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
With a now energy-independent United States gradually withdrawing from global affairs, the next several years are going to be a mad scramble for resources and influence amongst the world’s regional powers. Nowhere is this more evident than in Libya. For weeks, Turkey has been positioning itself to send troops to Libya. In late December, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan visited Tunisia to “discuss cooperation for a possible ceasefire in neighboring Libya, where Ankara supports the internationally recognized government.” Well, not everyone supports the internationally recognized government. Russian-backed private military contractors are supposedly supporting Khalifa Haftar, the Libyan strongman looking to overthrow the current regime. Reportedly, Turkey and Russia have been trying to reach a compromise in Libya, as well as in Syria. That said, the Russians aren’t even Turkey’s biggest headache in the region at the moment.
A little while back, Turkey signed an agreement with Libya to “create an exclusive economic zone from Turkey’s southern Mediterranean shore to Libya’s northeast coast.” The move infuriated Greece and Cyprus. They viewed it as a “cynical resource-grab designed to scupper the development of East Mediterranean gas and destabilize rivals.” It’s all about energy. Recently, Greece announced that it will sign a pipeline agreement with Cyprus and Israel in January. This pipeline will ship gas from the eastern Mediterranean to Europe. The United States publicly supports the EastMed pipeline from Israel, through Cyprus to Greece and Italy. 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. This new arrangement will turn the world’s energy markets upside down and it could explain why the Antichrist invades Jerusalem during the end times to take plunder.
Unsurprisingly, 60 percent of Turkey’s natural gas imports come from Russia and the Turks have embraced Russia’s TurkStream pipeline project, making them more dependent than ever on the Russians. Turkey can’t afford to go after the Russians in Syria or in Libya. Perhaps that’s why Turkey eventually joins the Antichrist in invading Israel. This was mentioned in our July 22-28 roundup, as a part of the Daniel 11:22 War category. After the Antichrist claims to be God and forces people to worship him, the Turks will either submit to the Antichrist or get conquered like much of the rest of the Muslim world. Those are their only options.
As for Libya, well, it won’t be pretty. Libya and much of Northwest Africa will join the Antichrist in invading Israel during the end times. Needless to say, trusting the Antichrist is a pretty stupid move. After successfully invading Israel, the Antichrist will begin conquering other countries. Libya will be one of those countries. Of course, the Antichrist is the leader of Russia in the end times. He’s going to conquer Egypt, Ethiopia and Libya, among other countries. Clearly, at some point, Russia will become the most influential foreign power in the Middle East and Africa. That rise to the top will begin with the Antichrist’s victory in the Daniel 11:22 War.
Sheep/Goat nations
The US is the world leader in consumption and production of natural gas.In fact, we’re on track to “become one of the world’s top gas exporters by 2020.” Just recently, the US became a net exporter of oil. We’re energy independent. We don’t need to protect the Persian Gulf or prop-up friendly dictators in oil-rich nations. On top of that, we don’t need to bribe countries to be our friends anymore. We’re the world’s destination market. Every country wants access to our huge consumer market. Many countries depend on it for survival. Without unrestricted access to the American market and without the US Navy to guarantee the safety of international shipping, get ready for a more chaotic world, in particular a more chaotic Middle East.
Indeed, this explains why the French are going to head up “a European security alternative in the Strait of Hormuz.” France will oversee operations from its naval base in the United Arab Emirates, with the Netherlands and Denmark having already signed on to help. In related news, Japan plans to send naval forces to the Middle East to protect its vessels in the region. After all, almost all of Japan’s oil imports come from the Gulf. Meanwhile, the US Navy is packing its bags and heading to Australia, as the close allies work to build a rare earth minerals supply chain that doesn’t involve China. In fact, the Aussies are investing around $715 million in upgrading one of their naval bases, which “will mean more support for visiting U.S. warships.”
For years, people have complained about America’s alleged imperialism. They wanted us to stop intervening around the globe. Well, with the US done protecting the world for free, an old saying comes to mind: be careful what you wish for.
Satanism
In late December, Pope Francis decided to tell Christians that we “must adapt to a Western civilization that is shifting away from Christianity.” In other words, we should do the exact opposite of what Romans 12:2 says and conform to this world. With all due respect, for true followers of Jesus that’s simply not an option. Although, to be honest, Pope Francis seems to care more about migrants than he does about Christians. He even held a ceremony where “he had a migrant life vest placed on the cross in place of the body of Jesus.” Unfortunately, it’s not even surprising that Pope Francis desecrated a cross. That’s because he believes the Cross was a failure. No joke, he once encouraged Christians to “remember that we are followers of Jesus Christ and his life, humanly speaking, ended in failure, the failure of the cross.” Blasphemy is kind of the Pope’s thing.
By the way, Jesus was absolutely not a refugee or a migrant. He was the son of a Roman citizen. His family was ordered to travel to their ancestral home to be counted in a census. He wasn’t a refugee in Bethlehem. When His family fled to Egypt, He wasn’t a refugee either because they were moving to a different part of the Roman Empire. What’s more, they didn’t need to work in Egypt because of all the expensive gifts the wise men gave them. They weren’t refugees or migrants.
Regardless, it’s difficult to expect any semblance of a biblical worldview from a man who rejects the bodily resurrection of Christ and denies the deity of Christ. This same man believes that Muslims “worship the one God, living and merciful, and call upon Him in prayer.” He has also confusingly claimed, “God is not a divine being or a magician, but the Creator who brought everything to life.” It’s obvious to anyone paying attention that Pope Francis is a false prophet. Could he be the False Prophet prophesied in Revelation? Time will tell.
London = Babylon the Great?
Thanks to Brexit, the British are looking for new trade partners and supply chains. In 2018, the United Kingdom opened its first permanent military base in the Middle East since the 1970s, strategically located in Bahrain. The British have at least three warships in the Gulf to protect their interests. In 2016, Boris Johnson, now the prime minister, gave a speech titled, “Britain is back East of Suez.” The UK is going to protect its economic interests in the Middle East, which are particularly important post-Brexit. With the UK looking to expand its trade beyond Europe, their relationship with the Gulf states is only going to get stronger.
Already, with the support of Boris Johnson, the UK has sold arms to Saudi Arabia. Despite a court ruling in June suspending such sales, the UK is reviewing its arms export licensing process so they can begin again. Discussing the matter, Lieutenant General Sir John Lorimer said, “The commitment of the UK to the security of Saudi Arabia and the stability of the region remains unchanged.” Apparently the commitment is serious, because the UK has repeatedly breached the “court order banning arms sales to Saudi Arabia.” Amazingly, despite the Arms Trade Treaty of 2014, roughly “£6.4bn worth of UK arms have been sold to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and their coalition partners fighting in Yemen” since January 2015. Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade wisely noted, “As foreign secretary, Boris Johnson was more than happy to support arms sales…and it seems likely that will only continue now that he is in Downing Street.” Smith better get used to it, because post-Brexit, the British defense industry is going to have a lot more business. For better or worse, the UK is back in the empire-building business.
That’s all for this week! Thanks for reading and Godspeed!