On the morning of Shabbat, I was awakened by a loud sound. I immediately knew what it was. F-16s were taking off from a nearby airbase. This was a very unusual occurrence on a Shabbat, but it wasn’t altogether surprising. Of late, the times here in Israel have been quite interesting. In fact, they have been so uncommon and important that I am going to change the format of [my MIDEAST REVIEW] for just this week so that I can fully explain what is going on. For information on what else is going on in the world, including the resignation of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, please go to my Telegram channel.
Those F-16 take-offs were soon followed by more in the afternoon. Then out in the Mediterranean, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Barak 1 surface-to-air missiles (SAM) were fired from the Israeli navy’s corvette warship, Eilat. The targets of each of these attacks? The morning fighters attacked targets in Syria. The others went after three drones flying from Lebanon toward Israel’s Karish gas field and its newly installed drilling rig. The SAMs took out two of the drones, while the jets destroyed the third.
Why is the second event so significant? Because it is just one element of several that appear to be moving us ever closer to Ezekiel 38. What makes this event so distinct is the clear hand of Iran behind it. These drones were not from the Lebanese government. In fact, the Lebanese foreign minister Abdallah Bou Habib criticized the launching of the UAVs.
There was certainly a time when the Lebanese government may have supported information gathering in the Karish gas field. There is a UN-established line demarking the international waters between Israel and Lebanon. In 2010, about a decade after gas was found in Israeli Mediterranean waters, Lebanon bumped their international water border southwards. Then, eight years after the Karish gas field was discovered in 2013, Lebanon dropped their water border even farther south – far enough to now claim half of Karish as their own. Their claim was short-lived, and when even the anti-Israel UN wouldn’t back their new claim, the government dropped it. Hezbollah, however, did not.
These intelligence gathering drones were sent by Hezbollah, a terrorist organization that has infiltrated and, to an extent, taken over much of the Lebanese government. Tehran is pulling Hezbollah’s strings, looking to get back at Israel for all the setbacks Jerusalem has been causing them. Israel is the only nation that is taking consistent decisive action aimed at slowing down or stopping Iran’s nuclear program. Reports have leaked that Iran now has enough enriched uranium to create five bombs. Currently, they are stalling the time before they have to turn back on the cameras at their facilities while they decide if they want to take that next critical weapons-making step. By attacking their nuclear facilities and their scientists, Israel is trying to remove Tehran’s ability to make that decision.
A second area of attack by Israel is in Iran’s ability to supply their proxy militias. The Tehran regime of terror is supplying arms and rockets to militias in Iraq and Syria. They are funneling weapons to the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Just last week, Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz revealed that Iran has entrenched four warships in the Red Sea through which they are feeding weapons to Somali terrorists. Time after time, Israel has destroyed Iranian weapons in transport or once they arrived. Iran is fed up with Israel and would like nothing more than to see the Jewish nation destroyed.
Not coincidentally, Iran is also building alliances – two in particular. While not best buddies yet, Iran and Turkey have been getting closer. Turkey’s economy is in a nosedive. Inflation in June reached 78%. Over the past year, energy costs have risen by 151%, transportation by 123%, food by 94%, and housing and utilities by 75%. President Erdogan has to figure something out to stabilize the country’s financial system.
A second alliance is with Russia. Where Iran and Russia find common ground is not in Ukraine but in Syria. Russia continues to build up their presence in the war-torn nation, landing 500 paratroopers in northeastern Syria on Monday alone. They, along with Iranian-backed terrorist militias, are inching further and further south toward the Syrian-Israeli border.
What interest does Russia have with Israel? It’s all about the money. The war in Ukraine changed everything. Suddenly, Russia is out of the world economic system, unable to pay its debts because its creditors don’t want rubles. Europe, once wholly dependent upon Russian oil and gas, is turning elsewhere for its energy supplies. The problem is that turning elsewhere isn’t that easy, which is causing major shortages. In the last year alone, the price of natural gas in Europe has increased by 700 percent as it seeks to wean itself from Russian supplies. Russia is looking to strong-arm its customer base back, cutting gas flow through the Nordstream 1 pipeline by more than 50%. Germany is in a near panic, worried that after a ten-day maintenance shutdown of the pipeline beginning July 11, Russia won’t turn the supplies back on. Europe is desperate for a dependable source of gas, and they believe they have found it in Israel.
When in the past 2000 years has Israel been such a prize as it is now? There were times it was desired for its religious significance, but never for its monetary strength. Yet now this tiny country is the leading technological, agricultural, and energy powerhouse of the Middle East. It is a treasure that is just too precious for a pirate-like Putin to ignore. Read these words from Ezekiel 38 and see how clearly they describe Israel and the plundering prize it is:
Ezekiel 38:11-12 KJV – “And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.”
These words were directed to a series of nations, including Turkey, Iran, and chief among them, Russia. What is it that could bring Sunni Turkey, Shiite Iran, and Russia who hates them both, together in a working partnership? Again, follow the money. Ezekiel 38 is not about religion or land or people. It is all about the plunder.
There are those who see this building of alliances as a preparation for the fulfillment of Psalm 83. However, the prophecies of that psalm were fulfilled in the aftermath of Israel becoming a nation. The enemies listed by the psalmist Asaph are Tier One – neighbors along Israel’s borders. The enemies of Ezekiel 38 are Tier Two – those that are not touching Israel. By all appearances, we very well might be watching the buildup of a coming massive assault on the Jewish nation.
Sadly, Israel has opened the door for this attack. The country voted in a progressive, liberal, post-Zionist government and it is now paying the consequences. When Benjamin Netanyahu was prime minister, you could count on Israel hitting Syrian targets on a regular basis. Now the attacks are few and far between. With the “government of change” collapsing, some may be optimistic over Israel’s future. I am not. It is not the Israeli government that has changed; it is the Israelis themselves.
The country’s left still remains left. But the country’s right that has shifted in the liberal direction. The enemy has breached the conservative fortress. Even Orthodox Jews in the Knesset were willing to partner with the Muslim Brotherhood and pro-LGBT parties just so they could kick Netanyahu out of office. There are no standards anymore. There are no principles. The Jews are on a clear path toward progressive liberalism that will reach its peak with their acceptance of the antichrist.
Is all of this pointing to a soon arrival of the Rapture and the Tribulation? I certainly believe so. There is nothing that I see right now that doesn’t fit biblical prophecy, and there is a whole lot that does. What should be your response? First, be about your Father’s business. You are on this earth to be a witness of His salvation through Jesus Christ. Do your job; share the truth.
Second, rejoice and feel no fear. Whatever happens in the weeks and months ahead, it is all leading us closer to that moment when we will be in the presence of our Savior, seeing Him face-to-face.
