NOTE: The following post gives more details on the topics covered below: “The Daniel 11:22 War”, “Sheep/Goat Nations”, “Satanism”, “London = Babylon the Great?” https://dangreenup.com/geopolitics-and-bible-prophecy/
The Daniel 11:22 War
Turkey and Russia have a weird relationship. In July, Turkey bought a Russian missile defense system. A month later, Russia allegedly dropped airstrikes on Turkish military convoys in Syria. Go figure. Regardless, don’t expect a breakup. The Turks are dependent on Russia and the United States for their energy needs and military protection. In Syria, they’re a sideshow. Despite Russia’s military strength and favorable position, they don’t have complete control in Syria either, at least not until the United States leaves. The US is too strong to push around and the Russians found out the hard way.
On February 7th, 2018, a battle was fought between American soldiers and Russian mercenaries. Now known as the Battle of Khasham, reports indicate that 40 American troops killed between 200 to 300 enemy soldiers. Not a single American soldier was wounded. Most of the enemy casualties were Syrian, but even the Russian government acknowledged four of its citizens were killed. The number is probably much higher because the Kremlin isn’t very good at telling the truth. Who were these Russian mercenaries that embarrassed the motherland?
The Wagner Group, Russian private military contractors, at one point had around 2,500 men in Syria. This same group of Russian mercenaries is also operating in Africa. In the resource-rich Central African Republic, which fittingly is right in the middle of Africa, three journalists were reportedly murdered for trying to report on the presence of Russian mercenaries. Russia’s presence in Africa isn’t really a secret anymore. Given their strategic location in the Central African Republic, the Russians could expand their operations in Africa with ease. Of course, the Antichrist is going to conquer Egypt, Ethiopia and Libya.
Syria was just a training ground for Russia’s use of private military contractors. One thing they learned was not to mess with the American military. For this reason, the Daniel 11:22 War won’t happen until the US militarily withdraws from the Middle East. Russia can only afford to fight battles it can win. It can handle Turkey, but it can’t beat the US in combat.
LINK: https://www.france24.com/en/20190819-turkey-condemns-air-strike-convoy-syria-idlib
Sheep/Goat nations
It was a wild week in Italian politics. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte resigned, attacking Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini in his speech. To capitalize on his surging popularity, Salvini has been pushing for new elections. Although it’s possible Italy’s parties form coalitions to ensure Salvini isn’t the next prime minister, that strategy could backfire. Many Italians would think the political establishment was selling Italy out to Germany. Indeed, the German Centre for European Policy (CEP) released a report earlier this year which showed that Germany has greatly benefited from the Euro currency, while Italy has been one of the biggest losers. It’s a big part of why Salvini’s anti-EU and pro-nationalist party has dominated in Italy. His positions on reducing immigration and restoring national sovereignty resonate with Italians.
What if Salvini becomes the next prime minister? For one thing, it would be great news for Israel and Italian Christians. During a visit to the United States, Salvini said, “Between Italy, the United States, Israel, Brazil, Poland and Hungary, there is a closeness in their vision of the world, of rights and values.” Note that the United States has moved its embassy to Jerusalem, Hungary has opened a diplomatic trade office in Jerusalem and Brazil also opened a trade office in Jerusalem. In addition, Salvini has attacked the European Union’s position on Israel, noting, “The EU has in recent years been entirely unbalanced, it has condemned and sanctioned Israel left and right, for every step it took.” He’s been criticized for his stance, but he’s used to criticism. Amazingly, in Italy of all places, he’s been criticized for being unashamedly Catholic. During Conte’s resignation speech, he attacked Salvini’s habit of displaying a rosary in public. How did Salvini respond? He kissed his rosary. That’s savage. By the way, unlike much of Western Europe, Italy still has many practicing, church-attending Christians. Clearly, even if Salvini doesn’t become Italy’s next leader, many Italians share his views.
In light of this, is Italy a sheep nation or a goat nation? Put differently, will Italy be a refuge for persecuted Christians and Jews during the end times? On the surface, it seems like Italy would be on the Antichrist’s team. This is because the ten-kingdom coalition that the Antichrist eventually controls comes out of the geographic area of the Roman Empire, specifically Western Europe. It goes without saying that Italy was the center of the Roman Empire. Having said that, Italy may resist the Antichrist. Daniel 7:8 prophesies that the Antichrist will take control of the ten-kingdom coalition, removing three of the kings in the process.
There are two versions of the ten-kingdom coalition. As a unified international body, the ten-kingdom coalition collectively recognizes the Antichrist’s seven-year covenant with Israel. This recognition will mark the beginning of their short stint in power. Three-and-a-half years later, the Antichrist takes control of this coalition and replaces three kings. Daniel 7:24 states that he will subdue them. This suggests that he puts down a rebellion. Will the Antichrist install puppet governments, or will he replace these three countries altogether? Either way, the implication is that these three nations don’t completely support the Antichrist. Who might these three kingdoms be?
It’s pure speculation, but Italy, Greece and Cyprus make a lot of sense. A little while back, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced American support for the EastMed pipeline from Israel, through Cyprus to Greece. The eastern Mediterranean natural gas boom is going to turn countries like Israel, Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Egypt into significant players in the energy market. Well, Ezekiel 38 prophesies that one of the reasons the Antichrist invades Israel is “to capture spoil and to seize plunder.” Israel’s economy will boom in the end times. This is one of the motivations for the Antichrist’s invasion. When the Antichrist invades, Israel’s immediate neighbors won’t be able to stop it.
Ezekiel 38 also prophesies that “the merchants of Tarshish” will helplessly ask the Antichrist “Have you come to capture spoil?” Tarshish was a son of Javan, who was a son of Japheth. The descendants of Tarshish were originally in Asia Minor, modern Turkey, but they eventually settled along many Mediterranean coasts, like Greece and southern Italy.* So, Italy, Greece and Cyprus won’t be able to stop the Antichrist’s plunder of Israel. Does this mean Italy resists the Antichrist? Let’s hope so!
*Hodge, B. The Tower of Babel: The Cultural History of Our Ancestors (Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2013), p. 165, 168, 180
LINK: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49411760
Satanism
The Jeffrey Epstein story continues to get weirder and that trend is unlikely to change. Reportedly worth $577 million, Epstein put his assets in a trust just a couple days before his supposed suicide. How convenient. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter because President Trump signed an executive order “blocking the property of persons involved in serious human rights abuse or corruption.” Epstein’s assets are going to be seized, including his private island. In fact, the island’s creepy temple is probably where Epstein and his guests’ serious human rights abuses were committed.
The Daily Mail highlighted the temple a few weeks ago, pointing out “the medieval-style lock on the front” and noting it “appears to be designed to keep people in.” That sounds more like a dungeon than a temple. Given what we know about the man’s sexual proclivities, that’s disturbing. The article added that “while the main building closely resembles a religious temple, it doesn’t seem to fit any specific sect.” In other words, a wealthy pedophile had a religious temple which was designed to lock people inside on his private, secluded island. That’s not normal.
Wherever there’s a place dedicated to sexual immorality, there’s bound to be idolatry. 1 Corinthians 10:20 says that idolatry is the worship of demons. Worshiping demons is closely connected to murdering children, usually babies. In ancient Israel, places were set up to burn babies alive while people would engage in orgies to worship demonic entities represented by idols. That’s not an exaggeration. A place dedicated to sexual immorality was often called a high place. In 1 Kings 14:23-24, we learn the Israelites “built for themselves high places and sacred pillars and Asherim on every high hill and beneath every luxuriant tree. There were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations.” Numbers 25:1-3 describes one incident, stating “the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab.” The Israelites had sex with random Moabite women and then “bowed down to their gods.” In this way, “Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry against Israel.”
Baal was arguably the most famous of the false gods ancient Israel worshiped. Sexual immorality was only one component of Baal worship. In Jeremiah 19:5, the Lord said, “They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal.” That’s right, the Israelites literally burned their children alive as sacrifices to demonic entities. It wasn’t just Baal. In Leviticus 20:2, God said that if anyone “gives any of his offspring to Molech” they “shall surely be put to death.” In the next verse, He added, “I will also set My face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given some of his offspring to Molech.” Yes, babies were also burned alive in sacrifices to Molech.
So, what was really going on in Epstein’s temple? Time will tell, but don’t be surprised if the Epstein story gets a lot more disturbing.
LINK:https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/heres-everything-jeffrey-epstein-owned-with-his-577m-fortune
London = Babylon the Great?
This week, Northamptonshire Chief Constable Nick Adderley announced that his police force will become the first in Britain to carry Tasers. In explaining his reasoning, Adderley stated, “When I’m writing statements for courts where an officer has had his ear bitten off, where he’s had his finger bitten off, where she’s been punched in the face and thrown down the stairs, we can see that level of violence rising daily and it’s time now to act.” The decision came just a few days after a police constable was brutally murdered. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised to crack down on rising crime in the United Kingdom, including hiring more policeman, aggressive use of stop-and-search procedures and building more prisons. Unfortunately, these measures have become necessary. Why is the level of violence rising daily in the United Kingdom?
To a certain extent, political correctness has hampered policing in the UK. Former police sergeant Javaria Saeed, a Muslim herself, revealed that racism in London’s Metropolitan Police “is not from white officers in my case, but from Muslim officers who the service refused to properly investigate because they were afraid of being called Islamophobic and racist.” Apparently, most Britons agree that police constables are too afraid to properly do their jobs. According to a Daily Mail survey, 54% believe political correctness plays a role in Britain’s rising crime. 57% believe that criminals no longer fear being caught and that the police have lost control of the streets. Britain’s politically correct policing, which treats perpetrators as victims who aren’t responsible for their actions, leads to real victims being denied justice.
Politically correct policing, however, is merely a symptom. The root cause of the spike in violent crime in the UK is society’s permissiveness towards sin. For instance, in London, gang members play games “in which they receive varying points for stabbing or shooting victims in different parts of the body.” British society has such little respect for life that stabbing and shooting people has become sport. At the end of the day, rising violence is a cultural problem. Naturally, culture stems from our religious beliefs. In Britain, atheism is rising while Christianity is declining. I mean, a 2018 survey found that only 11% of Christian adults in the UK say religion is important in their lives. These are self-proclaimed Christians, mind you. In an environment of weak convictions and compromise with sin, it won’t be long before carrying Tasers isn’t enough to deal with the consequences. How long before the British people demand a police state just so they can safely go to the store?
That’s all for this week! Thanks for reading and Godspeed!