This news caught me unaware but am very pleasantly surprised in view of the Prime Minister’s love of the Jewish people and Israel, as outlined in New PM Boris Brings Biblical Blessing to Britain. Here’s the sequence of Veronika’s Facebook posting this afternoon:
PS. Strongly suspect this strong relationship is at the heart of the spiritual battle Britain is undergoing – a very pro-Israel PM versus virulent anti-Semitism within Labour Party.
This morning’s news brings a reminder, in the midst of the current political upheavals, of what Bible prophecy points to: an almighty battle near the Mount of Megiddo, otherwise known in Greek as ‘Armageddon’!
In the previous update we heard about Russia and China’s increasing influence in Africa and noted publication of a most comprehensive US Congressional testimony entitled “Moscow in the Middle East and North Africa” documenting Russia’s active, aggressive and shrewd alignment with the nations of Ezekiel, chapters 38-39. Now comes this development:
‘Deep apprehension in Israel over a Russian U-turn, which is letting small Iranian Al Qods and Hizballah units regain former positions 10-15km from the Israeli and Jordanian borders. They are coming back after Russian forces drove them out last year and established a safe zone at those border districts in their stead.
‘Reporting this turn of events, DEBKAfile’s military and intelligence sources add that the Russian forces, not content with allowing this Iranian-Hizballah comeback, have also evacuated their own positions, leaving the local population under the control of the Al Qods and Hizballah invaders. These actions violate Russian President Vladimir Putin’s commitment last year to US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to purge S. Syrian borders of the hostile elements ruled from Tehran and provide monitors for a safe zone.
‘Washington and Jerusalem have interceded strongly with Moscow against this breach while trying to establish whether they were ordered from Putin’s office in the Kremlin or the local command on a directive from the Russian defense ministry. For now, neither the US nor Israel has decided how to respond to the new pro-Iranian buildup at Israel’s back door. They are also trying to find out if the Russian step is Moscow’s response to the US-Turkish safe zone initiative for northeastern Syria. This week, a large American unit landed in southern Turkey to start activating the joint US-Turkish safe zone, which aims to separate the Turkish army from the pro-US SDF militia which is dominated by Syrian Kurds. Moscow may have opened the door to Iran in southern Syria to counter expanding US involvement in the north.
‘Israel showed first resistance to the new hostile presence at its border on July 24 by firing surface missiles at the intelligence stations Iran was setting up on the Tal Al-Harara hilltop opposite the Golan border. But the Russian move continued notwithstanding.’
Related Reading:
Iranian military brass met to discuss their “Preparedness” and “Surprise Capabilities” (Washington Institute, July 25th) – ‘According to… the news agency affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Gen. Shamkhani met with Gen. Gholam Ali Rashid, commander of the headquarters, to discuss “the security situation, the dangers [to Iran], and the degree of preparedness of [Iran’s] armed forces.” The agency quoted the headquarters commander about “aspects of defensive capability and the potential for an attack on Iran’s part.” Tansim added the commander’s warning about “Iran’s surprise capabilities, which the enemies have so far not taken into account.”…’
Russia Gains Stranglehold Over Persian Gulf (OilPrice.com, August 4th) – ‘In a potentially catastrophic escalation of tensions in the Persian Gulf, Russia plans to use Iran’s ports in Bandar-e-Bushehr and Chabahar as forward military bases for warships and nuclear submarines, guarded by hundreds of Special Forces troops under the guise of ‘military advisers’, and an airbase near Bandar-e-Bushehr as a hub for 35 Sukhoi Su-57 fighter planes OilPrice.com has exclusively been told by senior sources close to the Iranian regime…’
Now [in Haran] the LORD said to Abram, “Go for yourself [for your own advantage] away from your country, from your relatives and your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.
“And I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others].
“And I will bless those who bless you[who confer prosperity or happiness upon you] and curse him who curses or uses insolent language towards you; in you ALL the families and kindred of the earth will be blessed [and by you they will bless themselves].” (Genesis 12:1-3 Amp Bible – link to blogs on these vital verses)
Reading this article gave me a better grip on the deeper nature of his friendship with Donald Trump, which I’d inserted in the previous within minutes of publication.
According to ‘Archbishop’ Cranmer, Boris was baptised in the Roman Catholic church yet confirmed in the Church of England whilst at Eton, and became Prime Minister on the liturgical feast day of St Boris!
Read the above Breaking Israel News article for Boris Johnson’s lineage in depth, but here’s extracts of Biblical relevance for Britain being blessed by his appreciation of the Jewish people and their national state of Israel:
‘Johnson was born in New York City in 1964 to British parents. Though pale and blond, he has an especially colorful lineage, with an intriguing combination of religions represented. He has great-grandparents who were Christian, Muslim, and Jewish and sometimes refers to himself as a “one-man melting pot.”…
‘Throughout his political career, Johnson has been a strong advocate for Israel. Writing for The Jewish Chronicle, Daniella Peled reported in 2007 that Johnson is, “an enemy of politically correct anti-Zionism and immensely proud of his own Jewish ancestry.” She quoted Johnson saying, “I feel Jewish when I feel the Jewish people are threatened or under attack, that’s when it sort of comes out. When I suddenly get a whiff of antisemitism, it’s then that you feel angry and protective.” …
A Hard Worker
‘Writing for Haaretz in 2016, Danna Harman interviewed Johnson’s sister Rachel about the summer she and her brother spent in Israel. (She) reported that Boris’ assignment was to work in the communal kitchen of the kibbutz, “scrubbing pots and pans and sweating it out in the heat of the kitchen, meal after meal.”
‘After their volunteer service ended, the pair traveled around Israel. “They visited Hebron and Bethlehem, hiked up Masada, floated in the Dead Sea and went sightseeing in Jerusalem,” Harman wrote. While in Jerusalem, Boris, who was a budding journalist, secured an interview with the well-known mayor of Jerusalem Teddy Kollek. Boris’ sister Rachel recalled that “He came back from that interview in a state of great elation.”
In drawing to a close the author notes, ‘While serving as mayor of London from 2008-2016, Johnson denounced the BDS movement and noted that Israel is the only “pluralist, open society” in the entire Middle East region. He has openly criticized the United Nations Human Rights Council for their obsession with Israel’s so-called human rights violations.
A Trump Ally
‘He called the US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in 2017 a “moment of opportunity” for peace and, while serving as the UK’s Foreign Secretary in 2018, he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
‘Johnson refers to himself as a “passionate Zionist” who “loves the great country” of Israel. Writing for the Jerusalem Post, Cnaan Liphshiz commented on the uniqueness of Johnson’s self-definition. Given the history of British rule in Palestine before the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Liphshiz noted that, “British politicians rarely call themselves ‘Zionists’.”
Meantime, back in London yesterday – AT LONG, LONG LAST SOME COMMON SENSE in Boris’ splendid speech after visiting Her Majesty and being asked to form a government.
In particular I note that after referring to “…every corner of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – the awesome foursome (RB, per recent prophecies!) – that are incarnated in that red, white and blue flag, who together are so much more than the sum of their parts…” Boris goes on to say (emphasis mine):
“Everyone knows the values that flag represents. It stands for freedom and free speech and habeas corpus and the rule of law and above all it stands for democracy and that is why we will come out of the EU on October 31 because, in the end, Brexit was a fundamental decision by the British people that they wanted their laws made by people that they can elect and they can remove from office, and we must now respect that decision and create a new partnership with our European friends – as warm and as close and as affectionate as possible.
“And the first step is to repeat unequivocally our guarantee to the 3.2m EU nationals now living and working among us. And I say directly to you – thank you for your contribution to our society, thank you for your patience, and I can assure you that under this Government you will get the absolute certainty of the rights to live and remain.
“And next I say to our friends in Ireland, and in Brussels and around the EU, I am convinced that we can do a deal without checks at the Irish border, because we refuse under any circumstances to have such checks and yet without that anti-democratic backstop. And it is of course vital at the same time that we prepare for the remote possibility that Brussels refuses any further to negotiate and we are forced to come out with no-deal, not because we want that outcome – of course not – but because it is only common sense to prepare…” (Read in full BJ’s First Speech As Prime Minister)
Once again, a cartoonist catches up today with, and thus confirms, prophecy (eg. 2005 Vision of Britain):
Courtesy of The Telegraph – click image for more
PS/NB: seer Veronika West’s insight on PM Netanhayu’s visit to PM Johnson (5 Sept) to which I added, ‘Strongly suspect this strong relationship is at the heart of the spiritual battle Britain is undergoing – a very pro-Israel PM versus virulent anti-Semitism within Labour Party.’
In my blog of 28th February I commemorated that date 10 years ago when I started emailing friends about topical events connected to End-times prophecies in the Bible. That post tells how my personal Bible metaphorically exploded in my face like a ‘time-bomb’, impressing upon me that “This is ALL about to be fulfilled!”
My next mailing got circulated on 1st April 2009 as two emails, copies of which maybe read below by enlarging their images (apologies for difficulty with legibility):
Main Points of Part 1:
G60 Summit and massive subrogation of American sovereignty in which the mighty Dollar is made subservient to the European Union.
more evidence for the move towards New World Order?
EU’s High Representative Solana threatens Israel’s PM Netanyahu!
Within days of New Year’s Day seven years ago I introduced this blog’s first readers to the Watcher in The White House, accredited Christian journalist William Koenig, in Points to Ponder: 2011-12 and Biblical Historical/Financial Cycles. It was the first of occasional sorties into the nature of Time and the Bible, now collated in this hub – Time: a Primer.
“22 significant new events that happened this week – This has been an amazing week of prophetic significance with continued final-day alignment activities” and briefly reports upon activities and then enumerates the events as follows:
“The following are news articles that are prophetically significant. Below the news is insight and information regarding Secretary Pompeo’s trip and more news.
Turkey and the Kurds turn to Russia to solve problems sparked by U.S. exit from Syria – Washington Post
Putin and Erdogan agree to hold talks soon, but exact date is not determined – Kremlin – Tass
Erdogan calls for joint Turkish-Russian-Iranian control of US pullout from Syria in face of Moscow’s veto – Debka
Bolton says U.S. Withdrawal from Syria is conditional: National security adviser says pullout depends on assurances Turkey will protect America’s Kurdish allies – Wall Street Journal
Trump prepared to ‘unleash fury’ on Syria, Pompeo says – Jerusalem Post
Pompeo promises ‘every last Iranian boot’ will be expelled from Syria – Times of Israel
Pompeo hopes to establish coalition consisting of GCC states, Egypt and Jordan Al Arabiya
Iran’s supreme leader calls US officials ‘idiots,’ but hints sanctions hurting – Times of Israel
Iran’s Zarif on Pompeo: U.S. brings chaos where it interferes – Reuters
US to convene global summit on Iran February 13-14 – Times of Israel
US Navy Update: 11 carrier strike groups and 9 amphibious ready groups; five groups deployed and 15 in US ports – Strafor Intelligence
Pentagon pushes forward on Syria pullout: USS Kearsarge to back up troops at the vulnerable moment they are leaving Syria – Wall Street Journal
USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) back in the Persian Gulf to continue ISIS fight; a show of force to nearby Iran – CBS News
Amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD-2) is in the North Arabian Sea – USNI
Netanyahu wants US recognition of Israel sovereignty over Golan Heights – Middle East Monitor
In Arab world, belief prevails that Trump will recognize Israeli sovereignty over Golan Heights – Ynet
Jordanian FM to Pompeo: Israel must eventually withdraw from Golan – Times of Israel
After U.S. prod, ex-envoy to China says Haifa Port deal must be reversed – Jerusalem Post
Israel-China experts downplay impact of Haifa Port decision – Jerusalem Post
Egypt’s El Sisi Builds Middle East’s Largest Church – CBN.”
Bill doesn’t refer to specific bible prophecies because most of his readership, like mine, is familiar with Old and New Testament prophecies. [Those covering current events in the Middle-East are Daniel 7-8 (the vision of four beasts, the goat and ram), Zecharia 12 (Jerusalem and its enemies) and Ezekiel 36-19 (Gog & Magog) in the main.]
Next, he outlines the points Secretary Pompeo made in his speech in Cairo, which was a sensible turnaround of the seriously flawed one addressed to the whole Muslim world by Obama in 2009. [My critiques of Obama’s Cairo Speech followed by Europe and Two Daniels (ie. the EU) were some of my early emails on end-times.]
Subsequently, Debka reports Sunni Arab leaders are very uneasy about America pulling out of their region in the face of Iranian aggression, but they have to learn to look after themselves – in my opinion they will draw more closely alongside Israel, an alignment that started months ago. Also, it’s a necessary part of shaking off the shackles of the Obama pro-Iranian legacy.
For in-depth consideration of Trump’s new policy see Carolyn Glick:
A most historically noteworthy event reported by Joel Rosenberg. Perhaps we’re heading towards fulfillment of Isaiah 19:23 on a highway being built from Egypt to Assyria and that both nations will form an alliance with Israel…
(Cairo, Egypt) — It’s impossible to overstate how historic this is: a pious Sunni Muslim Arab President builds the largest church in the Middle East and gives it as a Christmas present to the Christians of his country. Can you remember the last time this happened? Neither can I. Yet this is precisely what happened […]
This summation of the who, what and why of the up-coming Millennium is a valuable reminder of our goal as active Christians. Also, knowledge of the Kingdom as our inheritance is fundamental because our spiritual opponents claim ignorance of that fact dis-empowers believers (see Christian Inheritance & End-times Church for source.)
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
-Revelation 3:21
The Kingdom is woven into all the teachings of Christ. He taught us to pray, “Thy Kingdom come”. He taught that our good deeds on earth are seen by our Father in Heaven, and that He will reward us in the resurrection. He taught that His Kingdom is not of this world, and that this world is in darkness. Christ’s moral teaching is so sublime as to be unattainable by the flesh: it is the power of the Spirit, who is given to us as an earnest of the Kingdom, that makes us able to live as Christ did.
In our suffering, the resurrection is our comfort. The Kingdom is what we are striving for: even as we wait…
In updating me on his thoughts about Britain and the EU, Neil Mackereth (author of SIGNS) enables our further consideration of the prophetic word on the Lord being in control of Brexit.
Neil writes, “I have amended the last section ‘Spiritual Significance’ somewhat, mainly to emphasise that understanding comes with hindsight. The reasons for the present political confusion and turmoil will become clear. My view is that it is necessary to ensure there is not an inappropriate compromise deal (appeasement). No political consensus may be the only way to ensure a proper severance.”
DIVINE DESIGNS
THE SPIRITUAL IMPERATIVE
A spiritual indifference has taken root in the world today. The rulers, leaders, decision makers and diplomats are trying to direct nations and solve problems using the wisdom of this age – their own “wisdom”, world-view, self-interest, conceit and disdain (see 1 Corinthians 2:6, 14.).
As always, God is in control and is working out His purposes. We need to keep our spiritual eyes and ears open in these turbulent times and seek to understand the Kingdom perspective and significance of events. We may be mystified but we can still choose to go with God in the fulfilment of His purposes. His ways are not our ways; however, He wants us to be involved and what matters most is maintaining our relationship with Jesus and doing our utmost to fulfil the great commission.
Is there a link between following biblical guidelines and the wellbeing of the nation? The secular world ridicule suggestions that God is in control. They are mistaken.
An Example of the Significance of Blessing Israel – The Balfour Declaration
The Balfour Declaration of 9 November 1917, promising a national homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine, shows the efficacy of the principle expressed in Genesis 12.3 “I will bless those who bless you”. The declaration, first aired on 2 November, became agreed Government policy a week later. It was heartfelt and undoubtedly blessed the Jews: there was an almost immediate counter blessing!
General Allenby, the British commander in the Middle East, launched an offensive to capture Jerusalem on 31 October 1917. He took Gaza on 7 November and Jaffa on 16 November. As Allenby’s forces approached Jerusalem the German and Turkish forces decided to withdraw from the city.
General Allenby and his commanders walked into the undefended city of Jerusalem on 9 December 2017. That was truly remarkable!
Unfortunately, subsequent governments have not shown unity or clarity in their endeavours to bless God’s chosen people!
THE UNEXPECTED
I meet many disheartened Christians who do not see God’s hand in the events unfolding in our nation. I, on the other hand, am intrigued and excited by a chain of unexpected outcomes. Examples where the “experts” were confounded:
The Scottish independence referendum of September 2014 (unity of UK)
PM Cameron, promising a referendum on EU membership, re-elected to government with an unexpected overall majority – General Election May 2015
Mr Corbyn elected Labour leader – September 2015 (against all expectations)
EU referendum (PM hoisted by his own petard having only anticipated a coalition government and hence no likelihood of having to honour the pledge)
BREXIT – June 2016 (referendum outcome against expectations)
The Labour Party, which might have influenced the Remain vote, in disarray
PM Cameron resigns July 2016
Mrs May elected PM July 2016 (virtually unopposed – a professing Christian)
PM calls a snap general election June 2017 – unexpectedly loses her majority (against all pundit expectations/forecasts!) and has to rely on DUP support to form a government (the significance of the DUP holding the balance of power becomes more evident as Brexit progresses – unity of UK)
The pessimistic ‘experts’ have repeatedly been proved wrong:
The stock market will crash – it has reached record highs
Unemployment will rise – it has fallen
The economy will go into recession – the opposite is true
The value of the pound will fall – it has but that has not been the predicted disaster. It has proved beneficial to trade and made the UK an attractive proposition/haven for overseas investors, the pound is recovering.
Cracks are appearing in the unity of the EU nations: their instability is ignored by the UK prophets of doom who continue their barrage, many demanding a second referendum. The amazing thing is, the pundits are still held in high esteem!
SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE
We have a God of the unexpected and the above list indicates that God’s hand is on Great Britain. The significance and progressive nature of each step only becomes clear with hindsight. Similarly, I am sure that the reasons for the current political confusion and government disarray will be apparent “after the event”. I am reminded of Habakkuk; we watch to see God’s plans unfold, confident in the knowledge that however turbulent the immediate future may be, His plans will not be thwarted. Furthermore, God told Habakkuk to tell the nation what was to happen.
I don’t know whether a deal (i.e. with fair contractual agreements) or a no-deal Brexit is best, but He does: instead of being in the worst position, as so many argue, knowing Him puts us in the best position.
We are at a pivotal moment. The signs of demonic influence in the EU are startlingly obvious, to those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. Brexit threatens to hasten the break-up of the EU (I think it was inevitable). Whatever people may say; Brexit is a calamity for the EU. God is rescuing the UK from an unholy alliance, to be a tower of strength, a light in a dark place, a refuge and a sanctuary.
Our God is not a God of compromise. Pray, pray and pray again for a clean, fair and complete break from the EU. Pray for the adoption of the underlying principle that UK policies will be biblically based and will seek to bless the Jewish people (this does not mean endorsing or condoning any unreasonable actions/words of secular authorities or leaders. It does mean help in safeguarding the rights and security of Israel, and of the Jewish people worldwide).
Watch and be amazed: we constantly underestimate the greatness of our God and we constantly underestimate the power and authority of His Word. He is birthing something new for the nations of the world, which apparent from the shaking and repositioning we are witnessing. It heralds the time of tribulation, which will culminate in the return of Jesus.
Footnote: Neil has this undated paper which I’ve termed an ‘Addendum’ to the above.
On the 7th anniversary of the launch of this blog on 21st November 2011, let’s look at what the very first visitors found:
WELCOME
‘Hello, I’m Richard Barker.
‘Welcome to my musings about what’s going on in the world and I trust this blog may help you gain some insights. Indeed, what on earth is going to happen next?
‘You may find some of my ideas challenging, even outlandish! For instance, come on an imaginary trip in a ‘time machine’ and, later, receive unusual instructions on how to tell the time!
‘Some pertinent points from my past appear in my Bio Info, where you’ll learn about a seminal work that was to serve as a fascinating foundation for anyone’s appreciation of Bible prophecy
‘Reading The Invisible Hand in the mid-1980s opened me up to a new dimension to events in the Middle East indicative of things not being as they seem. I was amazed to learn they’re of major Biblical significance! Bemused, therefore, I began to watch…:
(Jerusalem, Israel) — On Wednesday, The Jerusalem Post published the first in-depth story on our Evangelical Delegation to Saudi Arabia, why we went, and what the Crown Prince told us behind closed doors.
As I told editors Yaakov Katz and Seth Frantzman in the Post’s offices yesterday, the entire meeting in the Royal Palace was on the record, except for what MBS told us regarding his views of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Our team took detailed notes and I provided some of the excerpts of our conversation to the Post. Here’s the article.
In my first blog of 2012, Points to Ponder 2011-12 and Biblical, Historical, Financial Cycles I covered William Koenig’s investigation into the work of financial analyst Eric Hadik. I’ve since referred to this accredited Christian journalist at the White House for his coverage of the Middle-East from a thoroughly biblical perspective. We now need to consider this in some depth:
In considering connections between President Trump’s ‘Deal of the Century’ for Israel-Palestine and Hurricane Florence for last Friday’s Inside The White House report, Bill returns to his prime mission and discovery as a ‘watcher’ (emphasis mine)
‘Virtually every major hurricane since the beginning of the Israeli-Palestinians’ peace process in Madrid, Spain, held from October 30-November 1, 1991, have corresponded to White House involvement in Israel’s land. These have all occurred at the time U.S. presidents were actively pressuring and/or inducing Israel to make peace with the Palestinians by agreeing to give up large parts of Judea, Samaria and East Jerusalem for promises of peace and security.’
He itemises many things demonstrating President Trump is the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House, as well as giving a timeline of his administration’s peace efforts and public comments in the last two weeks whilst Florence developed. Bill also notes Trump will now have been president during four of the costliest hurricanes in US history, including Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria during the month of Elul in 2017.
Extracts From This Month’s Timeline:
Tues 4th – US Ambassador to UN Haley: Trump’s Israeli-Palestinian ‘deal of the century’ can happen if Abbas comes to the table – Fox News – Tropical Storm Florence became Hurricane Florence
Wed 5th – Emir of Kuwait visits White House as Florence was continuing to develop. Last year on September 7, President Trump had a joint press conference with the emir as Hurricane Irma was developing into a record-setting Atlantic Hurricane…Florence becomes major hurricane as Category 3 storm. At of 125 mph is five mph away from Cat 4.
Thur 6th – Remarks by President Trump in Rosh Hashanah National Press Call with Jewish Faith Leaders and Rabbis; committed to an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal that he thinks can be made – White House transcript
Sat 8th – Special Envoy Jason Greenblatt presents details of the Thinking Behind the Mideast Peace Plan – JNS (Tasked by Trump to help reach the “deal of the century,” Greenblatt serves as one of Trump’s top Middle East envoys and has herculean task to help negotiate peace plan between Israelis and Palestinians.
Sun 9th – late afternoon Florence became a massive Hurricane 4 storm.
Wed 12th – shift in Florence’s path is ‘bizarre’ could bring ‘catastrophic flooding’ to Southeast – ranks as one of weirdest hurricane/tropical storm tracks! (Part 1 has details)
Bill concludes on the delivery of the ‘peace plan’: ‘Originally, President Trump was to present his plan to the UN on Sept. 25. Haley said last week that there is not a specific date; it may be later. Doesn’t mean he still won’t. Something is up in the heavenlies.’
He notes that ‘Isaac’ has become a hurricane and heading toward the Lesser Antilles. Last time a storm named Isaac formed was the day the Republican Platform Committee endorsed two state plans in August 2012 and caused the 2012 Republican Convention to cancel their first day.
Continuing from previous post, in an interview in the Oval Office on Monday, Donald Trump said he thought he had a deal with Turkeys’ president when he helped to persuade Israel to free a detained Turkish citizen! He’d thought Erdogan would then release Andrew Brunson, an evangelical pastor held since 2016 and facing 35 years in prison on espionage and terror-related charges.
Arutz Sheva reports him telling Reuters on Monday, “I think it’s very sad what Turkey is doing. I think they’re making a terrible mistake. There will be no concessions.” When asked about the potential damage to other economies from the tariffs he imposed, he said, “I’m not concerned at all. I’m not concerned. This is the proper thing to do.”
Trump said Erdogan had wanted the Turkish citizen returned from Israel. Earlier a senior White House official said they’d met in Brussels for a NATO summit in mid-July where they discussed Brunson’s case and what could be the way forward to release the pastor. Turkey had sought US help to persuade the Israelis to release a Turkish woman who was being held in Israel, the senior official said. In exchange Turkey would release Brunson and other Americans being held in Turkey.
Trump said he kept his side of the bargain. “I got that person out for him. I expect him to let this very innocent and wonderful man and great father and great Christian out of Turkey,” Trump told Reuters.
In response to the continued imprisonment of pastor Brunson the US president imposed sanctions on several Turkish officials and a 20 percent duty on aluminum and a 50 percent duty on steel. Turkey imposed tariffs on certain imports from the United States.
Gaza Knock-on Effect
After deceiving Trump and defaulting on their agreement, Erdogan has now stepped into the stalled haggling over plans to obtain a truce to alleviate the situation in Gaza. Yesterday, DebkaFile exclusively reports:
‘One of the key benefits under discussion is the use of a Mediterranean port to enable the enclave to receive goods and export merchandise, mostly agricultural products. Port Said on the bank of the Suez Canal was mentioned, as well as Limassol or Larnaca in Cyprus. However, the release of Ebru Ozkan was seen by Hamas as a sign of Israel’s weakness and it raised the ante once again. Now, the Palestinian negotiators in Cairo are demanding that the port made available to them be located in Turkish Cyprus. There, Israel would have no way of monitoring the types of goods Hamas was importing to the Gaza Strip and President Erdogan, a longstanding fan of the Palestinian terrorists, would be able to supply them out of sight with weapons and military equipment. All this means that Turkey can now jump with both feet into the shambolic Gaza truce negotiations and use them as a tool for getting back at Trump and Israel.’
Following the previous post on a few national leaders who bless or curse Israel and, noting Turkey’s Erdogan fits the bill, I draw your attention to Caroline Glick’s latest, perspicacious as ever, in-depth analysis and encourage you to read it in its entirety.
She writes on the rapid deterioration in US-Turkey’s relationship, climaxing in Donald Trump’s imposition of sanctions because paranoid president Erdogan continues unjustly detaining an evangelical Presbyterian pastor (click header to read).:
Brunson has lived in Turkey for 23 years but in October 2016 routinely went to the local police station to renew his Turkish visa – but got detained instead!
Caroline’s methodical manner of recapitulating an issue’s history is very helpful to those new to the topic, as well as adding weight to her observations and sound conclusions. William Koenig describes her journalism as ‘ne-plus ultra’ (none better).
For my newer readers here are pertinent parts of the background to her geopolitical knowledge:
Caroline Glick born in Houston, TX and grew up in Chicago, IL, moved to Israel in 1991 after receiving her BA in Political Science from Columbia University, joined the Israel Defense Forces that Summer, serving as an officer for over five years.
1994-96 as an IDF captain, Ms Glick served in the Defense Ministry as a core member of Israel’s negotiating team with the Palestinians.
1997-98 served as Assistant Foreign Policy Advisor to Prime Minister Netanyahu.
1998-2000 studied at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and received a Master’s in Public Policy in June 2000.
Summer 2000, Ms Glick returned to Israel and began writing at Makor Rishon newspaper (Hebrew), served as its chief diplomatic commentator ’til Jan 2008.
March 2002, joined The Jerusalem Post as Deputy Managing Editor and senior columnist. Today, as Senior Contributing Editor, Ms. Glick is the newspaper’s most widely-read columnist. She began writing a weekly Hebrew language column for Maariv in 2014 and began writing at Breitbart in January 2018.
We read in the previous post about Putin’s response to PM Netanyahu’s no-nonsense stance on the presence of his Iranian ally’s proxy forces on the Israel-Syrian border. After posting that I read the news-feed on Koenig’s World Watch Daily of President Trump’s reaction to Iranian president Rouhani threatening America with “the mother of all wars”! He tweeted:
(Source: CNBC; for more on Iran’s perspective see BIN.)
So, around the 6th anniversary of the previous Iranian president’s End-times threat to Israel announced in the United Nations – plus years of belligerent threats, including that of “the mother of all wars” (ie. ‘Armageddon’), as oft’ reported here – at long last there’s now someone with a very big stick promising to make them eat their words!
The ‘Gog-Magog’ prophecy of Ezekiel (chapters 38 and 39) is back in play! Events in last week’s news made me reconsider its relevance to current international affairs.
But now comes new news!
After posting Thursday’s Bible Update on the implicit accord or ‘understandings’ agreed between Netanyahu and Trump with Putin, I thought this development deviates from the prophesied wars against God’s people in Israel from an alliance of peoples in north and north-eastern Middle-East: currently, Iran, Syria and Turkey under Russian leadership. As that stance seems to be changing by Russia supposedly ignoring or going against Iran’s policy and by coming to an ‘understanding’ of Israel’s need to defend itself against continuous Iranian hostility, perhaps the prophecy isn’t yet applicable?
Therefore, perhaps we need to be open to such a possibility bringing an outcome that doesn’t line up with scripture as it’s not yet the ‘appointed time’?
‘The US-Russian-Israel formula for South Syria, composed in painstaking discussions for weeks, is not working. This became clear in phone conversations on Friday, July 20, between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Vladimir Putin and their defense ministers. The “understandings” they had apparently reached were proving inoperable, including Russia’s guarantees for the non-presence of Iranian militias and Hizballah near Israel’s Golan border.
‘The breakdown stemmed from an abrupt Russian U-turn. Russian diplomats were suddenly claiming that Moscow never agreed to have Iranian proxies and Hizballah pushed back from the Israel border or out of Syria at large…’
Thus, PM Netanyahu said Israel is free to engage and wipe out Iranian or Hezbollah forces in the Golan border area, and went into a high state of operational readiness.
So today (Monday), the Russian Foreign Minister and Chief of Staff urgently arrived in Israel for further talks. Last night Netanyahu had described events to his Cabinet in these revealing terms:
‘He said Israel will not accept the Syrian army’s entry to the buffer zone set up by the 1974 Syrian-Israeli separation of forces accord, thereby indicating that he did not trust in Syrian compliance with this accord, despite the guarantee offered by President Vladimir Putin in their phone conversation on Friday, July 20. DEBKAfile’s sources note that Putin’s pledge came after he reneged on a series of promises he gave US President Donald Trump and Netanyahu in recent weeks, relating to keeping the Iranians and their proxies away from the Israeli border.’ (Read full details here)
UPDATE on MONDAY’s MEETING
The Russians returned empty-handed to Moscow after offering to move Iranian-allied forces in Syria back beyond 100km of the Israeli border but being rejected by Israel.
The Times of Israel reports, ‘Israel is sticking to its demand that Iran not be allowed any military foothold in Syria, the official stressed. Israel is furthermore demanding that all long-range missiles be removed from the war-torn country and that any factories producing precision-guided missiles there be shut, the official said.
‘Additionally, Jerusalem has asked Moscow to guarantee that all air-defense systems that protect the aforementioned arms be taken out of Syria. Lastly, Israel requested the closing of border crossings between Syria and Lebanon and between Syria and Iraq, to prevent Iranian weapons being smuggled into Syria.’
Military sources had provided Debka ‘pre-news service’ with details of 8 pro-Iran militias operating in the Golan area. Therefore, according to their latest report:
‘Israel’s leaders confronted their Russian visitors with the charge that, if they can’t – or won’t – remove these hostile forces from Israel’s doorstep, how can they be trusted to keep their pledge to hold them at a distance of 100km?
‘Putin’s emissaries, despite their high rank, had little hope of talking Israeli leaders around when the evidence of his perfidy was in full sight. Contrary to his pledges to the US and Israel, Hizballah and Shiite militias loyal to Tehran were operating freely at this moment on the Syrian-Israeli Golan border.’
[Hand with News Icon by Watcharakun, courtesy Freedigitalphotos.net]
Vladimir Putin’s ‘twin summits’ with Benjamin Netanyahu and then with Donald Trump, bring this update on developments relating to the Gog-Magog alliance, as foretold by Ezekiel. (Click this posts tags for background, and links for full reports):
16 July: Trump & Putin agree on keeping Israel safe (but) not much else – ‘Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin told the press that their two-hour face-to-face on Monday, July 16, in Helsinki, was a success. But, the impression was that there was very little agreement on the issues they touched on, including Iran, Syria or Crimea. Neither referred to the removal of Iran and its proxies from Syria, as Israel has demanded. Putin appeared to say that Israeli security was served by the Israeli-Syrian 1974 Separation of Forces agreement on the Golan and advised extending it to the Syrian-Jordanian border as well. Trump noted: “We both talk to Benjamin Netanyahu, work with him on Syria and agree on the importance of Israel’s safety.”..It would seem that the high speculation ahead of the summit of a deal in the making between the two presidents for Iran to quit Syria in return for a US military pullback was pie in the sky.’
16 July Debka Exclusive: Netanyahu’s secret consent to hand Golan crossing to Syria led to Trump-Putin deal on Israel’s border security – ‘(Trump and Putin) joined in their support for Israel’s security (as above) after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told them both that he had withdrawn his objections to the Syrian army reinstating its line of outposts in the Quenitra district, including control of the Ein Zivan-Quneitra border crossing. This is the only transit point between Israel and Syria….’
18 July: Secret Helsinki deal: US & Israel hand Russia controlling role on Syria’s Israel-Jordan borders – ‘…DEBKAfile has obtained exclusive access to this deal and can reveal for the first time that it provides for the handover to Russian responsibility of all parts of southern and southwestern Syria abutting on the Israeli and Jordanian borders, including, most importantly, surveillance and observation elevations that oversee all parts of Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon and the eastern Mediterranean. Trump and Binyamin Netanyahu thereby gave Putin a valuable asset for boosting Russia’s military presence in Syria and the region at large…’ (emphasis added)
For a better grasp of President’s Trump’s apparently incorrect and/or muddled remarks on investigations into Russian hacking read investigative journalist Melanie Phillips’ in-depth analysis in The Hysteria Over Helsinki and the Real Threat to the Free World.
Melanie wisely concludes (emphases mine):
‘Trump’s personality flaws – his self-obsession, his lack of attention span, his thin skin against criticism, his inability to speak carefully and accurately – are plain for all to see. The crucial point, however, is not what Trump says, nor the content of his character, but what he does and what he achieves.
‘And here’s what Putin said that was potentially so significant. For his remarks suggested that he would support Trump’s attempts to defang both Iran and North Korea. If Trump turns out to have succeeded in detaching Russia from Iran over Syria and from China over North Korea, that would be a huge step towards defeating two of the most evil and dangerous regimes in the world.
‘Seen in this light, the reaction of the media and political class to the Helsinki press conference was not just hysterical and disproportionate and a display of near-pathological hatred towards Donald Trump, but a malevolent undermining of the most promising attempt for years to tackle some of the major threats to the peace and security of the world.’
Postscript:
Does Russia’s apparent change towards Iran and favouring Israel disprove the ‘Gog-Magog’ prophecy or indicate it’s not yet applicable in its fullness? Within days events changed and got realigned to that prophecy and put it back on the front burner’, as told in the next post Status quo resumption realigns Russia-Israel Realpolitiks With Bible prophecy!
Further to my re-blog of Joel Rosenberg’s report on Secretary Pompeo’s speech on the USA’s new strategy on dealing with the Iranian regime, this morning’s pre-mainstream media news reveals the latter’s dual-strategy. It involves not only installing new surface-to-air missile batteries around their nuclear enrichment facilities at Natanz to protect from any Israeli and/or US attack, but also giving European powers an ultimatum!
According to DebkaFile, yesterday Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei, ‘tried to counter Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s ultimatum with his own for the European powers, the UK, France and Germany, which are trying to save the 2015 nuclear deal after the US walkout.
‘The dictats he put before them included:
‘European banks must safeguard trade with Iran, and
‘stop seeking new negotiations on Iran’s ballistic missile program and regional Middle East activities to gratify the US president.
‘The Europeans must further guarantee Iran’s oil sales and compensate Tehran for losses incurred from US sanctions.
‘If Europe fails to meet Khamenei’s demands, Iran will go back to enriching uranium, effectively turning its back on the 2015 nuclear deal.’
The Debka report concludes, ‘Israel is now back to square one, ie. 2012, when Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Ehud Barak, then defense minister, and Eliezer Shekedi, air force chief at the time, had girded Israel up for an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, only to be held back by the Obama administration’s push for nuclear negotiations with Tehran.’
I note CBS News reported Monday in European Allies Alarmed...‘Reacting to Pompeo’s speech, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson committed to shielding European companies from renewed sanctions. “We are going to do everything we possibly can,” Johnson said of protecting European companies. “I’m not totally pessimistic about the situation.” Johnson said a “new jumbo Iran negotiation” would not be “very easy to achieve.”
EU Foreign Policy head Federica Mogherini in Cuba, January 2018. (AFP/Adalberto Roque)
‘For the time being, at least, Europeans are not shrinking away from the JCPOA. Federica Mogherini, the high representative of the European Union, explained that Europeans will remain committed to “full and effective implementation” of the JCPOA so long as Iran upholds its commitments. She also explained that Europeans are still unsure of the U.S. rationale for leaving the deal. (She said Monday) “Pompeo’s speech has not demonstrated how walking away from the JCPOA has made or will make the region safer from the threat of nuclear proliferation or how it puts us in a better position to influence Iran’s conduct.”
Such clueless comments arise from failing to follow God’s written word, thereby gaining an appreciation of His purposes in establishing the Jewish state of Israel. In view of this blog’s material on the EU, the perplexity of its ‘high representative’ is not surprising and suggests an influence from elsewhere! (God’s ‘Sign-language’: follow-up to EU-web #2… refers.)
Any intelligent person, knowing how assiduously the homicidal thug Saddam Hussein sought to build nuclear weapons and missiles, only to be prevented by the second Gulf War, would be extremely wary of all other fanatics’ surreptitious schemes and strategies to do the same; especially when consistently proclaiming their aim of destroying Israel. [Saddam’s Secrets by the Christian Iraqi air vice-marshal and general Georges Sada, pp 71 & 200 and chapter 10 refers in detail to WMD, confirming Debka’s early intel on hidden transfers of weapons to Syria – thank you again Debbie!]
The United States moved its embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem on May 14, 2018.
Having some time to reflect on this event, and connect the dots to other events both past and future-prophesied, I believe this is an important milestone—not for the end times in general—but for Israel during these times.
I believe we can now divide the modern, end-time history of the nation of Israel into three phases.
Israel, Phase 1
The first phase saw the establishment of the Jewish people forming a community. After many centuries, the Jewish people returned to the land of Israel; not the land of Palestine, but the land of Israel. Jews began to arrive in the late 1800’s, bought desert parcels and swampland from their Arab neighbors, and created a thriving Jewish community. By 1948, there were a little over half a million Jews living and working in the coastal plain, the Negev…
‘For the day of the LORD upon all nations is near; As you have done, it shall be done to you; Your reprisal shall return upon your own head.’ (Obad 15: on enemies of God’s covenant people.)
In discussing Tuesday’s ‘coincidences’ relating to the night vision of a huge spider’s web across Europe, here’s Part 1’s missing paragraph to my reply to ‘Fiona Z’: ‘…together with your email I had a notification from Tony’s blog of a video clip. It opens to show a person who’s been in my mind yesterday and first thing this morning, for the EU office she holds was created by ‘Recommendation 666’ and she’s against what Trump and Netanyahu are doing! (One of my first private emails on End-times refers to that post’s origins – seeNot Many People Know – 2.)’
In his post entitled End Times my friend invites readers to “Take a look at the following video. Take it to the Lord in prayer”.:
Normally, I’m too busy to watch videos but was prompted to watch this one’s start and assess its merit. This video presents an overview of events leading into End-times, but neither the running news-banner or narrator divulge the identity of the person in the video’s first frames – run it a few seconds to check. So I comment on the blog,
“Fascinating timing Tony as the lady in the opening frame has been on my mind in connection with Israel’s 70th birthday because of her very strong objections to the US embassy move to Jerusalem, as well as against scrapping the Iran nuclear deal. (Read about her in Wikipedia: Frederika Mogherini)…upon opening my bible early this morning I decided to revisit Obadiah 15 on ‘The Day of the Lord’ for preparing a blog on those thoughts based upon that verse and EU – then upon getting notification of this post of yours I run the video and there she is!! I take this as strong confirmation that the Lord’s connecting the prophetic dots for us – as ever!”
YEAR OF ‘PEACE & SAFETY’!
Pastor Ken McMahon of Calvary Spokane draws to a close at 15:30 mark by referring to St Paul’s End-times prophecy at 1 Thess 5:3 of the world saying “Peace and safety”, and inserts a brief clip of that lady as High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy stating exactly that! Moreover, I blogged on this last year in Three Days’ Prophetic Jigsaw Pieces: #1 – 21st Sept and 1Thessalonians 5, when I asked,
‘Is what Apostle Paul foretold about the timing of the Day of the Lord happening today? Or this coming year? Especially noteworthy is the fact that today is Rosh Hashanah – the start of the Jewish New Year 5778!! You may recall having read about this a month ago in Today’s and one month away’s awesome events in the heavens on Mark Biltz’s message (1:04 – 1:05 mark refers)? ‘
[I checked and found:] ‘The United Nations has declared 21st September to be observed annually and globally as the International Day of Peace (‘Peace Day’)’. Today’s and the next 365 days theme is entitled,‘Together for Peace, Respect, Safety and Dignity For All’.
‘Look again, that scripture’s third verse promises‘when they say, “Peace and Safety!” then…’, the clear inference everyone’s saying those words.’
Now, we consider how this person had cropped up in my weekend musings…
US EMBASSY IN JERUSALEM
Upon reading Sunday’s Debka report on preparations for the official dedication of the American Consulate in Jerusalem as the United States’ Embassy to Israel, I spotted a fact directly relating to a prophetic word on the EU urging Britain’s withdrawal – note my emphasis:
‘About 30 of the 86 ambassadors accredited to Israel accepted the invitation to the Foreign Ministry gala reception for the US delegation Sunday evening in Jerusalem. Most European Union ambassadors are boycotting the party, excepting Hungary, the Czech Republic, Austria and Romania, whose envoys will be there in defiance of Brussels, which takes strong exception to the US move. The Russian, Egyptian and Mexican ambassadors are not expected to attend. Guatemala and Paraguay have both promised to move their embassies to Jerusalem.’ (Palestinian ambassadors have since been recalled from those four countries – for an Abbas tantrum!)
Not only do I recognise those four European nations will be blessed through Genesis 12:3 and Obadiah 15-16 in standing with Israel on its 70th birthday, but also I noted it’s yet another indicator that 2015’s prophetic warning from David Noakes urging Britain to come out of the EU is moving towards its fulfillment, namely: “…Rather than rely on Me and my faithfulness to you, you chose, for worldly purposes, to join yourself to an institution which has denied my Name and refused to acknowledge Me in its councils. My fierce anger is upon that institution on account of its rebellion, its defiant rejection of me and its hardness of heart towards my ancient people Israel. “I warn you now that the European institution will not repent, even though I bring disaster and destruction upon it. I urge you, O Britain still beloved by Me for the sake of your godly forefathers, come out of her, so that you may not be caught up in that same destruction, for I am even now arising in judgment to bring to nothing what she has sought to achieve…”
Therefore, having learned 15 or so years ago about the ‘666’ foundation under Javier Solana of the EU’s office of High Representative – and combined with the weekend’s in-depth teaching on prophet Daniel’s End-time visions from Dr Arnold Fruchtenbaum – I recalled the current official’s anti-Israel and pro-Iran stance.
Also, in catching up on Caroline Glick’s latest in-depth incisive articles on the situation I spotted her reference to the EU’s High Representative in the opening paragraph’s of her Netanyahu’s Finest Hour. (William Koenig, the Watcher in the White House, refers to her as ‘ne plus ultra’ – none better!) She writes,
‘At the start of his cabinet meeting on Wednesday, President Donald Trump discussed his announcement Tuesday afternoon that he is removing the US from his predecessor Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran and reinstating the nuclear sanctions that were suspended with the deal’s implementation in January 2016.
‘European and other international leaders responded angrily to Trump’s move. The EU’s foreign policy commissioner Federica Mogherini was downright indignant.
‘Apparently unaware that the US is a more important EU ally than Iran, Mogherini insisted, “The European Union is determined to preserve it. Together with the rest of the international community, we will preserve this nuclear deal.”
After my Monday-Tuesday musings, Mogherini turns up at the start and ending of the video on Tony Pucci’s End Times post. Therefore, the Lord’s clearly alerting us by His ‘sign language’ to what’s going on in the world and how He’s aligning it to His prophetic scripture, and to words He’s giving today’s prophets.
DIS-INFORMATION
In case your knowledge of the above events comes from mainstream media, please be aware the British Brainwashing Cult is extremely unreliable on not only Brexit but also on the Middle East. For example, for a superior examination of the Gaza riots visit the media-monitoring site BBC Watch and study its thoroughly factual blog. See also Col. Richard Kemp’s eye-witness account and explanation of why the world is playing into Hamas’ hands. (Thanks Debbie. )
UPDATE ON ‘666’
Please note carefully that in absolutely no way am I attributing any similarity between living persons and biblical characters, but merely noting the nature and publication of official EU activities.
Not having kept closely abreast of related developments it was necessary to check my 2009 email on the EU and 666, especially to test and update links. So I was interested to find lawyer Constance Cumbrey reporting upon the EU’s first High Representative, Javier Solana, as being ‘one of the leading tacticians’ in the ‘Global Governance’ group –see this original data (scroll to top of page to read). Later, her Perspective affords these informative comments (emphases mine):
‘Global governance is and always has been the main game of the Davos crowd and its organizing body, WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM. Donald Trump has been perceived as doing much in his power to shut down global governance – climate control measures and all. The Davos crowd of politicians, high financiers, “scholars” and industrialists viewed Trump with neither affection nor favor.
‘One short week after Trump’s return from Davos, Switzerland and only two days after his State of the Union address, the New York Stock Market would drop by an astounding 666 points! That was a number obviously chilling to millions, including but not limited to Donald Trump’s Evangelical base of support in the USA. This happened only two days after Trump’s triumphant State of the Union speech to the United States Congress. A pivotal point of his speech was the dramatic improvement in the USA economy after his November 8, 2016 election. The 666 droppage would double immediately after the weekend on the following Monday by upwards of another 1200 points in one day.