Russia and Turkey Kiss and Makeup

A major shift has occurred in the balance of power in the Middle East. Following the failed Turkish coup of mid-July, Turkey, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, has become excessively and suspiciously close to Russia.

Earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan flew to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting resulted in both nations agreeing to mend the bilateral relations strained after the shooting down of a Russian military jet by Turkey in November.

Because Erdogan had already apologized in June for the downing of the plane, the pathway is open for Russia to gradually lift economic sanctions on Turkey, including restrictions on sightseeing trips to the country and an import ban on Turkish livestock and agricultural products.

One possible reason why Erdogan has gone from describing Putin as a foe to calling him his “dear friend” is due to the help Russia provided during the coup. It now appears that Russian intelligence tipped off Erdogan just hours before the planned overthrow of his regime.

When the coup plotters got wind of the Russian communications with Erdogan loyalists, they moved up their plans several hours. Deprived of the element of surprise, the coup failed, and Erdogan is ready to switch from NATO to the Russian side.

The sudden lack of trust between Washington and Ankara has raised safety concerns over nuclear weapons stored at the Incirlik Air Base in Turkey.

The European news outlet EurActiv.com, quoting two independent sources, said the Pentagon, has ordered the emergency evacuation to Romania of an estimated 50 B-61s, (which is a tactical nuclear bomb that’s carried by fighter jets with a blast yield of up to 340 kilotons).

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has given Russia the go-ahead to use its Incirlik air base for operations in Syria. Though no official request from Moscow to use the strategic military facility has been made, an upper house member of Russia’s Parliament, Igor Morozov has said that “It just remains to come to an agreement with Erdogan that we get the NATO base at Incirlik as our primary airbase.”

According to the MP, Incirlik would give Moscow a strategic advantage providing for a swifter conclusion to Russia’s anti-terrorist operation in Syria. A key reason for the reset is energy. Putin wanted to restart the Turkish Stream Project, which will transport 63 billion cubic meters of natural gas from the Russian Black Sea coast to Turkey and on to Europe. With Russia and Turkey acting as partners, Europe will have little left to do but continue to be dependent on energy coming from Mother Russia.

This “kiss and makeup” between Turkey and Russia is important to prophecy watchers. With Iran also part of this lovefest, we now have all the key nations of the Gog Magog invasion in place. The only thing that remains is the “hooks into thy jaws” motivation that triggers the invasion of Israel. I believe the Rapture is the next major prophetic event; the Church’s departure may be what gives Putin the confidence making such a daring move.

“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, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:

Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.

Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.’ Thus saith the Lord God; ‘It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:’ 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’” (Ezekiel 38: 3-12).

–Todd

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Revisiting a Fearful Future

I wrote a series of articles with the title “Scanning a Fearful Future” at the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011. The ten-article series involved the fears people were expressing through emails. Almost all emails involved great anxiety over what well-known secular and Bible prophecy pundits were predicting for the immediate future.

The pundits were saying that the U.S. and world economy would collapse at any moment and America would no longer be the America as we’ve known it. There would be the development of a police state and tremendous, martyr-like persecution for Christians. I wrote in that series of articles that no such world-rending catastrophe would occur prior to the Rapture of the Church (all born-again believers). The Holy Spirit, I’m convinced with all that is within my spirit, led me to this conviction, based upon Bible truth.

I believed–and wrote–that such a world-rending cataclysm was indeed going to occur. The world’s economic disposition was (and remains) in a most precarious status. But, the Lord was telling me in my spirit–based on my prayer and study of Bible prophecy–that no man-made crisis or action would bring America or the world into complete collapse. My conclusion–totally scripturally based–was that it would be the Lord, Himself, who will bring the world system into chaos with Christ’s catastrophic intervention via the Rapture.

This finding was carried through in my writing of Rapture Ready…Or Not: 15 Reasons This Is the Generation That Will Be Left Behind Amazon Link

Therein I put excerpts of the series of articles, and gave reasons for why I believe my conclusions to be validated.

Bottom line to report as of this writing is that my conclusion reached remains validated. We are now at a point almost six years later, and the world has not collapsed as the pundits predicted for 2011 or 2012. Yet, the situation has worsened, not gotten better in every direction one looks on the geopolitical, socioeconomic, religious, and geophysical landscapes. Evil men and seducers have gotten worse and worse, just as the apostle Paul prophesied. The apostle’s forewarning of perilous times (2 Timothy 3) is coming to pass before our eyes daily.

But, God’s staying hand of control remains upon this reeling, dangerous world of growing godlessness. Planet earth will obviously stay on its course of destruction, but the end is not yet.

With all that said, there is at present a fearfulness such as I haven’t sensed, not even in those days the pundits were predicting any-moment world economic collapse in 2010 and 2011. Christians are worried–almost frantic in some cases–looking after things that seem about ready to come down upon their lives. The trepidation in the emails is more pronounced even than in those days six years ago–yet the world and life in the U.S. goes on pretty much as normal for these times of this increasing debauchery and societal upheaval.

This year’s presidential election season contributes mightily to the trepidation, I have no doubt. Another four or eight years of the sort of deliberate dismantling of the American republic that we have suffered will, people fear, end in total loss of religious liberty at best, and of personal freedom of every sort at worst.

Looking at all of this from the humanistic perspective, the reasons for fear, even panic, seem justified. But, for the Christian who has the mind of Christ at the center of their spiritual reasoning, there is a far different mindset that is available. I was listening to Dr. Charles Stanley present his message that touched on the topic of fear and upon such spiritual reasoning. He gave the following passage from the book of Isaiah.

I find it most comforting and reassuring.

Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. (Isaiah 41:9-13)

It is true that these words were given in this instance to Israel. But, the Lord of Heaven changes not. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Those who are in God’s family can rely on His promises–which are ours totally and forever, no matter the period in history in which we live.

The world has not collapsed. God is still on the throne. Prayer changes things, just as His Word tells us.

For those who don’t know Christ for salvation the future is indeed bleak. It is fearful–frightful beyond all imagination. But for the Christian alive at the end of the age–this Age of Grace–we are to, when we see all these portentous developments begin to come to pass, lift up our heads and look to Jesus. His coming for His Bride is about to take place (Luke 21:28).

Terry

Ban the Burka

After a series of terrorist attacks in Europe, a number of political leaders have proposed the banning of any type of full-face covering worn by some Muslim women.

The French government has been one of the first European countries to pursue a burka ban. Since 2011, full-face coverings have been prohibited in public places there, which means that Muslim women who wear burkas can face a fine of $167—or be required to take a citizenship course. Any man who forces a woman to wear a burka can be hit with a heftier fine of $16,700.

A burka ban has just been enacted in Switzerland with fines of as high as $12,000. Two people have already been fined for defying it. One of them is Nora Illi, a member of the Islamic Central Council Switzerland. She purposefully defied the ban and was fined by police officers.

The French island of Corsica has banned burkas following a violent clash between Muslims and locals. One man was stabbed for taking a picture of women covered up by a burka.

The Koran does not list any specific guidance on female clothing. All Muslims—whether male or female, are told to dress modestly and refrain from revealing “any parts of their bodies, except that which is necessary.” That means that the burka, hijab or veil could easily be worn by men.

The way liberals defend women who wear burkas, one would think it was mandated by the Koran. Since the Left encourages Western women to wear as little clothing as possible; it is a strange contradiction for them to defend a religion that requires women to have a bag over her entire body.

A key reason why I wrote this article is because of the love affair the liberal media had with Ibtihaj Muhammad, a fencer who became the first U.S. athlete to compete at the Olympics while wearing a Hijab.

Reports slobbered endless praise over this woman simply because she is a Muslim. Even though followers of Islam only represent less than one percent of the U.S. population, the press called for Muhammad to carry the American flag on opening day.

Muhammad said she was at the Olympics to combat hate—meaning the hatred against Muslims. “This has been a beautiful experience,” Muhammad told CNN’s Chris Cuomo. “This is the America that I know and I love. The America that is inclusive, that is accepting and encompasses people from all walks of life.”

The wearing of an Islamic head covering has little do with freedom. Anyone with any common sense should know it represents a culture of oppression. Most Muslim women wear such attire because they have no choice. If they dare to defy the dress code, they risk being beaten or arrested.

This past weekend, I encountered an ad on a news site featuring a girl portrayed as a rapper wearing Islamic garb. It was an ad promoting a YouTube music service. I simply could not get past the propaganda. Because there have been dozens of Islamic terrorist attacks, this brand of religion should naturally be portrayed in a negative light. Yet for some strange reason, a Western advertiser is trying to convince me and you that the Islamic people are hip.

Sometimes this not-so-subtle attempt to glorify Muslims can go too far. Britian’s Channel 4 Network used a reporter dressed in a hijab for the coverage on the Muslim terror in Nice. The channel assigned the Islamic reporter to this story to, once-again, combat anti-Islamic bigotry. What they were really doing is poking the eyes of viewers who see the Nice attack as another example of Islam’s violent nature.

The image that best defines the burka is the video of the 300 young girls who were kidnapped in Nigeria by Boko Haram. None of those girls were smiling because they knew they were trapped in the reality of how Islam treats women. In their case, a burka was the uniform of a sex slave.

A good argument against the wearing of a burka comes from the leader of a Muslim country, Kyrgyzstan. President Almazbek Atambayev made a practical observation by saying, “Women in miniskirts don’t become suicide bombers.” Addressing criticism of his policy, President Atambayev said, “When we erected banners some smart people appeared and started pointing at miniskirts. Our women have been wearing miniskirts since 1950s, and they never thought about wearing an explosive belt.”

The banning of the burka is just a single baby step. If Europeans want to maintain their freedom, they will need to do far more to fend off the enemy. Islam is a religion that aggressively seeks to dominate the world. Even when they are a minority, they expect the majority to bow to their religious rules and guidelines. If the people of Europe can’t resolve a small matter about dress, then the fight is lost. Islam will devour the continent and all women there will lose many of their basic civil rights.

–Todd

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Globalism at Full Gallop

In writing last week’s “Nearing Midnight” column, I expounded a bit on the all-out assault on national sovereignty. I thought I was through. I’m not. The gist was that this end-times attack can be seen in all its vehemence while the entire mainstream media and even Republican establishment leaders in many cases are waging all-out war on Donald Trump’s candidacy.

Trump presents his political case as “America First.” He claims to want to reestablish America’s autonomy in the area of global trade–a thing that has set off a frothing-at-the-mouth rage by the globalist-elites. No matter any other invective they throw at him, Trump’s nationalistic campaigning, wanting to keep America as the leader of the world’s nations, thwarting their globalist agenda, is the real reason for the rage, make no mistake.

There is no longer any pretense of equal coverage of the candidates. Rather than question both candidates on the issues, the mainstream news journalists (no longer an accurate nomenclature for this mob) don’t question Mrs. Clinton at all and hang on every word from the mouth of Trump. There ravenous desire is not to find out what his hopes for making America great again is all about, but to take anything he says and either blow it out of all proportion or make up lies about what he says out of whole cloth.

Well…maybe not always exactly out of whole cloth, but certainly to take his audaciousness and turn it, through twisting and fabrication, into what they hope will continue to widen the margins in the polls in favor of their own political ideology and chosen candidate–an ideology that is in complete synchronization with that of the Democrat Party–in my humble estimation.

The mainstream news organization is a global conglomerate as never before. They view America as the hold-up to the utopian dream. If all nations are forced to be more equal in material wealth–all peoples equal in personal wealth–the world will live at peace. It didn’t work with Stalin’s Soviet Union or with Mao’s China. It’s not working anywhere in the world at present–e.g., Venezuela, Cuba, and any other place it’s being tried. But, somehow, if America gives up its wealth in some sort of insane redistribution scheme this time it will work, so the reprobate thinking goes.

Thus, globalism is the ideology, philosophy, and theology all rolled up into one ball of upside-down thinking that will in the minds of the one-world order types bring peace, prosperity, and love for all mankind.

We have witnessed the scheme being implemented to an incremental degree over the past seven and three-quarters years. Even before the Obama administration, the scheme was underway, as a matter of fact.

The James Bakers of this new world cabal, it must be truthfully noted, are no different in their pursuit of bringing America down than are the George Soros types. They are all simply at the opposite ends of the geopolitical spectrum, and rather than that spectrum being linear, it forms a circle, with the left meeting the right to close what will be a planetary dictatorship at some point.

Put a cross-hair symbolically over that circle, and it is all of us who are at the center of that bull’s eye. We are to be encapsulated within that circle of power.

The circle is quickly closing. This election of the next American president will likely determine just how quickly and completely that geopolitical spectrum-corral is in place.

Ours is not a political website. We are about eschatology–the study of end things from the perspective of Bible prophecy. So what I have written here is all examined after prayer and much study about what God’s Word has to say about things to come. We are particularly interested for the moment, of course, in what might be about to come to pass in terms of the immediate future.

We know beyond any doubt within our own prayer and study that what we are seeing is the attempted closing of that one-world circle–the structure that will be the stage setting for the coming king of fierce countenance. We are witnessing the rapid advancement of the neo-Tower of Babel being constructed, the platform from which Antichrist will, for a time, be allowed to subject most of the planet.

I find it rather ironic that the one question I and other speakers often get at forums where we interview or speak is: “What about America? Is it in Bible prophecy?” Or: “Why isn’t America in Bible prophecy?”

I find it ironic because we have no real answer as to why America, the most grandiose and powerful nation-state of all of history, is given no mention, while other smaller places–like Libya–are mentioned. Yet, we, in my opinion, now find ourselves at a moment in history when the American electorate has at its fingertips when entering the voting booths the ability to determine whether, in fact, this circle of global gulag will be sooner rather than later closed.

That global, imprisoning circle will ultimately be closed. There’s no doubt about it. The Lord has long ago reported it’s closing. But, I sense it doesn’t have to be closed just yet. I believe the American electorate might just be able to have an effect on its timing so far as its closing into a lock-down position is concerned–to delay it for a time later rather than sooner.

I view this matter under the rubric of 2 Chronicles 7:14. God’s people hold the key to slowing the onslaught of the Antichrist regime that is reaching out for the throats of the peoples of the world–particularly for the throats of all Christians. The Holy Spirit is still the restrainer of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. He is resident within each believer, those who constitute the church of Jesus Christ.

We must, as God’s people, humble ourselves and pray, turn from our wicked ways, and seek His face. And, I believe that we must vote in the right way in this presidential election, perhaps one of the last opportunities we might have to do so.

The rider on the white horse of Revelation chapter 6 is preparing to gallop. Rapture Ready…or not the time is coming when God’s children will be called into Christ’s presence. It is time to be about doing our earthly duty, while looking up.

Terry