Friday, October 2, 2015

Things To Come: Early Preparations For The Coming Gog-Magog Invasion Of Israel



There is no denying it. We know the invasion into Israel will come from the north and we know it will involve Iran and Russia. With Russian and Iranian military bases now in Syria, which is due north of Israel, we are seeing the early preparations of the invasion into Israel, whether at this point it is by intent or not is irrelevant - we are seeing the "stage-setting" in real time. 





In the Kremlin’s biggest military operation in the Middle East since 1941, Russian air and ground forces are now engaged in combat in Syria. And they are now operating just miles from the northern mountains of Israel.
The Kremlin’s stated objective is to defeat ISIS and protect the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a long-time Russian ally in the Middle East. But Vladimir Putin’s aggressive moves have broader, more ominous implications.

  1. Putin is a Czar, an imperialist, consumed with “Mother Russia’s” need to expand it’s borders and influence — and he is now on the move to seize control of the dynamic in the epicenter.
  2. Putin specifically wants to replace the United States as the dominant military and political force in the Near East. It’s been firm, bipartisan U.S. foreign policy since World War II to keep the Russian military out of the Middle East. Yet President Obama is surrendering the region to the Kremlin with breathtaking speed and foolish recklessness.
  3. Putin is not alone in making these moves — he is working hand-in-glove with Iran’s government, which is also sending military forces into Syria.
  4. The Hebrew prophet Ezekiel wrote 2,500 years ago that in the “last days” of history, Russia and Iran will form a military alliance to attack Israel from the north. Bible scholars refer to this eschatological conflict, described in Ezekiel 38-39, as the “War of Gog & Magog.” Are these sudden and dramatic moves by Moscow and Tehran are simply coincidental, or have prophetic implications?
In the days ahead, I will examine the prophetic angle.
For now, let’s simply consider the magnitude of what Putin is doing.

Putin is rapidly building two new Russian military bases in Syria, including a forward operating air base. He’s ordering Russian ground forces, tanks, heavy equipment into the Syrian theater. He’s ordered the Russian air force to launch bombing missions throughout Syria. He’s doing this in close coordination with the Iranian government and military. And today he signed orders to draft 150,000 more Russian men into the military.

As I wrote on September 16th, Putin is taking advantage of the geopolitical vacuum in the Middle East created by President Obama’s full-scale retreat from the region and appeasement of American enemies. And he’s not inching in — he’s going big and bold.
And the whole region is watching. Netanyahu was just in Moscow last week, holding an emergency meeting with Putin to discuss the dangers of this rapidly intensifying Russian-Iranian alliance.
Jordan, Egypt, the Saudis and the Gulf states are watching, too. They see America cutting them loose, and the Russian military surging into the region — not in advisory capacities as during the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli wars, but in full combat mode.

  • Top NATO general: Russia building anti-access bubble over Syria (Jerusalem Post) — “Russia is building advanced, long-range air defenses in its new air base on the Syrian coast, which could disrupt the military activities of the US and its allies in the sector, NATO’s top commander, Gen. Philip Breedlove, warned on Monday, according to a report that appeared in the Breaking Defense website…”





The Russian Air Force’s Su-34 Fullback strike fighters have destroyed an Islamic State command center and training camp, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Gen.-Maj. Igor Konashenkov said Friday.

“On October 1, Su-34s conducted strikes on an Islamic State training camp near the populated region of Mahdan-Jadid as well as against a covert command center near Qasert-Faraj to the southwest of Raqqa,” Konashenkov told journalists.

Russian Aerospace Forces jets carried out 18 sorties over the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, destroying a total of 12 targets in the past 24 hours, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Gen.-Maj. Igor Konashenkov said.

"Su-25 attack aircraft have struck an IS training camp in the vicinity of Maarat Numan in Idlib Province. They destroyed the terrorists’ bunkers, as well as arms and fuels depots," Konashenkov told reporters.

On Wednesday, Russia started carrying out pinpoint airstrikes on ISIL targets in Syria. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, during the first two days of the operation the country’s aircraft hit over 10 targets, among them an explosives factory, an arms depot and an IS coordination center. The targets were chosen based on intelligence, including air surveillance, gathered and verified by Russia and Syria.





Russia’s military intervention in Syria has five additional participants: China, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Hizballah.

China sent word to Moscow Friday, Oct. 2, that J-15 fighter bombers would shortly join the Russian air campaign that was launched Wednesday, Sept. 30. Baghdad has moreover offered Moscow an air base for targeting the Islamic State now occupying large swathes of Iraqi territory

Thursday night, China’s foreign minister Wang Yi, made this comment on the Syrian crisis at a UN Security Council session in New York: “The world cannot afford to stand by and look on with folded arms, but must also not arbitrarily interfere (in the crisis).”

A no less significant development occurred at about the same time when Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, speaking to the US PBS NewsHour, said he would welcome a deployment of Russian troops to Iraq to fight ISIS forces in his country too. As an added incentive, he noted that this would also give Moscow the chance to deal with the 2,500 Chechen Muslims whom, he said, are fighting with ISIS in Iraq.  

Al-Abadi’s words came against the backdrop of two events closely related to Russia’s expanding role in the war arena:

1.  A joint Russian-Iranian-Syrian-Iraqi war room has been working since last week out of the Iraqi Defense Ministry and military staff headquarters in Baghdad to coordinate the passage of Russian and Iranian airlifts to Syria and also Russian air raids. This command center is also organizing the transfer of Iranian and pro-Iranian Shiite forces into Syria.
2.  Baghdad and Moscow have just concluded a deal for the Russian air force to start using the Al Taqaddum Air Base at Habbaniyah, 74 km west of Baghdad, both as a way station for the Russian air corridor to Syria and as a launching-pad for bombing missions against ISIS forces and infrastructure in northern Iraq and northern Syria.

Russia has thus gained a military enclave in Iraq, just as it has in Syria, where it has taken over a base outside Latakia on the western coast of Syria. At the same time, the Habbaniyah air base also serves US forces operating in Iraq, which number an estimated 5,000.





Speaking at UN headquarters in New York, Abdallah al-Mouallimi called on Moscow to stop its bombing campaign of anti-government targets in Syria, claiming that innocent victims were being targeted.
"The delegation of my country expresses its profound concern regarding the military operations which Russian forces have carried out in Homs and Hama — places where ISIS [ISIL] forces are not present.
The criticism comes as Russian officials confirmed that a number of "well known" militant groups, including ISIL, would be targeted as part of its bombing campaign in Syria, carried out upon the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Russian Presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said:

"These organizations are well-known and the targets are chosen in coordination with the armed forces of Syria."

Moscow also denied accusations that it was responsible for the deaths of 33 civilians in an airstrike in the town of Rastan, with Russian President Vladimir Putin saying that reports of Russian-caused civilian casualties had surfaced "even before our planes got in the air."

As the war of words continues, the Saudi accusations that Russia should stop its bombing campaign due to civilian casualties raises questions of double standards.

Saudi Arabia — through its cooperation in the US-led coalition against ISIL — has been taking part in airstrikes against strategic ISIL targets in Syria since September 2014, while also working with various "moderate" Islamist groups opposed to Assad's government.
Officially, the US-led coalition has taken responsibility for only two civilian deaths as a result of the airstrikes, with the bombing campaign described as the "the most precise and disciplined in the history of aerial warfare" by US Lt Gen John Hesterman.
However, many questions remain over the precision of such figures, with the Airwars project — a campaign undertaken by a team of independent journalists — claiming that there was credible evidence linking the US-led strikes to 591 civilian deaths in Syria and Iraq over the past 12 and a half months.
This was backed up by a report in the Guardian newspaper, which cited a US Central Command (CENTCOM) figure, as saying civilians may have been killed in up to 71 separate attacks.
Meanwhile, Russia has maintained that it has consistently followed international law over the Syrian crisis, only taking part in airstrikes, following an official request from the Syrian government.
On top of reports of the heavy civilian impact of the US-led anti-ISIL coalition in Iraq and Syria, there has been international condemnation of Saudi Arabia's actions in Yemen. 
Just as Saudi Arabia demanded Russia halt its airstrikes in Syria, the UN called on Riyadh to stop its own campaign in Yemen, revealing that an estimated 2,300 civilians had been killed and a further 4,800 wounded in the country since March.
A recent report released by the UN high commissioner's office found that close to two-thirds of reported civilian deaths "had allegedly been caused by [Saudi-led] coalition airstrikes, which were also responsible for almost two-thirds of damaged or destroyed civilian public buildings."



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13 comments:

WVBORN56 said...

Wow, wow, wow! Front row seats to God's prophetic word unfolding before our eyes! Glad I don't have to take any flying lessons before the harpazo! Ready for lift off! Looking forward to meeting the PROPHECY UPDATE family in person! I'm sorry, but I'm not one to play it close to the vest. I'm the guy in the middle of the football huddle firing up the rest of the team. I am easily excited and this sure looks like..... game time! :)

For those who have not yet joined the Lord's team. Please prayerfully consider the truth of John 3:16 and Romans 10:9. Jesus loves you and is our only provision for entering heaven. His shed blood can wash away every sin you ever committed and that is God's requirement to enter heaven. Jesus said of himself, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but through me" Don't miss entering the "ark" of safety. The storm of all storms (7 year tribulation) is coming!

Scott said...

Lol WV i think you're awesome! And i agree too! God bless

Sparky said...

Wv born , SPOT ON BRO ! This world has no idea what they are facing , and ww3 is just the start , I'm so glad I KNOW I HAVE ETERNAL LIFE BECAUSE OF THE WORKS OF THE CHRIST , our Christ , OUR KING , KING JESUS , KING JESUS , thank you king Jesus ,

WVBORN56 said...

:) Scott back at you brother! Be blessed!

Sparky said...

Chinese j15 jets have just joined Russia now , who can foolishly deny we are looking down the barrel of ww3 , it's all about Albert pikes satsnic vision from his spirit guide about how to use 3 world wars to usher in satans anti Christ

Bt374 said...

It truly is an honor and a privilege to begin to see what so many generations faithfully watched for. I pray the Holy Spirit would continue to prick the hearts of those who have not put their faith in Jesus Christ. At my place of work, in my own home, and in my church, God is moving every day! What an awe-inspiring thing to see the hand of God at work.

ally said...

WV, crazy isn't it? Just how incredibly amazingly accurately infallible God's word is! And we are watching it all go down before our eyes. It's hard fir me not to run down the street screaming "he's coming, he's coming"

WVBORN56 said...

Amen Ally!

Waterer said...

I thought the articles on Gog Magog from Rosenberg were excellent.Scripture will hold us in the road so to speak as this roller coaster heats up. I found the Word to point us into seeing the alliances but the specifics are still a ways out there in time. I mean Gog is not called from Syria but the far north. and the warfare seems to indicate a lack of modern power( horses,shields and swords) and the plunder is used to burn for fuel..Also Israel sits not only secure but with a richness of land and cattle that they come to get. My thoughts are that if the Damascus war is first and Israel is left nearly destitute that there is some time yet for this to unfold. They would need to populate and increase again in every way.I know there are no signs for the Rapture but for the 70th week we have a little time or more.

Scott said...

The point with Gog coming from the far north is this...Actually two things...To come from the far north, there has to be a staging area in between as they come from the far north - especially for ground troops - Syria is the perfect place for that.

Also, I'm personally not convinced that the invasion is 100% on horseback.

We don't know exactly what John saw...I know Hal Lindsey believes that John did the best he could as far as descriptive terminology - in his century, of course he wouldn't have had the language to say "tanks and Humvees"....This applies to a couple of passages in Rev. as well...I'm not saying this has to be true, but its another perspective worth mentioning.....When John saw men on jeeps - saying that he saw them (the nations with Gog (NIV) - may not even be the "Gog" troops, the "many nations with you")

Also, it is worth considering - John saw the action on the mountains of Israel - perhaps he saw a sub-set of the bigger invasion as he saw what was taking olace in the mountainous regions per say - where much of the action even today is on horseback.

Or - perhaps we are in a post EMP scenario where the electronics have been ruined and the invasion is totally in a more primitive way, I believe thats possible too..

I just wouldn't be absolute on this one.....And I'm waiting for a response in 3....2....1 from Mrs C to be highly vocal in disagreement - thats OK - we can agree to disagree (and the funny thing is, I'm not even really disagreeing - I just see more than one absolute possibility in my reading of these scriptures and I DO think Hal Lindsey makes a good point in John's inability to describe 21st century things in his century, and I do also see the possibility of a post-electronic world there, in the event of an EMP or nuclear weapon etc disabling electronics - I can see that scenario as well

Waterer said...

I've heard Lindsey's take on that too.. But in Ezekiel twice it mentions how all of them come with shields and swords, With Lindsey I can see that logic with the machine like insects ( helicopters looking like flying grasshoppers etc) But horses are horses.( the four horseman and Jesus comes riding on one. He knew horses and so did Ezekiel.) I think the emp thing makes more sense in that in the case of a nuclear event that may cause such a thing,it may even be a defense mechanism shot to intercept a nuke but I really know little about that other than the danger of missiles being shot from offshore that may cause an emp.I am amazed with what is happening from the refugee crisis to the alignment of the specific countries with Russia. What is your take on the turn against Christians and the passages of being turned over that Jesus gives in His end times explanations? I see this as areal current event that is growing and coming and it feels like it is a start of a new birth pang.

Waterer said...

Scott, Where does John describe Gog Magog?

Scott said...

In the first instance, I said John instead of Ezekiel...I'm tired and need to take a break from this...But in the case of John making certain descriptions in Revelation, he makes reference to John's not able to understand what he was seeing...I was drawing a parallel to Ezekiel