Shalom from what has been a very stormy Israel! Rain, hail, and snow have all taken their turns these past few days, while high winds have brought down trees in various locations. Finally, the moisture moved on, but it has left many higher elevations with a beautiful blanket of white. Apparently, our weather system temporarily forgot that we are a coastal Mediterranean country.
What a week this has been! Watching the aftermath of the major earthquakes in Turkey and Syria and their many aftershocks has been gut-wrenching. I’ll talk about it in more detail below, but here I want to focus on the big picture. This massive natural disaster has been eye-opening in two major ways.
First, it contrasted the culture of life in the Middle East with the culture of death in the West. Why were so many children killed, hurt, or trapped in Turkey and Syria? Because in the Middle East, children are highly valued. Abortion is rare and the idea of allowing a child to die either inside or outside of the womb without the greatest effort being taken to save it is anathema to the society. Compare that to the laissez faire attitude toward unborn children in the West. If a mother feels that the child will be inconvenient to her life, killing it is not only acceptable but in many circles it is applauded.
This is because in the West, “me-firstism” is the prevalent attitude of the culture. What an incredible victory this is for the enemy, who himself fell when he took his eyes off of God and his created role of being a servant of others and put them on himself. Is it any wonder that between the first and the second major earthquakes last week, the world was exposed to a celebration of Satan at the Grammy Awards in Southern California? While there are certainly many faults in the culture of the Middle East, the relegation of a child’s life or death to the simple whim of another person is not one of them.
Second, the earthquakes have reminded the church that we are squarely in the “birth pangs” that Jesus spoke of to His disciples in Matthew 24. In the last three years, we have had a global pandemic that has killed nearly seven million people. We are seeing a WWII level military conflict in eastern Europe that has claimed hundreds of thousands of casualties. And we are seeing an increase in strength and frequency of earthquakes, including last week’s temblors in Turkey that will likely see well over 20,000 dead by the time all the missing are found. But, if you think that what you have seen thus far is overwhelming, just wait. Dr. Ata Richard Elias from the Lebanese University in Beirut has said that one more shift of the Arab plate would erase Lebanon off the face of the map.
I’m not saying all this to frighten you. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, then you should have no fear. I am telling you this to remind you that the time of Jesus’ return is coming soon. What we are experiencing now will pale in comparison to what those left behind at the rapture will endure. Use this moment as motivation to share the truth with your friends and family members who have not given their lives to Christ. As we look around, it is quite evident that the time is short. Do it today!
Historic Earthquake Devastates Turkey and Northern Syria
At a little past 1:00 AM on Monday morning, the ground began shaking in southern and central Turkey and western Syria. Because of its shallowness, the 7.8 quake devastated the region. Nine hours later, a second quake struck, this one 7.5-7.6, with an epicenter less than 100 km away from the first. The damage has been catastrophic. More than 12,000 are confirmed dead with another 45,000 missing. Many of these are buried in the rubble of 8500 collapsed buildings, which will undoubtedly double and possibly triple the current death toll. Those without a roof over their heads number greater than 380,000, a number which is even more tragic considering the snow and below freezing temperatures in much of the affected area. There is so much more that can be said about this tragedy than can be mentioned in this format. I would encourage you to subscribe to my Telegram channel to get up to the minute news about this and other global events. Also, please watch my Special Middle East Update from yesterday. It is full of insights about the earthquakes and how they fit into the grand scope of Bible prophecy.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Rescue Efforts
Planes have flooded into Turkey and Syria from all around the world bringing thousands of rescue workers and relief supplies. Israel was one of the first teams to arrive, and the size of its delegation is second only to that of Azerbaijan. Miraculously, survivors continue to be found in the rubble of the collapsed buildings, including many children. God is certainly answering the prayers that are being offered up by His global church. Unfortunately, the rescue efforts are very dangerous. A near continuous series of aftershocks are still bringing down buildings and at least one rescue crew has been lost to a collapsing structure. When it comes to the ugly, it is not surprising to find Iran in that role. For years, Iran has been secretly shipping weapons into Syria for its own military and to supply its terrorist militias. Now they have a window of opportunity that they are taking full advantage of during which they are bringing in war materiel disguised as relief supplies knowing that Israel cannot touch it.
Iran Shows Ballistic Missile with a Special Message to Israel
Last week, I told you about the brilliant Israeli operation that used quadcopter drones to precisely target a piece of machinery in a nuclear facility in Isfahan, Iran. Apparently, the ayatollahs are a little upset about the incident. This week, they displayed a ballistic missile in its launcher in Isfahan upon which was written the Hebrew words, “Death to Israel”. Hmmmm, I wonder who that’s for….
IDF Kills Hamas Terrorists in Jericho
Two members of Hamas failed in their January 28 attempt to fire into a crowded restaurant in Vered Yeriho near Jericho when their weapons jammed. The Shin Bet and IDF Intelligence Directorate tracked the terrorists to their apartment in the nearby Aqabat Jaber refugee camp where they had barricaded themselves in. On Monday morning, the IDF raided the camp in order to capture the ones responsible. Other members of the new Hamas-affiliated terrorist group “Aqabat Jaber Battalion” fought back resulting in the deaths of at least five of its members.
Israel Deepens Relationship with Sudan
Following a lightning one-day trip to Khartoum last week, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen announced that his government expects to fully normalize ties with Sudan later this year. This will be the fourth in a series of US-brokered normalization deals for Israel following the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco.
Germany Approves Sending Leopard 1 Tanks to Ukraine
As the war rages on in Ukraine, Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands have pledged to send the beleaguered nation at least 100 refurbished Leopard 1 tanks. The German defense minister, Boris Pistorius, said that his government approved sending up to 178 of the older generation tanks, but the actual number would depend on the speed of the repair process. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a hero’s welcome in Britain’s parliament yesterday when he made a surprise visit to the UK in order to try to drum up some more sophisticated weaponry for his military, particularly fighter jets. From London, Zelenskyy will travel to Paris for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Is Ukraine Nearing Defeat?
There are some who say that with upgraded weaponry, Ukraine could mount a counter-offensive and push Russia back. Not so, says General Waldemar Skrzypczak, former commander of the Polish Land Forces. “The Ukrainians predicted the Russian offensive and its directions. [Kyiv’s military] will defend themselves until they inflict maximum damage,” said the general. “Some say they should counterattack. However, the Ukrainians do not have the strength and means to carry out a counter-offensive.” This is especially true with the Russians launching a new major offensive in Lugansk Oblast, while continuing to inflict heavy damage in many other areas of the country. General Skrzypczak claims that Ukraine is nearing total defeat. These next weeks will show whether his prediction is true.
Russian Frigate Armed with Unstoppable Missile Prepares for Another Exercise
A couple weeks ago, I wrote about the Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov which had conducted a training exercise centered around the firing of a hypersonic Zircon missile. Now it has been announced that the ship will participate in another Zircon firing drill, this time as part of a military exercise which will include Russia, China, and host country South Africa.
Finland Sticks with Sweden
Finnish Defense Minister Mikko Savola put to rest Monday the speculation that his country might try to join NATO without fellow Nordic nation Sweden. At a conference in Oslo, Savola emphasized the importance of the two nations entering the alliance together. It will be interesting to see if the aftermath of the earthquakes in Turkey affects in any way President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ongoing veto of the nations.
Kim Jong-un Brings Military to Full Readiness
In his constant battle against irrelevance, it seems that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was feeling upstaged by the Turkey quakes. So, to get himself back in the news cycle, he has ordered his army to be brought to a state of “full combat readiness”. Personal message to the Supreme Leader: Don’t worry, habibi, we’ve seen you. You can tell your army to relax now.
