Mideast Matters May Meltdown in 2010!
Prophecy News Stand (Link) - Bill Salus (April 14, 2010)
Major Mideast wars are coming according to the Bible prophecies in Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38-39. It would be prudent for people to prepare now, in 2010, for their soon and sequential arrivals.
It is public knowledge that as of December 2009 Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, and Hamas became allied together by bonafide war pacts against Israel. Iran is a member of Ezekiel 38-39 and Syria, Hezbollah, and Hamas appear to be identified in Psalm 83. These war pacts reportedly commit them to fight alongside each other should any of them come under attack by Israel. Had these war pacts been in place during the 22 day conflict between Israel and Hamas that ended in January 2009, the outcome could have been dramatically different.
Back then the Israeli Defense Forces (I.D.F.) seemingly ambushed Hamas with their retaliatory show of force and caught these others off guard. None of them were able to lift a finger to rescue Hamas from the pounding inflicted by the I.D.F. Iran�s nuclear program was incomplete, Hezbollah was in the process of restocking their rocket arsenals, and Syrian war scars from 1948, 1967, and 1973 made them reluctant to join alongside Hamas. Thus, these vowed enemies of Israel were reduced to sideline saber-rattling at the time.
However, matters have deteriorated and are quite different today. A brief review of Mideast events occurring since the Israel � Hamas war suggests the Fertile Crescent is presently a ticking end time�s bomb set to explode. In addition to the war pacts described above, here are a few more troublesome interim occurrences:
Israelis are being fitted for gas masks.
Israelis are preparing for a multi-front chemical war with Iran, Hezbollah, Syria, and Hamas.
Israel is constructing new and renovating thousands of old bomb shelters.
Israel is threatening a pre-emptive strike against Iran�s nuclear sites.
Iran could have a nuclear bomb within eighteen months.
Syria is now thought to have the most powerful scud missiles in the world.
Syria has reportedly shipped scud missiles to Hezbollah.
Syria has threatened to attack major Israeli cities in the event of war.
Hezbollah has declared that it can wipe out one-half of Israel�s army.
Hezbollah has been training for hand to hand combat inside Israeli cities.
Hezbollah and Syria reportedly have chemical weapons.
Hezbollah has stockpiled over 50,000 rockets.
Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are within rocket reach of Israel�s enemies.
Hamas reportedly has rockets that can reach Israel�s nuclear reactor in Dimona.
These are just a few of the numerous events that point toward war soon in the Middle East. The Israel � Hamas war created a heightened degree of animosity amongst Israel�s Arab and Persian enemies against Israel. As a result of the conflict, Turkey restricted relations with Israel and the Arab League voted unanimously again not to normalize relations with Israel.
Warranting additional concerns, King Abdullah of Jordan recently voiced serious dissatisfaction about his country's fragile peace treaty with Israel. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, he warned that "Jerusalem could blow up into another war" and declared "Jordan was better off economically before it made peace with Israel in 1994." Jordan and Egypt are the only Arab States presently at peace with Israel making Abdullah's statements extremely disconcerting.
Odds are strong that war is about to break out soon in the Middle East. Diplomatic solutions to resolve the conflict have continually failed. Relations between Iran and Israel, the Arab League and Israel, and even America and Israel are desperately tense and in a seeming state of disrepair.
At no time in Israel�s history has it ever faced an existential threat of the magnitude it faces presently. Israel�s ancient enemies possessed bows and arrows, but today the Jewish State faces arsenals that can wipe it off the map.
Humanity ought to now heed the war prophecies of the Bible and prepare for war rather than peace in the Middle East! These prophecies are scheduled to occur soon and sequentially each building upon the other. According to scripture the aftermath of these wars will lead to a one world order, construction of a third Jewish Temple, and the arrival of Antichrist.
Time is of the essence evidenced by events stage setting in the Holy Land. Christians, not knowing if they will experience these prophetic wars or be Raptured prior, should consider living each day on earth as though it were their last. In so doing, they will improve their Christian witness. These are the days when Evangelists and Eschatologists should work together in order to bring more people to Christ.
I don't hold the "pre-trib rapture" perspective, rather I feel scripture points to a pre-wrath harpazo. There is a lot of background study involved in understanding the differences, but in a nutshell we are heading into a convergence of many prophecies that include a falling away from Truth and persecution for those who refuse to reject the Truth about this world, our spiritual nature and the Creator who provided a way through redemption back to union with Him forever.
My perspective doesn't look at each day as possibly our last, but rather that events foretold in scripture will be a strong tool to prove God says what He means and means what he says and that everything will come to pass as He said it would. Fulfilled prophecy proving God's Word as Truth, so shows the rest of God's plan for redemption of mankind and our future to be true. There are many events coming that believers will be here to witness, let us be aware so we can point them out in scripture and be a witness to those who do not yet understand or believe.