Dear friends and readers,
It's a good thing that I have three blogs because the news is coming at us so quickly that I cannot publish fast enough. Normally this blog is reserved for encouraging the church to GET BACK TO BASICS, but right now I feel it far more important to address headline news.
Unfortunately Israel and news from the Middle East is buried deep within daily news casts because the "talking heads" on most channels are far more interested in Russian collusion or speculation over who the President may have played "footsie" with years ago. The REAL stories are not often reported and frankly when they are, I am totally stunned by the naiveté of people who should know better.
The following headline news has been repeated on multiple occasions by several people on nightly news programs just this week;
"WE ARE ON THE BRINK OF WORLD WAR III!" This, by several retired generals, and in some cases even retired high ranking diplomats and a few heads of state---not to mention very many liberal left wing news commentators.
For the record at least Biblically speaking I do not see a war approaching the status of a WORLD WAR until Armageddon. I do see a large conflict written in Psalm 83 plus a someday invasion of Israel by Gog from the land of Magog---Ezekiel 38-39. And of course events must play out one way or another that will set the prophetic stage for the total and complete destruction of the ancient Syrian city of Damascus. I should note however that no specific Biblical texts dealt with the overall circumstances involved with either WWI or WWII. So who knows, perhaps more surprises are in store.
My purpose today is to bring you up to speed on things that are currently underway that many news programs skip completely. First as you know, Israel and Iran (from within Syria) have begun trading rocket fire and this is the basis for many thinking that this could escalate into a world wide conflagration. And of course parts "B" and "C" of that scenario are the formal opening of the United States Embassy in Jerusalem this week. Then, very many politicians and heads of state seem to believe that President Trump canceling the JPOA agreement with Iran could grow into a firestorm not easily quenched. JPOA is the acronym for "JOINT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF ACTION" that was signed into being on July 14, 2015.
This agreement was just that---a simple non binding agreement because absolutely no one including the United State Senate ratified this as a formal treaty. But it was taken seriously by the signatories who are the United States, Russia, China, France, United Kingdom and Germany and of course the target of this deal being Iran and it's desire to field Ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads. Of course Iran has insisted all along that they only wanted peaceful nuclear facilities to produce power for their electric grids. But that is a pill extremely difficult to swallow in view of Iran's 60 year track record of calling for the total destruction of Israel, the United States and virtually any and all democratic forms of government worldwide.
Next on the very troubling hit parade of impending violence is the fact that Hezbollah (proxy army for Iran (ancient Persia---and sworn enemy of Israel) just won big time in the Lebanese parliamentary elections. Like it or not some governments are now in the unenviable position of having to recognize Hezbollah as a government entity even though they are really a terrorist thug organization bent upon total and complete destruction of Israel. And that puts the United States in a real political "pickle" because Uncle Sam has been pumping mega military support and training into the LAF (Lebanese armed forces) for many years. In fact reports coming out of Israel declare that the LAF has received over 1 1/2 BILLION dollars worth of advanced weapons systems including the training of 32,000 LAF military forces. This has been happening since 2007 and according to a well know commentator, Caroline Glick of Breaking Israel news, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut reported that in 2017 alone, the U.S. provided 32 M1A2 Bradley fighting vehicles, 50 armored Humvees, small aircraft armed with hellfire missiles, 55 mortar systems, 50 Mark-19 automatic grenade launchers, 1100 machine guns including 800 50 caliber weapons, 4000 M4 rifles, over 1/2 million rounds on ammunition, 320 night vision thermal devices, and 360 secure communications radios.
So what you say? As it stands right now, Hezbollah through the latest parliamentary elections is clearly in charge of Lebanon and since Hezbollah is a puppet army of Iran, so is the entire country of Lebanon which is exactly on Israel's northern boarder. Did I neglect to mention that Hezbollah already has 150,000 rockets and missiles pointed at Israeli cities?
So, now because of inept U.S. foreign policy on the part of past Presidents, the current President Donald Trump faces an untenable situation; The U.S.A. stands solidly in support of Israel who will most likely be facing U.S. made and supplied weaponry in a war with Hezbollah that could break out at any minute---REALLY!
In the mean while Iran is doing all it can to build forward military bases in the war torn country of Syria which is also on Israel's boarder to the north east.
Hamas is in a full scale uprising in Gaza and have announced that they are planning to turn out hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the next week to overwhelm Israel's security fences and Israel has now moved several brigades of troops to the Gaza fences to defend Israeli territory.
To make matters worse, the Turkish news paper YENI SAFEK says that they and many Arab and Muslim leaders are calling for a new global "army of Islam" to march against Israel and take Jerusalem.
Speaking of Turkey---a once democratic nation with secular values, the current President has succeeded in turning the entire nation into a hotbed of Islamic fundamentalist extremists all of whom hate Israel AND the United States and although still officially a NATO country, have now aligned themselves with Iran, Russia and to an extent China, all of whom are enemies of Israel and the U.S.A.
Syria itself has been engulfed in a deadly civil war which has now lasted 7 full years since 2011. Russia, Turkey, Iran and the United States are all on the ground in that country with armed forces. How long before mass conflict breaks out between these forces all of whom have divergent military and political goals?
And this very week the tinder box has become full. A box of events, any one of which could well begin a massive war that could draw in very many countries---and that is why so many are speculating about WWIII.
1). Today, May 13 is Jerusalem remembrance day. It commemorates the reunification of Jerusalem in Israeli hands after the six day war of 1967. This is a day thoroughly hated by Muslims who are the predominant population groups in 50 countries.
2). Ramadan begins on May 15 and signals the largest convergence of Muslims worldwide and that begins in Saudi Arabia and goes through June 14.
3). The move of the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem with be dedicated tomorrow May 14th which is also the 70th birthday of the New State of Israel from May 14, 1948. Interestingly, Prime Minister David Ben Gurion announced the new State of Israel at exactly 4 p.m. on that date. The dedication of the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem is scheduled for precisely 4 p.m.
4). The Iran nuclear deal between several nations and Iran was canceled last week at least as far as the United States is concerned but this has caused yet another political firestorm, and more predictions of WWIII. Standing with the United States in this decision are Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates. Standing in solidarity against the decision by the United States are Russia, China, The United Kingdom, France, Germany and of course Iran.
All of these things and more could ignite the firestorm of war with the slightest little spark either militarily or politically. Only time will tell.
But of further significance in the near future are 1). May 20th represents the day (on the Gregorian calendar) that the Holy Spirit came to the church, the day of PENTECOST in Acts chapter 2.
2). July 22 is the fast of the ninth of Av on the Jewish religious calendar. This particular day lives in infamy. Over the centuries very bad things have happened to Israel (and some times the world) exactly on the ninth of Av. Both Temples were destroyed on this day. Seminal events that kicked off both WWI and WWII happened on this day. Going back in time, when the Hebrew spies went into the promised land and became frightened, they were responsible for Israel NOT doing what God had commanded. Ninth of Av---resulted in the people of Israel wondering in the wilderness for 40 years. During the Simon Bar Kockba revolt against Rome, The final battle was fought and the Jews defeated at Betar. Ninth of Av. The Jews were later expelled (all in different years) exactly on the ninth of Av from England and Spain.
Will anything happen this year? Only time will tell.
I will close with a Biblical admonition from Psalm 122:6-9 "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, prosperity within your palaces. For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, peace be within you. Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek your good".
Did you happen to notice the part that says "MAY THEY PROSPER WHO LOVE YOU"! A Biblical promise to be sure.
God bless you all in this time of turmoil,
Pastor Rance.
