Swallowing up Crimea, who is next

Vladimir Putin has delivered a swift and uncompromising blow to the imposition of US and EU sanctions by signing a decree recognising Crimea as an independent state, paving the way for him to acknowledge a request from the breakaway region to join the Russian Federation. Ignoring Western threats of a new Cold War and a “far-reaching” economic blockade, the Russian president will on Tuesday address both houses of the Russian parliament on the crisis, and is expected to welcome Crimea into the fold. The formal process of absorbing the peninsula could be completed within weeks. The Kremlin announced that Mr Putin had signed a decree recognising Crimea as an independent state, after it voted overwhelmingly on Sunday to leave Ukraine and join Russia. The US and the European Union responded by issuing targeted sanctions against several key players in the escalating crisis.

Events have moved amazingly quickly. Just a few weeks ago Crimea was part of Ukraine. In less than two weeks Russia has moved in and annexed the region and brought it under the Russian Federation. Mr Putin has seen his personal approval ratings soar to a three-year high after his decision to send troops to Crimea. Crimea was invaded by Russia in the 1870s and then handed to Ukraine in 1954. It remained with Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. But Putin has said that the greatest geopolitical catastrophe was the collapse of the USSR. He has now begun the process of rebuilding that empire. The Russian juggernaut is on the move. Almost all commentators say that we are returning to a new Cold War. In Ezekiel 38 we read of Gog being “turned back”. This literally means “to be returned”. Putin himself (Gog) was returned to power and is now turning the whole of Russia back to Cold War days….

And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen                                                                                                              “I will turn thee back” literally means “I will return you” or “I will restore you”.

Two almost simultaneous signatures Friday on opposite sides of Europe deepened the divide between East and West, as Russia formally annexed Crimea and the European Union pulled Ukraine closer into its orbit. In this "new post-Cold War order," as the Ukrainian prime minister called it, besieged Ukrainian troops on the Crimean Peninsula faced a critical choice: leave, join the Russian military or demobilize. Ukraine was working on evacuating its outnumbered troops in Crimea, but some said they were still awaiting orders. With fears running high of clashes between the two sides or a grab by Moscow for more of Ukraine, the chief of the U.N. came to the capital city Kiev and urged calm all around. All eyes were on President Vladimir Putin, as they have been ever since pro-Western protests drove out Ukraine's president a month ago, angering Russia and plunging Europe into its worst crisis in a generation.

The division of Russia and Europe is made clear in the Bible. It begins with the 2 legs of Daniel’s image representing East and West. It is further detailed in Daniel 7 and 8. Daniel 7 tracks the West and the power of Rome. Daniel 8 tracks the East and the latter day power of Russia. Daniel 11 from verse 40 shows the conflict between East and West through the latter day powers of king of the north and king of the south. There are two distinct wars at the end. Ezekiel 38 is a war led by Russia (East). This war is about power and spoil.  Then there is a religious war (Revelation 17) led by Europe / Rome.

the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold— The stone = Christ returning. The metals of the image  = different world empires.  The fact the stone grinds all worldly kingdoms to powder does NOT mean all the metals are united as one at the end. They remain divided. (Daniel 2:45)

- Andy Walton in Weekly World Watch

 

+

Please do find also:

1. Mother of Ukraine or Crimea
2. Ukrainians should be free to shape the future of their country
3. Battling Borshct in Ukraine
4. When Crimean people made their choice
5. Weekly World Watch 16th - 22nd Mar 2014‏
    

++

1. Chess in a Minefield: The Global Implications of the Ukraine Conflict
2. West is Impudent – This is like the Fall of Rome 
3. Crimea: A Microcosm of East-West Conflict 
4. The Social-Psychological Roots of the Ethnic Problems in Crimea
5. Christianizing Crimea: Shaping Sacred Space in the Russian Empire and Beyond
6. Why Crimea, Soviet ‘Gift’ to Ukraine, Remains Strongly Russian
7. Crimea Votes for Greater Freedom from Ukraine Self-Determination in Black Sea…
8. Ukraine as it happened: Putin says ‘threat of ultranationalists’ forced him to intervene

 +++

Related articles

• Most Russians favor Crimea's joining Russia - poll (en.itar-tass.com)
  Data collected by the Russian Public Opinion Center (WCIOM), showed that 80% of respondents believed that “Russia should struggle for the right of controlling the [Crimean] peninsula even if the issue of the territorial belonging of Crimea turns into a matter of conflict between Russia and Ukraine.”
  When asked the same question in 2009 only 55% of respondents in Russia voiced their support.
  The survey also showed that 89% of polled Russians have always considered Crimea as the Russian territory.
  The poll was conducted on March 15-16 among 1,600 respondents across Russia. The margin of error does not exceed 3.4%.
  
• Russian troops 'overrun Crimea base' (bbc.co.uk)
  Defence spokesman Vladislav Seleznyov said the Russians had attacked the base from two directions using armoured personnel carriers and stun grenades.
  Russia has taken over most of Ukraine's military bases in Crimea.
  The G7 group of industrialised countries is to consider a collective response to the crisis in The Hague.
  +
  Russian defence officials said earlier that the tricolour of Russia had been hoisted at 189 Ukrainian military units and facilities in Crimea.
  
• Crimea votes overwhelmingly to join Russia (uairagency.wordpress.com)
  Commenting on the referendum in Crimea, several tweeters wrote: “Mr. Putin is doing just right thing to protect Crimea from militants. The Ukraine’s so-called PM talks like a terrorist”, “Conveniently, the Ukrainian constitution accommodates a fascist coup d’etat but does not accept a democratic referendum”, “The coup at Maidan with neo-Nazis and snipers is U.S. friendly but the vote of 96% of Crimean citizens would be a sham”, “Kiev has fooled Crimea for a long time, stealing taxes without back efficiency. Fascism became the last drop. Bye-bye Nazi Ukraine! Hello Russia!”
• Crimea's 'self-defence' militia eyes national guard role (trust.org)
  The militia, denounced by the Western-backed government in Kiev as Moscow-sponsored thugs, went hand in hand with Russian troops in recent days taking over military facilities in the region and raising the Russian tricolour.
  Comprised mainly of former servicemen and volunteers, the units began largely unarmed but later carried automatic rifles and long knives as the stand-off wore on.
• Ukraine stripped of nearly all its warships in Crimea (dnaindia.com)
  Ukraine has lost nearly all the warships it had in the Crimean Peninsula and the government on Sunday ordered the crew of the huge landing ship Konstantin Olshansky, which is under siege by Russian troops, to resist until the end.
  "The navy ships in Crimea have been taken. Despite the fact that commanders were given orders to use their arms, they did not use them to avoid bloodshed," Ukrainian Defence Minister Igor Teniuj said.
  
• Crimea goes to Russia, Putin laughs at Western sanctions | Ukraine | Metro Journalist (ametrojournalist.wordpress.com)
  The period of tussle is over since Russian President Vladimir Putin has made his mission accomplished. 21st March has marked its mention in the annals of world history.
• Majority of Germans recognize accession of Crimea - poll (rt.com)
  According to 54 percent of the German respondents, the West should recognize Crimea’s accession as something that has already happened.
  Meanwhile, 55 percent of those questioned said that they agree to a certain extent that Russian President Vladimir Putin views Ukraine, notably the Crimean peninsula, as a zone of Russian influence.
  At the same time, 60 percent of the respondents stated that they believe the West's reaction to Russia’s actions are adequate.
  In contrast, another 34 percent answered that the US and the EU’s introduction of sanctions was “excessive.”
  
• 2 more Ukrainian cities want to join Russia like Crimea (uprootedpalestinians.wordpress.com)
  
  Pro-Russian protesters wave Russian flags along with the flags of the Donetsk region during a rally in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk on March 23, 2014.
  Thousands of people have poured to the streets in at least two major Eastern Ukrainian cities, calling for a referendum like the one held in the Crimean region to secede from Ukraine and join Russia.
  Protesters in Kharkiv demanded a vote on the fate of the northeastern Ukrainian city, chanting “Referendum” and “Russia”.
  They also rallied to remember those killed in clashes between far-right demonstrators and pro-Russian protesters on March 15.
  In Donetsk, the protesters took to the streets to show their support for Russia, calling for a referendum similar to the one held in Crimea last week.
  They also demanded the resignation of the industrial city’s governor, who has been appointed by what they call the illegitimate pro-West leaders in Kiev.
  Furthermore, the pro-Russia demonstrators urged authorities to immediately release their leader, Pavel Gubarev, who has been detained by Ukrainian security forces.
• Ukraine forces given orders to withdraw from Crimea (itv.com)
  Ukraine's defence ministry has been given orders to withdraw all its forces from Crimea, acting Ukrainian president Oleksander Turchinov has said.
  Mr Turchinov said the decision was taken because of Russian military threats to lives and the health of Ukrainian servicemen and their families.
  
• Russian Troops Seize Ukraine Base in Crimea (voanews.com)
  U.S. President Barack Obama is in the Netherlands for an emergency meeting at The Hague with the other leaders of G7 industrialized nations to discuss international responses to the Russian annexation of the Crimean peninsula.
  
  The emergency meeting is taking place on the sidelines of a nuclear security summit.  Analysts say the session appears aimed at coordinating Western sanctions imposed on Moscow since Russian troops crossed into Crimea earlier this month.

Called ones escape

“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered; for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that escape, as Jehovah hath said, and {1} among the remnant those whom Jehovah doth call. {1) Or [in the remnant whom etc]}” (Joe 2:31-32 ASV)

“{1} And it shall be in the last days, saith God, I will pour forth of my Spirit upon all flesh: And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams: {1) Joe 2:28 ff} Yea and on my {1} servants and on my {2} handmaidens in those days Will I pour forth of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. {1) Gr [bondmen] 2) Gr [bondmaidens]} And I will show wonders in the heaven above, And signs on the earth beneath; Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke:” (Ac 2:17-19 ASV)

Dutch version/ Nederlandse versie: Geroepenen ontkomen

+++

2013 update:

Related articles

• For Jehovah is greatly to be praised
• What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits
• Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #1 Kings Faith
• Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #2 Calling upon the Name of God
• Praise be to God
• Elijah And The Widow's Son
• The Prophet Of Fire

Around pre-existence of Christ

If Jesus had existed before his birth, he would have been a
different Jesus to the one who lived on the earth.

The Old Testament word ‘davar’ its equivalent in Greek ‘logos’ used by John as embroidery on the Tenach (OT). We may not become entangled in the ideas of Plato, the stoics, Philo, apologists and others. John uses the word ‘logos’ to indicate the Word of God, thinking about all those things God had said previously. He had it about the Plan of God that became reality. For the apostle John the promise of the Saviour came into existence by the birth of the Nazarene Jesus. Gods Plan became flesh (John 1:1,14)

In Kenneth S. Wuest's "The New Testament -an expanded translation" John 1:1 is being translated as: "And the Word was to His essence absolute deity."  Wuest was Teacher Emeritus of New Testament Greek by The Moody Bible Institute.

Irenaeus, Origenes and Tertullianus played their part because they believe in the pre-existence of Jesus and thought he also was God who did exist forever and could not die.

Some Christians today teach that he was an angel before his birth but Hebrews 2:7 shows that he was made lower than the angels, he was a man with human nature which means that he could die. Luke 20:36 tells us that angels are immortal, it is impossible for them to die and yet we know that Jesus did die a horrible death and wasn’t immortal until after his resurrection. Again we see that Jesus couldn’t have been an angel.

If Jesus existed before his birth, (we read about his birth at the beginning of the New Testament in the gospels) we would expect to read about him in Old Testament times. However, even though we find that much of the Old Testament does speak about Jesus it is all prophecy. Prophecy is looking something that is going to happen in the future. So everything we read about Jesus is saying that he will come in the future. We are told that he will be born of the virgin Mary (Isaiah 7:14); that he will die (Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53); that he will be King of the whole world (Zechariah 14:9); and that he will sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 7:11-16). God promised David that one of his descendants would sit on his throne for ever and rule over Israel, and we know that this is speaking of Jesus because in Luke 1:32-35 it says so. Now, if Jesus already existed, why is God promising to Abraham and to David that Jesus will come in the future, that he will be a descendant of them. It doesn’t really make sense. The prophets say what the Messiah would be like and what he would do, so that when he came the Jews would recognise him. These promises all speak in a future tense showing that Jesus had not come yet but that one day he would.

In Isaiah 7:14, the prophecy that shows Jesus would be born to the virgin Mary, it says “a virgin shall conceive”, (shall has the same meaning as will) so again it is using the future tense, showing that this still has to happen.

In Luke 1:32, “he shall be great”. This would be strange if Jesus did already exist, because it is saying that he wasn’t great before his birth, but if we understand that Jesus didn’t start to exist until his birth it makes sense.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 AV)

Gave His ‘only-begotten Son’: It is possible Jesus draws his words from Psalm 22:20 LXX and Psalm 2:7. The Isaac-type also suggests, “only begotten.” The Greek is monogenes. (John 1:18) a junction of two words. Genes coming from the verb ginomai, which means coming into existence, becoming born, being created, being produced. When the force of God, the Holy Spirit, placed Jesus in the womb of Mary, a new Adam was been created by God. After Adam and Eve this was again the first human who was directly created by the Elohim Jehovah. For Jesus there was no other man involved to pro-create him. Mary was a virgin and became pregnant without intercourse. Muslims often say that our God did have intercourse with a human because we say that Christ Jesus is the Son of God, but God does not need sexual contact to create a human being. When God thinks about something He can take care that it is there. His wishes, His Plans can come into existence without any human interference. But God used a human, Mary to give the world a man who would be like all men, able to be tempted end being part of this world. It should not have been a god to whom the world could do nothing or who could not die. No Jesus really suffered and found an end to his life on a terrible way. While God cannot die Jesus really died on the wooden stake, to be lifted out of dead as an example to what can happen to us as well.

For John the risen Christ is the same as the Jesus he followed and who died. In his writings he therefore reacts to the Gnostic writers of his time and uses words in his gospel to make it clear for the bystanders.

The Word of God and the Plan of the Creator became more then 2000 years ago flesh (John 1:14). The fulfilment of the promise made in the Garden of Eden (Genesis) was procreate in Mary (Luke 1:35, Matthew 1:20) Jesus is the completion of that promise which was spread for centuries that came at the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, direct descendent of David, and leader of a new kingdom.

Read more in:
Pre-existence of Christ #1 Look #2 Jesus in the Old Testament
(http://bijbelonderzoekers.multiply.com/journal/item/1119/Pre-existence_of_Christ_1_Look_2_Jesus_in_the_Old_Testament)
Pre-existence of Christ #1 Intro #4 Jesus - His Parents #2 Difference (http://bijbelonderzoekers.multiply.com/journal/item/1040/Pre-existence_of_Christ_1_Intro_4_Jesus_-_His_Parents_2_Difference)

For the texts in Dutch:
Lees ook over het ontsaan van Christus Jezus in: Christus Jezus: de zoon van God #3 'de eniggeboren zoon'
 (http://bijbelonderzoekers.multiply.com/journal/item/1016/Christus_Jezus_de_zoon_van_God_3_39de_eniggeboren_zoon39)
 waar wordt ingegaan op de betekenis van de 'eniggeboren zoon).

En op onze hoofdwebsite staat de Nederlandse versie van bovenstaande tekst: Pre-existentie van Christus Jezus

Newton not believing in the Holy Trinity

At the time of Newton's life, denunciation of the Trinity was illegal. From the perspective of established Christianity Newton was a heretic who had to make difficutl choices. He did not want to loose his position.
When Newton was made a fellow of the College, along with an agreement to embrace the Anglican faith, the Trinity fellowship also required ordination within 8 years. During his studies Newton had come to believe that the central doctrine of the church, the Holy and Undivided Trinity was a pagan corruption imposed on Christianity in the fourth century by Athanasius.[9] Newton was faced with an enormous dilemma. He now felt that, in all consciousness, he could no longer take holy orders. However, to give the reason for this would have led to his immediate expulsion from Cambridge.

Newton's laws of motion contradicted the accepted biblical doctrine in the same way that Galileo's views had. But rather than contradicting the Bible, Newton believed that the Bible was accurate and that it was the interpretation of theologians that was wrong. He continued to study biblical prophecy until his death, being fascinated by its symbols and developing a lexicon of prophetic emblems. He was also intrigued by the architecture of the Jerusalem Temple, believing it to hold the secrets to many unanswered questions of the Bible.

> Skyscript on Newton

+ > Trinity And Pagan Influence
+ >
History of the Chrisitan Trinity
History of the Christian Trininy (Notes)
How Did the Trinity Doctrine Develop?

Hamas the modern Philistines

The retaliation of Israel against Hamas in Gaza has opened a "can of worms" as far as the United Nations is concerned, but it has reinforced the expectations of those who understand the Plan and Purpose of God Almighty that we are living in what is scripturally termed "the Last Days." The attention of the world has now centred on that tiny country and, in the near future, that attention will focus on Jerusalem, for God has decreed He will draw all nations against it to battle. The god of the world, Money, has proved powerless to save.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet

and a light unto my path”. Ps 119:105 SIGNS OF OUR TIMES
Isaiah 11:14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward
the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their
hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.

Sings of our Times Vol. 20 No. 2
February 2009

HAMAS - THE MODERN PHILISTINES

The above passage from Isaiah is found in the context of a prophecy which foretells the return of the Jews to Israel.
Isaiah 11:11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall remain, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. 12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. 13 The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and they that vex Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.

However, the earlier section of the chapter contains the well-known passage
“6 And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them,” so it is difficult to know if the attack on the Philistine territory now known as Gaza refers to the present or the future when Christ (“a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots” [v.1]) is ruling in Jerusalem.

Certainly the Israelis are dwelling together amicably and the old divided nation consisting of two kingdoms, Israel and Judah, has been replaced by “the nation of Israel” in fulfilment of the latter part of v.13 “..... Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.” However, the earlier part of that verse reads: “The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off:”

Perhaps we are witnessing this prophecy in progress, but the following extract from an article from TIME
Magazine, January 19, 2009 itemizes the difficulties.

AS ISRAELI TROOPS ENCIRCLE Gaza City, their commanders are faced with a painful dilemma: How far must they advance into the deadly labyrinth of slums and refugee camps where Hamas militants await with booby trapped houses and snipers? With each passing day, Israel's war against Hamas grows riskier and more punishing, with the gains appearing to diminish compared to the spiralling costs - to Israel's moral stature, to the lives of Palestinian civilians and to the world's hopes that an ancient conflict can ever be resolved. Ideally, in a war shaped by television images, Israelis would like a tableau of surrender: grimy Hamas commanders crawling from underground bunkers with their hands up. Instead, the deaths of at least 40 civilians taking shelter at a United Nations-run school north of Gaza City are more likely to become the dominant image of the war. Israeli politicians and generals know that the total elimination of Hamas' entrenched military command could take weeks; it might be altogether impossible.

The more realistic outcome is an unsatisfactory, brokered truce that leaves Hamas wounded but alive and able to regenerate - and Israel only temporarily safe from attack. Israel's Defence Minister, Ehud Barak, has promised a "war to the bitter end." But after 60 years of struggle to defend their existence against foreign threats and enemies within, many Israelis may be wondering, Where does that end lie?

The threat posed by Hamas is only the most immediate of the many interlocking challenges facing Israel, some of which cast dark shadows over the long-term viability of a democratic Jewish state. The offensive in Gaza may degrade Hamas' ability to menace southern Israel with rocket fire, but, as with Israel's 2006 war against Hizballah, the application of force won't extinguish the militants' ideological fervour. The anti-Israeli anger swelling in the region has made it more difficult for Arab governments to join Israel in its efforts to deal with Iran, the patron of both Hamas and Hizballah and a state whose leaders have sworn to eliminate Israel and appear determined to acquire nuclear weapons. Just as ominous for many Israelis is a ticking demographic time bomb: the likelihood that Arabs will vastly outnumber Jews in the land stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean is a catastrophic prospect for a nation that defines itself by its faith.

Israelis will have to choose between living with an independent Palestinian state or watching Jews become a minority in their own land.

As much as any other nation on earth, Israel is based on a dream: the aspiration to establish a home for the Jews in the birth-place of their ancestors. To a remarkable extent, that dream has been fulfilled, as Israel has grown into the most modern and democratic country in the Middle East. A strong, confident Israel ... is one that can find peace with its neighbours, cooperate with the Arabs to contain common threats and, most important, reach a just and lasting solution with the Palestinians. But how do you make peace with those who don't seem to want it? How do you win a war when the other side believes time is on its side? And what would true security, in a hostile neighbourhood populated with enemies, actually look like? As is always true in the Middle East, there are no easy answers.

How to Deal with Hamas

THE MOST IMMEDIATE CHALLENGE facing Israel is that posed by Hamas. Gaza's tragedy has for days been playing out on the world's TV sets. By Jan. 7, more than 700 Palestinians, many of them non-combatants, had been killed. But there's something tragic, too, in Israel's predicament: in any confrontation with its enemies, it is damned if it does and doomed if it doesn't.

Across Israel's political spectrum there seems to be a consensus that Hamas' provocative rocket barrages could not go unanswered - though whether Israel's response has been proportional to the threat is, at the least, questionable .Perhaps more threatening than the rockets themselves was the doubt they cast over Israel's vaunted power of deterrence, which is key to keeping its hostile neighbours at bay. That power was badly eroded in 2006, when Hizballah was able to withstand the Israeli onslaught, force a cease-fire and claim victory in the process. That surely emboldened Hamas, which intermittently sent rockets into southern Israel and finally prompted Israel to respond in force. As respected Israeli columnist Nahum Barnea wrote in the Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth, "A country that is afraid to deal with Hamas won't be able either to  deter Iran or to safeguard its interests in dealing with Syria, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority."

-WITH REPORTING BY TAMIL HAMAD/RAMALLAH, AARON J.
KLEIN/GAZA BORDER AND SCOTT MACLEOD/CAIRO ? (Abridged)


GOD’S ANSWER TO ISRAEL’S DILEMMA

We have seen in Isaiah 11 that God will have an input into what seems to be, in human terms, Israel’s  dilemma.

Surrounded by enemies on every side with the vowed intention of eliminating that tiny State - which, with the
backing of Iran and Russia, seems quite feasible, Israel appears to have a limited existence.
However, God has decreed that Israel will survive after going through “a time of trouble such as never was.”

Below are a number of verses taken from the prophecies of Jeremiah. They are being fulfilled in this generation.

Jeremiah 30:3 [NKJ] ‘For behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,’ says the LORD. ‘And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’"
4 Now these are the words that the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah. 5 "For thus says the LORD: ‘We have heard a voice of trembling, Of fear, and not of peace. 6 Ask now, and see, Whether a man is ever in labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins Like a woman in labor, And all
faces turned pale?
7 Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it.

The present retaliation by Israel against the thousands of rockets fired by Hamas into Israel over the past year has roused the ire of hordes of protesters world-wide.
Throughout Eastern and Western Europe, the UK, and all the Islamic countries down to Indonesia and even in Australia. Synagogues have been torched and antisemitic feelings have manifest themselves in vandalous actions.

The Scriptures indicate a united Arabic conglomerate that will attack Israel prior to the Return of Christ.

Psalm 83 gives the ancient names of all the nations that surround Israel today. The prophecy of Joel 1, 2 &3
describe a huge “locust horde” of nations conducting a “holy war’ (jihad) against Israel. Zechariah 12 & 14
includes “all the nations round about” in a siege against Jerusalem that results in “the city ..... taken ..... and half the city shall go into captivity.”

God’s solution to this event is outlined in the same Scriptures already referred to:

Zechariah 14:3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

Joel 3:16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

Perhaps the clearest record of Israel’s present and future condition is to be found in Jeremiah 30:
11 For I am with you,’ says the LORD, ‘to save you; Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, Yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, And will not let you go altogether unpunished.’12 "For thus says the LORD: ‘Your affliction is incurable, Your wound is severe.13 There is no one to plead your cause, That you may be bound up; You have no healing medicines. 14 All your lovers have forgotten you; They do not seek you; For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy, With the chastisement of a cruel one, For the multitude of your iniquities, Because your sins have increased. 15 Why do you cry about your affliction? Your sorrow is incurable. Because of the multitude of your iniquities, Because your sins have increased, I have done these things to you. 16 ‘Therefore all those who devour you shall be devoured; And all your adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; 
Those who plunder you shall become plunder, And all who prey upon you I will make a prey. 17 For I will restore health to you And heal you of your wounds,’ says the LORD, ‘Because they called you an outcast saying: "This is Zion; No one seeks her."’

ISRAEL’S FUTURE

Some time in the near future, Israel will find herself without a friend in the world “All your lovers have forgotten you; They do not seek you” [v.14]. In other SOTs we have shown from Revelation 9 & 16 that
the nations east of the Euphrates will rise against the West. Perhaps this will prevent the US from assisting
Israel; or the economic situation will be too severe; or ecological calamities wreck all communication and
travel - what ever it is - Israel will stand alone!
Israel will cry to God for help - and it will come!

Jeremiah 31:10  "Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’ 11 For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, And ransomed him from the hand of one stronger than he. 12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, Streaming to the goodness of the LORD––For wheat and new wine and oil, For the young of the flock and the herd; Their souls shall be like a well–watered garden, And they shall sorrow no more at all. 13 "Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, And the young men and the old, together; For I will turn their mourning to joy, Will comfort them, And make them rejoice rather than sorrow.
35 Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, And its waves roar (The LORD of hosts is His name): 36 "If those ordinances depart From before Me, says the LORD, Then the seed of Israel shall also cease From being a nation before Me forever."

Let us turn finally to Daniel 12:1  And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people [Israel]: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

“Even so, Come, Lord Jesus.”

 YBIC, Arthur Wright