Oct 8, 2007
Prime Minister Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin dropped a political bombshell last Monday by announcing he would run for parliament in December under the United Russia party. With Putin as its top candidate, United Russia looks poised to easily win a two-thirds majority.
"I gratefully accept your proposal to head the United Russia list," Putin told delegates packed in an ornate hall near the Kremlin for the ruling party's annual congress. "Heading the government is a realistic idea, but it is too early to think about this now," he said.
Putin is barred by the Russian constitution from seeking a third term as the nation's president.
I find it very odd that most western nations were not at all troubled by Putin’s move to make himself the eternal ruler of Mother Russia. I’ve read several articles that describe Putin's political plans as "removing uncertainty." The last person to remove all political uncertainty in Russia was Joseph Stalin.
Chess master Gary Kasparov, a candidate for the Russian presidency, responded to this news by stating that it is yet another example of "... the antidemocratic and anti-constitutional nature of this whole electoral process."
The chief editor of Ekho Moskvy radio, Alexei Venediktov, said there is nothing new in the history of power-hungry Russian rulers: "In Russia - as before - a regime of personal power has been established: The power of one person, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, and whether he is called president or prime minister ... is meaningless."
For the past couple of years, Terry and I have had several conversations about Putin and how he seems to perfectly match the description of the Gog leader of Ezekiel 38 and 39. The only problem has been his insistence that he will step down in 2008. We knew that he would never just ride off into the sunset. You might remember my comments last April:
"Some critics are comparing Putin to Julius Caesar, who, according to legend, pretended to turn down the crown three times before reluctantly surrendering to the will of the people. We may be witnessing the type of theatrical skill that would make William Shakespeare proud.
Mark Antony:
'... You all did see that at the Lupercal
I thrice presented him a kingly crown
Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition? ...'
Julius Caesar Act 3 Scene II"
Putin's desire to control all the media in Russia all the way down to the level of the Internet is what made me conclude that he would never willingly step down. With nearly unlimited power over the government, it would be very easy for Putin to change the constitution to allow him to run again. It just shows his cunning nature to present this facade of respect for the democratic process by becoming prime minister.
Putin is a huge boom for the progression of Bible prophecy. He has all the earmarks of someone who might be the King of the North. His administration has been seeking to restore Russia's military might, it has sent nuclear bombers back on patrol, and it has been an active supporter of Israel's Arab enemies.
About a month ago, there was a report that Moscow was spreading false information that Israel was about to attack Syria in an attempt draw the two nations into a conflict. Israel sent its ambassador to Moscow to bluntly tell the Russian to knock it off.
A smaller war between Syria and Israel could be what triggers the massive Russian-Arab invasion. A quick victory by Israel would be a major embarrassment to Russia, which is Syria's main supplier of military hardware. We’ve already seen the beginning of the humiliation, when the Israeli Air Force used superior technology to sneak into Syria and bomb a suspected nuclear site.
One can only wonder how close we are to the war that will draw Russia into the fray when you see headlines like: "Syria won't hesitate to a start war with Israel to regain Golan;" "Hezbollah-like cells plan provocations to force war between Damascus, Israel;" and "Poll: Most Israelis support using nukes."
"And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes" (Ezek. 38:15-16).
-- Todd
Drums of Peace Beat On…
Key players in world diplomacy continue to beat the drums for peacemaking while the entire Mid-East region overtly prepares for war. Such dichotomy would in any other region of the planet perhaps be a non sequitur. But, in Middle Eastern doings there does seem to be a convoluted logic that one does follow the other. Efforts at peace and at the same time preparation for war isn’t overly strange, when considering the history of the geographical area called the “Holy Land”.
Bible prophecy forewarns as much. Issues of war and peace, according to the prophecies, are scheduled to contrast starkly one against the other, the deeper into this pre-tribulation era mankind advances. Jesus said about such a time: “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars…” (Matt. 24: 6a). The great apostle Paul foretold a time when peace will be a thing desperately yearned for by Israel: “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (1Th 5:3).
There is to be a cry for peace, and there will be a prince who will step from the shadows of the rulers of the darkness of this world system. He will have the answers to the impending war-making. The “prince” who will come forth as a great leader on the world stage is seen in Daniel 9: 26. Again, using the Scripture we look at so often, we see, through prophecy, this coming statesman of luciferian royalty: “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate” (Dan. 9:27).
So, you say, "Yes…yes…we’ve gone over and over this so many times. So, why go over it again?"
Good question…
Reports crash against our visual and auditory senses every hour, alerting us to the buildup of war. So much so, that many who aren’t interested in Bible prophecy have become callous to all the news. Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad –the man who recently was allowed to speak at Columbia University—framed the war-threat. The same man who was praised by some as wanting peace said about the nation Israel and her allies:"The creation, continued existence and unlimited (Western) support for this regime is an insult to human dignity…The occupation of Palestine is not limited to one land. The Zionist issue is now a global issue."
Ahmadinejad's remarks were made before millions while Iranians held protests across Iran in objection to Israel’s continued control of Jerusalem.
War is in the making, considering Syria’s threats, Iran’s rabble-rousing, and the enraged hordes in Gaza and throughout all of Islam in the Middle East and beyond. Rumors of conflict are almost certainly more than just that, with Israel and the U.S. reportedly planning surgical strikes following Israel’s IDF Air Force probing, possibly having destroyed some of Syria’s key air defensive and offensive capability. The scent of war is in the air above the plains surrounding Megiddo –and earth’s “peacemakers” fear that Armageddon approaches.
The drum for peace is sounding with greater volume, too. The west’s machine of diplomacy is on the march, sensing the dangers of the bubbling Middle East cauldron, even if most of the civilian populations of America and Europe hide their collective heads in the sands of doing business as usual. The diplomatic elite have at the heart of their ideas about keeping the Middle East at a low simmer, toward the objective of achieving true peace, the one thing God’s Word assures will prevent the region and the world from achieving peace. Bottom line is that they are determined Jerusalem must be divided, which equates to poking God in the “apple” of His eye.
They use “retired” diplomats from among their illustrious ranks to do the grunt work --to keep the negative heat off of themselves –the active members of the diplomatic corps.
“Five former State Department and Pentagon officials are proposing Israeli and Palestinian capitals in Jerusalem and excluding Arab refugees from returning to Israel as part of an Middle East accord. In a six-page policy statement submitted to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, they also suggested a series of peace conferences following the one she hopes to convene next month, probably in Annapolis, Maryland, near Washington” (Associated Press, Israel News, Oct. 4, 2007).
Now to see the importance of mentioning yet again the prince that shall come of Daniel 9: 26-27. That future and worst of earth’s tyrants will one day beat the drum for peace as no other purveyor of phony peace has ever done. He will make Adolf Hitler’s putting one over on Britain’s Neville Chamberlain look like a childish prank. Most of the world will fall for the beast’s latter-day “peace in our time” ploy.
The vital thing to notice is that the news is flowing in confluence now. The peace planning by the joint American/European initiatives, with Tony Blair the point man on site in the Middle East, combined with the dynamic rearrangements that continue within the heart of the EU are, in my view, of profound significance.
“A European parliamentary committee on Tuesday approved plans to reduce the overall size of the parliament and allot fewer seats to 17 of the 27 EU member nations in the next legislature. The redistribution of European parliament seats is one of the last hurdles to be overcome as member states finalise a reform treaty to replace the rejected EU constitution…” ("Plan for 17 EU nations to lose seats in europarliament," Oct 2, 2007, AFP News).
EU nations continue to suffer loss of sovereignty, with the elite planning to prevent, through nefarious manipulations of national rights, citizens’ ability to vote on Members of the European Parliament by selecting candidates from among their own countrymen.
“The committee also envisaged electing a proportion of MEPs through transnational elections or lists, rather than the current system of elections in their
own nations” ("Plan for 17 EU nations to lose seats in europarliament," Oct. 2, 2007, AFP News).
Antichrist’s incubator, the evolving European Union, continues to take shape. Drumbeats of the coming of the peace that will destroy many (Daniel 8:25) are incessant in the ears of this generation for those who will hear. Preparations are being made for the latter-day fuehrer to confirm the covenant that will bring the wrath of God upon Planet Earth.
--Terry
