further. Isaiah 17 is God describing the events of that war. It begins with Israel taking out Damascus, followed by Jordan then the West Bank. Israel is surviving, but then as He tells us in His Word , something catastrophic happens. God also tells us why He allows this to happen to His People.
Forgive me, but “many prophecy scholars” are in error stating that the “middle portion” (as you refer to it) of Isaiah 17, has already occurred in the past. God is describing a continual event as it occurs, and in future tense, not past tense. There are plenty of “prophecy scholars” out there that see His Word in the “middle portions” as it truly is, and that is the almost complete destruction of His People in the Isaiah 17 war.

No matter what these “scholars” say, what do you say? Have you read the Isaiah 17 Chapter yourself with discernment from the Holy Spirit ?
There is absolutely NOTHING in Gods Word in Isaiah 17 that God says Israel will “win greatly, nor that the “world will be afraid of them after Damascus”. Nothing at all within the context of that Chapter. There are many false teachings of this out there, one in particular comes to mind, and its amazing how this person himself refers to his teachings as his “ideas” or “theory”, yet he leads so many astray with that teaching. They cherry pick different Scriptures out of context, to create the “theory” they have, and folks just run with it. This is so important, because at this moment in all of time, presenting false teachings to non-believers for example, could effect their decision to accept Jesus as their Savior. It also causes confusion and delusion to Believers. Example this “Israel will prosper over years” after the Isaiah 17 war, gives some Believers a false sense that there is an extended amount of time, when there isn’t, we are that close.
Please provide the Scripture within Isaiah 17 context, that says that Israel “wins greatly” and the “world is afraid of them because of what they did to Damascus”? If Israel “wins greatly”, why are they not fighting themselves at the end of the Isaiah 17 war? Why does God Himself have to step in and save them ? If Israel is “winning” and so “afraid” of Israel, then why are ALL of the surrounding enemy nations emboldened to “rush in” to finish her off?

Mrs.C said...

(Continued)

Ezekiel 38, please provide the Scripture within context, that says that Israel will “prosper for a time”. Again, that coincides with the false teaching out there. Israel will not “prosper”, in fact it will be just the opposite and that is exactly how God Himself has orchestrated the back to back wars of Isaiah 17 and Ezekiel 38 wars. Isaiah 17, He brings them to their knees, and begins to turn back to them, then Ezekiel 38 He comes back to them in full Covenant once again. Gog invades Israel for retaliatory reasons, hatred and revenge is the “hook in the jaw”, and Israel will be at her most vulnerable for invasion after the Isaiah 17 war. There will be no Israeli “military power”, Gods Word does not say that at all. Does God say something like “and My People went into battle with Gog” ? Who is destroying Gog in Ezekiel 38? God Himself, not Israel or any of their “military”. Why? Because it was decimated in the Isaiah 17 war. Ezekiel 38 is all about God Himself destroying Gog, and after thousands of years, revealing Himself to His People and the world once again. ALL of the Glory will be to Him, and Him alone, no one else He makes that very clear.

Ezekiel 38 :23
23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.

God Bless!

Scott said...

Yep - I completely agree with that entire analysis Mrs C - thanks for that.

Mrs.C said...

Your very welcome Brother Scott but all credit is always to His Holy Spirit :)
It is a privilege for all of us to study His Word together. Thank you Brother, for all of your hard work in Service to Him, and most importantly for your obedience to Him in these Last Days. Brother, we all are so Blessed by what you do...
God Bless You Brother!

Scott said...

I wonder if God will assign us to follow the events of the Tribulation from Heaven and post on the "Heaven Blog - Events of the Tribulation" (NOOOOOOOOOO) - Just kidding :).......I'll be playing Golf on my new course in New Jerusalem (kidding....kind of....:)

PR said...

I should have specifically address that to Barry. Sorry.
It was my intention to let others know that there are other equally valid opinions on the Isaiah and Ezekial war(s).
None of this is written in stone yet and I am open minded to facts and biblical reasons that support a better understanding of these scriptures.

There are also other scholars that believe that there is only one war, the Ezekial 38 war.
They believe that the neighboring nations are only mentoned individually in Isaiah 17 is because they are the initiating first wave of coalition nations as Gog begins to swarm in.
I can accept that opinion as a distant 2nd place because Russian hoards are already increasing their position in Syria.
But I see some problems with that opinion too.

I was disturbed by your opinion given to Barry with such a tortured interpretation of "rest" and "safe"(secure) from their natural meaning and in changing context that would leave them "helpless, severely wounded, and vulnerable".
There is absolutely nothing going from Isaiah in to Ezekial to say that they are left in such a terrifying state before Gog decends on them.
Those three words of absolute terror are so far away from any remote meaning of "rest and secure" that it should be ok for discussion.

But maybe not anymore.
Are there now certain topics that are verboten?
And then it will turn personal?
Why do you need to insult me and other Christians when I express my opinion?

"No matter what these “scholars” say, what do you say?"
I did. At the end of my own short post I did not see Kelly, Rosenberg, Salus, or any other "scholar's" name. I see my own initials.
Is that necessary?
Your point is what?
that I'm just parroting?

"Have you read the Isaiah 17 Chapter yourself with discernment from the Holy Spirit ?"
That is a harsh barb that is not even thinly veiled.
cont.

PR said...

"Forgive me, but “many prophecy scholars” are in error stating that the “middle portion” (as you refer to it) of Isaiah 17, has already occurred in the past."
"God is describing a continual event as it occurs, and in future tense, not past tense."

Are you denying confirmed history that 17 was written "future tense" before Sennacharib's invasion?
Are you denying that it was looking forward to its partial fulfillment in ch37 and 2Chron19?
Are you denying that Jacob was made lean and carried away in to captivity in fulfillment of vss3-5?
There are many prophecies that are multi-part, partial and dual fulfillment.
Are you denying that also?

Putting "quotes" around “prophecy scholars” and declaring them to be "in error" and "false teachings" is unjust condemnation and deliberately demeaning to good Christian scholars who have opinions that are different from your opinion.
I do not see these scholars doing that to each other.

"presenting false teachings to non-believers for example, could effect their decision to accept Jesus"
"gives some Believers a false sense that there is an extended amount of time, when there isn’t"
Opinions on this passage are not doctrines esential to salvation.

I read in Richard Wurmbrant's "Tortured for Christ" where a fragment of a verse was powerful enough for God to save a soul.
I have read similar examples in the Chinese prisons too.
If God is longsuffering not willing that any should perish and saves with only a fragment of his word why raise a non-issue?
Why are you in such a rush for war?
There are other portions of Isaiah and Ezek. that I wanted to focus on.
There is such a distracting cloud of smoke covering your opinion that it only draws attention to itself.
Creating fear and drama to support your opinion does not lend any credability to it.
It is not my intention to get drawn in to a long difference of opinion with you.
Blessings
PR

Anonymous said...

PR
You comments present an interesting view in progress not mentioned before. Mrs C has 'cornered the market' so to speak and will not easily allow her franshaise to be tampered with; or Scott his devotion to her every unchallenged version of events. I, for one, would love to get a fresh injection taking into account a wider range of Scripture as a challenge to what has become 'she who must be obeyed'. Thanks to you PR for daring to open a window and let in some fresh air. Please don't allow yourself to be chased away as happens all to often. Please tell us what you know and I will read the comments section more often with interest!
God bless you PR

G&P