Prophecy Updates and Commentary

Steve.

I’ve been reading your site for a while, and wrote to you once before.
Again, I just want to thank you for serving all of God’s children with your literature and service. I regularly pray for you concerning your health and finances, that our Lord and God may heal you, and you can continue to serve Him as well as you do.
 
I just wanted to bring this site to your attention, if you haven’t seen it already, and ask what your opinion is on the matter.
http://elshaddaiministries.us/video/eclipsevideo.html 
From your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Victor

MYREPLY

Dear Victor,
 
Greetings Brother Victor,
 
Thank you very much for your kind words about my website and for your prayers about my health. I have been receiving pain relief via recent acupuncture treatments, and I’m thankful for the relief received so far.
 
I also thank you for sending me the video link. It had a very interesting message about the synchronization of solar and lunar eclipses with key dates on the Hebrew calendar, and their possible impact on the possible timing of the return of Jesus Christ/Yashua. The confirmable synchronization of the heavenly cycles with God’s biblical calendar is convincing evidence that the same Creator who made the heavens authored the Bible! I’m including the link you sent to me so other readers of my website can access it as well. The speaker quite properly does not “set dates,” but he does present remarkable heavenly evidence that the predictable signs in the heavens do point to a particular year as a possible option for the return of our Lord and Savior. This is definitely something to keep in mind as we “watch” world events.
 
Steve Collins
 

Dear Steve,

Ref. Origins & Empire p.226 Ten commandments found in Ohio and New Mexico but written at different times .. but both groups seem to be following major rivers and somehow surviving major Indian attacks. Following Rivers seems to stay the same but did one group know that someone else had followed the other rivers or did they mark the mouths of the rivers so no one else would explore them or probably .. did they put the rivers down on fur maps with a copy for the ship and a copy for back home. Did the ships wait for them to come back and some sank? Not having women with them they died out in New Mexico but the Ohio group could have had women with them? Would they have taken native wives and taught their faith to their American families including writing skills. Has anyone taken the Israel sites and looked at the DNA of the Indians living close at hand? Would the Levi chromosome show or did the priests even come on such an endeavor? Did the success of the America
 n East Coast result in more explorations? Some divinity school should undertake this study and get a doctors degree based on their investigations. Really like your first book .. will get into the rest soon.

Bob

MYREPLY

Dear Bob,
 
Glad you liked the first book in my series on the history of the ten tribes.
 
You are correct that the Ten Commandments has been found on artifacts in New Mexico and Ohio, but the artifacts were inscribed at different times. The New Mexico inscription is in Paleo-Hebrew which would include the time of King Solomon, but the Ohio inscription is not in Paleo-Hebrew and dates to a time centuries more recent than the New Mexico inscription. It makes sense that explorers and settlers from Old World civilizations would follow the navigable rivers of North America to inland locations. As you will see in my second book, the Greeks recorded that the Carthaginians dominated North America but the Greeks had learned enough from the Carthaginians that they knew North America had mountain ranges and large navigable rivers flowing through a fertile plains region.
 
I believe the Israelites had rather permanent colonies of workers (with their families) in ancient North America during David and Solomon’s reigns. Other Old World settlers also set up well-situated colonies to exploit North America’s natural resources. When the Kingdom of Israel and other Old World civilizations fell, their colonies in the New World would be “on their own” if the regular resupply ships stopped arriving. They would have to make their own future in the New World and some of these various colonies became the founding units of later American Indian tribes. Some Indian tribes had oral histories that their ancestors came from across the “great water” (the Atlantic Ocean), and I believe those oral histories were accurate.
 
Some of your suggested research projects would be interesting undertakings, but politically-correct Darwinism has so taken hold in modern academia that few institutions would be willing to take on projects that would tend to confirm biblical narratives.
 
Steve

 January 2, 2009
Steve Collins
 
In the January-February, 2009 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review and on its website, there are two articles about archaeological discoveries which affirm biblical accounts. One pertains to the time of King David and the other pertains to the time of King Solomon.
 
The Bible’s accounts of the time period before and during King David’s reign mentions a variety of walled cities in the Promised Land. As many readers know, the Bible dates the beginning of the reign of King David to approximately 1000 BC. This was long an accepted standard. However, as evolution, political-correctness and atheism came to increasingly dominate academia, the Bible came under attack from all fronts. There arose a “minimalist” group of scholars and writers who dismissed the Bible’s accounts and rejected its Divine authorship. These minimalists also rejected that Kings David and Solomon had any reign or kingdom as described in the Bible. Minimalists have even doubted that David and Solomon lived. Others assert that if they did live, they were petty chieftains of an unorganized Israelite clan of shepherds who couldn’t have built the cities or accomplished the biblical feats attributed to them. The minimalists apparently have no doubts that the Philistines and Canaanites could build fortified cities, but they have denied the Israelites accomplished the things recorded in the Bible.
 
An article entitled Newly Discovered: A Fortified City from King David’s Time, strongly refutes the claims of the minimalists. A new archaeological dig has discovered the remains of a strongly-fortified Israelite city in the border region between the territory of the tribe of Judah and the Philistine region. This walled city, called Khirbet Qeiyafa, dates to the time of King David as recorded in the Bible. Radiocarbon dating indicates the site was inhabited approximately 1000-970 BC, precisely the time of King David’s reign. Given the many conflicts recorded in the Bible between the Israelites and the Philistines, this would be a logical place to find an Israelite fortification. Indeed, the article notes that it is in the region where David fought Goliath. The head of the dig, Yossi Garfinkel, states that “the new excavations clearly indicate that already in the time of King David, urban cities were constructed in Judah.” The article adds that the walled fortification covers six acres and “more than 200,000 tons of stone were needed to construct this wall. It would take a complex, highly-organized society to build a wall like this.” In other words, it would need to be made by a large nation with many resources which was ruled by a central king who could command the activities of the nation. This is exactly what the Bible says Israel was in the time of King David. The dig has also found a Hebrew inscription dating to the tenth century BC, although little about the inscription has yet been released. The first link below gives some information about this article, but to read the full article, you will need to read it in the Biblical Archaeology Review magazine or subscribe on-line. Many city and college libraries are likely to have this issue available to read.
 
The article combines an earlier inscription found at Tel Dan which mentions the “house of David” with the new discovery of a fortified Israelite city in King David’s time and concludes that “it begins to look as if King David lived and that he ruled a unified nation state.” In other words, the Bible was right all along. It should be noted that this fortified city dates to the time when the tribes of Israel were all united under King David. The article states that this fortified city was “violently destroyed” circa 920 BC. Who destroyed this Israelite/Judahite city? I have a theory.
 
The Bible records that when the United Kingdom of Israel subdivided into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, these previously united tribes of Israel fought a series of wars against each other. I Kings 15:6 records that these two Israelite kingdoms, led by Rehoboam of Judah and Jeroboam of Israel, fought many wars with each other. These wars continued under Rehoboam’s successor, King Abijah of Judah (I Kings 15:7). The fortified city which is the subject of the above-cited article was west of Jerusalem but not far south of the territory of the northern kingdom of Israel. This fortified city would have been in “the line of fire” of these conflicts between Israel and Judah. Since it was located within the region of Judah, it was likely destroyed by an invading army from the northern kingdom of Israel during one of these wars as the article states it was “violently destroyed” at the time these wars between the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were being fought. Since these wars occurred so soon after the time of the United Monarchy, there would have been soldiers in the northern Kingdom of Israel’s army who had previously been stationed at this particular fortress when it was garrisoned by Israelites from all tribes during Solomon’s reign. These Israelite soldiers would have known every detail of this fortified city and would have used this advantage in an assault on the city.
 
The second item which affirms the Bible dates to the reign of King Solomon. The Biblical Archaeology Review website posted an article dated December 16, 2008 (see second link below) which relates that a leading Israeli scientist has affirmed the validity of an inscription found on an “ivory pomegranate” which “is probably the only surviving artifact from Solomon’s Temple.” The minimalists had denied the inscription was valid, but this article lists strong scientific evidence that the artifact and inscription is valid. The inscription on the pomegranate reads: “[Belonging] to the Temple of [Yahwe]h, consecrated to the priests.”  This inscription would surely date the pomegranate to Solomon’s Temple. It now seems assured the inscription is valid, meaning that Solomon’s Temple did exist and was built just as the Bible describes.
 
 
 
 
http://www.bib-arch.org/bar/article.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=35&Issue=1&ArticleID=8
 
http://www.bib-arch.org/news/news-ivory-pomegranate.asp

Steve Collins
January 2, 2009
 
A previous blog at this site warned that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are serving the strategic interests of Russia, China and Iran because these wars are wearing out the US military personnel and its equipment. These wars are also serving to bankrupt the US treasury. While the war in Iraq appears to be winding down to some kind of “acceptable” end-game, President-Elect Obama has signaled his intention to soon send 30,000 more US troops to Afghanistan. Obama, elected as a “peace president” by his adoring public who hated Bush’s war in Iraq, will apparently soon become a “war president” who escalates the conflict in Afghanistan. He may rue the day he makes such a decision.
 
While I agree that President Bush made some incredibly bad decisions on how to “pacify” Iraq after the war, the war in Iraq at least had several strategic advantages that the war in Afghanistan does not. If President Obama continues and escalates the war in Afghanistan, he will be fighting “the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time,” and he will fall into a trap laid by America’s enemies.
 
Let’s do a brief comparison of the Iraq and Afghanistan war. While the Iraq war did have a vital American strategic interest at stake (access to oil), the Afghan war does not. Afghanistan has no natural resource the USA needs and there is no treaty obligation requiring us to be there. The US military destroyed the terrorist training camps there years ago, and should have left soon afterward. Afghanistan offers no strategic value or asset to the USA. For these reasons, the war in Afghanistan is “the wrong war.”
 
It is also a war “in the wrong place.” Any competent military commander should realize that when you send an army into battle, you must consider three vital tactical considerations: securing your flanks, insuring safe supply lines and making sure you have a secure link of retreat if things go badly. The Iraq War has secure flanks (friendly neighboring nations in Turkey, Jordan and Kuwait), a safe supply line (via the Persian Gulf and Kuwait) and a line of retreat either southward or northward (through Kuwait or NATO-ally, Turkey). Afghanistan offers nothing but a tactical quagmire. American forces in Afghanistan are very isolated. They have no friendly borders on any side, and American soldiers will have no secure lines of supply or retreat. The link below reports that the only overland supply line to American troops in Afghanistan through Pakistan is now so dangerous that it had to be closed to try to kill the opposing forces who prey on the supply convoys bringing provisions to US troops in Afghanistan. Other than an expensive, time-consuming and dangerous air evacuation, US troops can only retreat or withdraw overland via Pakistan. However, Pakistan’s western regions (through which the USA’s supplies must pass) are staunchly pro-Taliban. The American line-of-supply through Pakistan will remain in permanent jeopardy. Candidate Obama and his supporters proclaimed that “hubris” was the motivation which led President Bush to invade Iraq. Will “hubris” now lead Obama to widen a war in Afghanistan which serves no US vital or strategic interest? Is it worth wearing out the US military to find Osama bin Laden in some Afghan cave? No. Indeed, the chances are virtually non-existent that bin Laden is anywhere in Afghanistan to find. He has had years to go elsewhere. If bin Laden is even alive any longer, I would guess that he is being sheltered somewhere within the Islamic-dominated region of Western China, where US forces in Afghanistan will not dare to go.
 
The Afghan War is also a war “at the wrong time.” When President Bush launched the Iraq and Afghan wars, the USA’s finances and economy were in much better shape, and the US military was fresh and ready for combat. Wars are expensive, and other nations and empires in history have been devastated by expensive wars. The USA is now in the midst of a very deep recession which is still worsening. It cannot afford an expanded war in Afghanistan, but Obama’s administration is reported ready to do just that. Afghanistan is far more remote than Iraq so American logistical costs in Afghanistan will be far higher than in Iraq. Also, the US military is, by many accounts, “exhausted” with too many combat deployments and needs resting. For these reasons, an expanded war in Afghanistan is a war which is truly “at the wrong time.”
 
The war-planners in Russia, China and Iran will be delighted in Obama’s decision to further wear out the US military and burden the US Treasury with more unpayable debt to expand the Afghan War. The beneficiaries of America’s war in Afghanistan are Russia, China and Iran. America’s military grows more exhausted and overextended the longer the war lasts, and it drains what is left of the USA’s economic strength. Ezekiel 38 identify Russia, China and Iran as being part of the “Gog-Magog” alliance which will attack the USA and its western allies at the end of this age. It serves their interests very well to make sure the USA’s military continues to wear itself out and be positioned further and further away from the American homeland. Obama should read recent history and be warned. Afghanistan proved to be an unwinnable war for Russia (i.e. the USSR) a number of years ago, and the USSR had advantages the USA now does not have (the USSR bordered Afghanistan so it had secure lines of supply and a ready way of withdrawal). Putin saw how unwinnable an Afghan War can be. He is, no doubt, eager to have the USA expend itself in Afghanistan the same way the old USSR did.
 
One last word about the fact that the USA’s only overland supply route in or out of Afghanistan passes through Pakistan. Pakistan barely controls its own territory at present, and its government could fall into the hands of Islamic radicals in the future. The “Hindu Kush” mountains are located in Afghanistan and Pakistan, so the modern descendants of Cush live in those nations. This region already has harbored Al Queda and the Taliban. Ezekiel 38:5 prophesies “Cush” (some versions of the Bible translate “Cush” as “Ethiopia”) will be an ally of Russia, China and Iran at the end of this age.  It appears President Obama is about to fall into Putin’s trap in Afghanistan.
 
 
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2008/1231/1230581504098.html

Mr. Collins,
 
 If you haven’t already seen, check out today’s issue of the Wall Street Journal (29 Dec 08) also online. Article ‘As if Things Weren’t Bad Enough, Russian Professor Predicts End of U.S.’, even has a map of break up of USA. Interesting regardless of people’s beliefs on Ezek. 38-39, or the German dominated EU coming to get us. Foretaste of things to come? God knows. Bless you, keep up the good work!

John M Wilson

MYREPLY

Mr. Wilson,
 
Thanks for drawing my attention to this article. I did read it, but I think that the Russian author of the article is engaged in wishful thinking (on his part) if he thinks the USA is going to break-up any time soon. I see nothing in Bible prophecy that the USA (the single great nation of Manasseh mentioned in Genesis 48:19) will break up in the latter days. Genesis 49:22-27 also address the destinies of the tribes of Ephraim (the British “company of nations”) and Manasseh (the USA) in the latter days and this prophecy does not indicate their nations will break up or fall apart.
 
Thanks for your compliment on my website! Please recommend it to others who have an interest in the history of the “lost ten tribes” and/or biblical prophecy.
 
Steve

December 28, 2008
Steve Collins
 
As the USA continues to exhaust its military personnel with repeated deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and as the USA’s military equipment is damaged or worn out in these conflicts, Russia and China are steadily building up their military forces and assets. As readers of this blog know, Ezekiel 38-39 reveal that Russia, China, Iran and their allies will eventually attack the nations of the modern western world at the very end of this age. Here are some of the latest developments.
 
The first blog below (from a British news source) reports that Russia has announced a new weapons build-up as part of “a series of combative moves by the Kremlin.” The weapons build-up will deploy 70 new nuclear ICBMs, an unknown quantity of short-range missiles, 300 tanks, 14 warships and 50 warplanes. The new weaponry will be deployed during 2009-2011. Russia apparently intends to build up its military forces in spite of the recent fall in oil prices.
 
The second blog reports that China intends to build an aircraft carrier “by 2010″ to project its naval power. While China may build an aircraft carrier, it is unskilled in the tactics of how to operate a carrier-based fleet. The US Navy has decades of finely-honed skills in operating carriers to maximum efficiency. For this reason, I think China’s aircraft carrier (if it is built) may be a decoy to mislead western planners. Generals and admirals always tend to plan for the next war by “fighting the last one.” For example, western planners think deployed aircraft carrier task forces are the ultimate naval weapon system. This may no longer be true. Even as battleships were quickly rendered obsolete in World War II by the aircraft carrier, aircraft carriers could now be sunk rather quickly by submarines or small naval ships which can fire supersonic cruise missiles which can overwhelm carrier defense systems (which were designed to counter subsonic cruise missiles).
 
Previous blogs at this site have documented media reports that Russia has developed a supersonic cruise-missile called the “Sizzler,” and that Chinese subs have already been equipped with this Russian missile. Some readers will recall that a Chinese sub surfaced within easy firing range of the USS Kitty Hawk (I think over a year ago) so it is evident that Chinese subs are stalking US carrier task forces already. If my memory is accurate, the US Navy has 12 carrier task forces. You can be sure that at the outset of any future hostilities, Russian and Chinese subs would fire salvos of supersonic cruise missiles to try and sink each US carrier in the first minutes of a new war. Even US carriers in their home ports would be targeted. In fact, they would sitting ducks like the US battleships were at Pearl Harbor. If the USA’s carriers were wiped out in the opening act of a new world war, the US would be without strategic naval assets (and the entire naval air squadrons would be gone as well).
 
The real threat to the American navy is not any future Chinese aircraft carrier. The immediate threat to US carriers is the supersonic Russian cruise missiles already deployed on Russian and Chinese subs, Russian backfire bombers, etc. Chinese announcements about possible future aircraft carriers could simply be a ruse to cause US war planners to look in the wrong direction for possible threats. Unless the USA has developed and deployed a defensive system with each carrier task force to shoot down the new Russian supersonic cruise missiles fired by subs, bombers, etc., the carriers are not likely to survive the first hour of the next world war. I think the Pentagon realizes this danger as a more recent blog at this site detailed tests of a new defensive system built to counter ICBM attacks against our naval fleets. Since ICBMs are supersonic, this defensive system should also be able to track and shoot down attacking supersonic cruise missiles. Let’s hope it does!
 
The third link below (from an Israeli website) reports Russia has already rushed to Iran a number of its top-of-the-line S-300 air defense systems to deter an attack by Israel or the USA vs. Iranian nuclear sites (Iran’s nuclear reactor was provided by Russia, of course). Perhaps the USA and Israel have waited too long to effectively attack the Iranian nuclear facilities via conventional weapons attacks. We’ll have to wait and see.
 
Finally, the fourth link details the visit of a Russian warship to a Cuban port (not far from Florida and the US Gulf Coast). While this is easily dismissed by US war planners as mere Russian saber-rattling, consider the eventual threat that this action could foreshadow. The same Russian ship also visited Venezuela recently. Since this is a modern Russian warship, it is likely equipped with the Russian supersonic “sizzler” cruise missiles. Russia doesn’t need to build an expensive new naval base in Cuba to successfully attack US warships berthed in US Gulf Coast ports in a future war. If Russia lulls the USA to sleep by getting the USA to accept Russian warships in Cuba and Venezuela as “normal” events, the opening of a future war vs. the USA could include supersonic cruise missiles being launched from Russian warships making “normal” visits to Cuban and Venezuelan ports.  As part of a coordinated worldwide strike vs. all major US and NATO war assets, a Russian warship in Cuban waters could fire salvos of sizzler cruise missiles (and subsonic cruise missiles) at all major US naval ships located in US ports on the Gulf of Mexico and on Florida’s coasts. a Russian warship in Venezuelan waters could launch similar attacks vs. the Panama Canal, also destroying that asset in the opening minutes of a new world war. These attacks would occur at exactly the same time that Russian and Chinese subs (or warplanes) launched similar missiles at every US carrier wherever they are located on the globe. If the USA is not on a war footing and alert, would any carriers or major ships survive?
 
The USA does not realize the dangers it faces. While it is preoccupied with seemingly-endless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Russia and China (strategic allies to each other) are quietly preparing to launch a global surprise attack against the USA and all its allies.  How do I know this? Ezekiel 38 has foretold this event in advance. It prophesies that Russia, China, Iran and their allies will launch a global World War III vs. the USA and its allies at the very end of this age (the western democracies are called “Israel” in this prophecy because they are mostly descended from the migrating ten tribes of “Israel” who never returned to the ancient Promised Land as “Judah”-the Jews-have done). The migrating ten tribes of Israel have grown very large and prosperous, just as the Bible prophesied would occur after they were exiled from the Promised Land millennia ago. God has guaranteed he will cause this final war to occur if he has to implant the thoughts in the minds of the Russian and Chinese leaders to do it (Ezekiel 38:4, 10-11). Given the increased bellicosity of Vladimir Putin and the rapid expansion of the Chinese military, it looks like God has already done this. We could be living in the preparatory stages for this attack. I hope some US war planners in the Pentagon are paying attention to the ways that Russia and China could easily paralyze US defenses in the opening hour of a new World War III. I wonder if the Pentagon war-gamers have considered the Russian-Chinese attack scenarios suggested above in this blog. I hope so…because Ezekiel 38 warns an attack like this is inevitable.
 
 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/24/russia-nuclear
 
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081223.wchinanavy1223/BNStory/International/home
 
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5778
 
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,466989,00.html

December 30, 2008
Steve Collins
 
Now that the Israeli government finally unleashed their military to go after Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the logical question to ask is “why did it take them so long to take this obviously necessary action?” All nations enjoy the right of self-defense. If any other nation (including the ones condemning the Israeli military response) had been targeted by 1000s of rockets and mortars over a period of years, they would have made a lethal military response long ago. The Israelis have acted with amazing self-restraint in the face of the prolonged terrorist missile attacks vs. Israeli communities from Hamas.
 
Why have the Israelis acted with such restraint? Either the current government has lacked the necessary will to take essential action or the Israelis have been heavily pressured by the US State Department and other western nations to not act in their own interests due to the “peace process” efforts pushed by nations outside the Middle East. I suspect the latter option is the correct answer.
 
At any rate, the Israelis have abundant justification for their military actions, and they have every right to continue this war vs. Hamas till Hamas surrenders or at least gives up its terrorist missile strikes vs. Israeli cities. Thankfully, the Bush administration has firmly recognized and affirmed both the Israeli right to take this action and has placed blame for this conflict on Hamas.
 
The current situation again confirms the utter futility of a “land for peace” policy by any Israeli government. When the Israelis withdrew from southern Lebanon, it was soon infiltrated and taken over by Hezbollah, which has already fought one war with the Israelis in 2006 and is now heavily armed with missiles aimed at Israel due to Iranian/Syrian actions. When the Israelis withdrew from Gaza, it was quickly militarized by Hamas and used as a base to launch missile attacks into Israeli territory. Some nations want the Israelis to give the Golan Heights back to Syria in a “land for peace” deal. I’ve stood at the base of the Golan Heights and looked up at their extremely strategic position over northern Israeli territory. In August, 2000, I spent the night in the kibbutz of HaGosherim in the far northern edge of Israeli territory. I was part of a small traveling party which included Yair Davidy, an Israeli friend of mine as well as a fellow author on the subject of the ten tribes of Israel. We arrived at night and when I saw the Golan Heights in the morning, I instantly realized that the Israelis would have to be militarily crazy to give back this vital high ground to the Syrians (who used it to barrage northern Israeli cities when they controlled it). You would grasp it instantly as well if you could look up from where I stood and see the same commanding position the Golan Heights have over northern Israel. I had read about the Golan Heights in books and articles, but seeing it with my own eyes made me realize how senseless it would be for the Israelis to yield control of the Golan to anyone else.
 
While all the civilian casualties in the current Israeli-Hamas war are regrettable, I marvel at the diplomatic statements condemning Israeli actions as “excessive responses.” Let’s remind ourselves that the Israelis are attacking Hamas-specific targets. If the Israelis wanted to inflict civilian casualties in Gaza City, they could alter their tactics to produce thousands of Palestinian deaths each hour if they chose to do so. That Palestinians casualties are this low is a testament to Israeli actions to minimize civilian casualties.  Indeed, I read one report that the Israelis telephoned many Palestinian families in the line of fire to warn them to leave. The Israelis have even allowed humanitarian deliveries of supplies to the Palestinian civilians in the midst of this conflict. Such merciful actions by the Israelis should be lauded by the world!
 
Let’s consider the war-fighting tactics by the great powers in World War II to consider Israeli actions in proper context. Did Germany worry about British civilian casualties in the “blitz” on London and other British cities? Did the British and Americans worry about civilian German casualties when they bombed German cities in the latter portion of the war and firebombed Dresden? Did Japan worry about civilian casualties during its bombing of Chinese cities? Did the USA worry about civilian casualties when it “nuked” Hiroshima and Nagasaki and firebombed Tokyo? Did Germany care about civilian casualties when it invaded Russia and Poland? Did Russia give a hoot about German civilian casualties when its forces killed and raped their way to Berlin at the end of the war? The answer to all these questions is a resounding “no.” Indeed, the great powers intentionally maximized civilian casualties and suffering to break the will of their enemies.  If the Israelis adopted the war-fighting tactics used by the USA, Britain, Germany, Japan, and Russia in World War II, they would carpet-bomb Gaza City for a few days and see if any civilians lived through the carnage. This little history lesson reveals just how mercifully the Israeli government is waging war against Hamas! It is strenuously trying to minimize civilian Palestinian casualties.
 
Also, although the Fatah administration of the Palestinian West Bank is still teaching lies and hatred of the Jews to its children, it is still considerably less malignant than Hamas.  Fatah realize the Israelis are going to stay so it at least deals with the Israelis directly. Indeed, the link below reports that the Fatah leaders have secretly been urging the Israelis to attack Hamas, which is Fatah’s mortal rival within the Palestinian community.
 
I cannot see that this conflict so far has any specific biblical prophetic connections, but it does vividly highlight two biblical prophecies about the Jews/Israelis in the latter days. The first connection is that Ashkelon is an Israeli city which has come under attack from Hamas missiles. This city is mentioned in a latter-day biblical prophecy.  Zephaniah 2:7 specifically prophesies that the Jews (”the remnant of the house of Judah”) will inhabit/have sovereignty over the city of Ashkelon in the latter days, and this prophecy was fulfilled when the modern boundaries of the Israeli nation were established. Not only does this confirm that a Divine Creator is guiding modern world events to fulfill biblical prophecies, it confirms that the Israelis have a “Divine right” to this land in the latter days.
 
The second biblical connection is in Genesis 49:9 which is part of Jacob’s prophecy about the descendants of the tribes of Israel in the latter days. It prophesies that the Jews (”Judah”) will be like a “lion’s whelp” (or a “lion cub”) in the latter days. A lion’s whelp is a small, young lion. The Jewish nation is a small, young nation, fulfilling this prophecy’s imagery very well. The Israelis acted like “lions” in the wars of 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973 as well as the raids on Entebbe and Iraq’s nuclear reactor. These actions fulfilled the Genesis 49 prophecy that even though the Israelis would be a young and small nation, they would have the fighting spirit of a “lion” in the latter days. In submitting to regular missile attacks by Hamas for a long time, the Israelis were acting more like sheep than lions. This only emboldened their enemies. Now the Israelis are again acting more like lions.
 
 
 
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=84699
 
 

December 28, 2008
Steve Collins
 
As the USA continues to exhaust its military personnel with repeated deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and as the USA’s military equipment is damaged or worn out in these conflicts, Russia and China are steadily building up their military forces and assets. As readers of this blog know, Ezekiel 38-39 reveal that Russia, China, Iran and their allies will eventually attack the nations of the modern western world at the very end of this age. Here are some of the latest developments.
 
The first blog below (from a British news source) reports that Russia has announced a new weapons build-up as part of “a series of combative moves by the Kremlin.” The weapons build-up will deploy 70 new nuclear ICBMs, an unknown quantity of short-range missiles, 300 tanks, 14 warships and 50 warplanes. The new weaponry will be deployed during 2009-2011. Russia apparently intends to build up its military forces in spite of the recent fall in oil prices.
 
The second blog reports that China intends to build an aircraft carrier “by 2010″ to project its naval power. While China may build an aircraft carrier, it is unskilled in the tactics of how to operate a carrier-based fleet. The US Navy has decades of finely-honed skills in operating carriers to maximum efficiency. For this reason, I think China’s aircraft carrier (if it is built) may be a decoy to mislead western planners. Generals and admirals always tend to plan for the next war by “fighting the last one.” For example, western planners think deployed aircraft carrier task forces are the ultimate naval weapon system. This may no longer be true. Even as battleships were quickly rendered obsolete in World War II by the aircraft carrier, aircraft carriers could now be sunk rather quickly by submarines or small naval ships which can fire supersonic cruise missiles which can overwhelm carrier defense systems (which were designed to counter subsonic cruise missiles).
 
Previous blogs at this site have documented media reports that Russia has developed a supersonic cruise-missile called the “Sizzler,” and that Chinese subs have already been equipped with this Russian missile. Some readers will recall that a Chinese sub surfaced within easy firing range of the USS Kitty Hawk (I think over a year ago) so it is evident that Chinese subs are stalking US carrier task forces already. If my memory is accurate, the US Navy has 12 carrier task forces. You can be sure that at the outset of any future hostilities, Russian and Chinese subs would fire salvos of supersonic cruise missiles to try and sink each US carrier in the first minutes of a new war. Even US carriers in their home ports would be targeted. In fact, they would sitting ducks like the US battleships were at Pearl Harbor. If the USA’s carriers were wiped out in the opening act of a new world war, the US would be without strategic naval assets (and the entire naval air squadrons would be gone as well).
 
The real threat to the American navy is not any future Chinese aircraft carrier. The immediate threat to US carriers is the supersonic Russian cruise missiles already deployed on Russian and Chinese subs, Russian backfire bombers, etc. Chinese announcements about possible future aircraft carriers could simply be a ruse to cause US war planners to look in the wrong direction for possible threats. Unless the USA has developed and deployed a defensive system with each carrier task force to shoot down the new Russian supersonic cruise missiles fired by subs, bombers, etc., the carriers are not likely to survive the first hour of the next world war. I think the Pentagon realizes this danger as a more recent blog at this site detailed tests of a new defensive system built to counter ICBM attacks against our naval fleets. Since ICBMs are supersonic, this defensive system should also be able to track and shoot down attacking supersonic cruise missiles. Let’s hope it does!
 
The third link below (from an Israeli website) reports Russia has already rushed to Iran a number of its top-of-the-line S-300 air defense systems to deter an attack by Israel or the USA vs. Iranian nuclear sites (Iran’s nuclear reactor was provided by Russia, of course). Perhaps the USA and Israel have waited too long to effectively attack the Iranian nuclear facilities via conventional weapons attacks. We’ll have to wait and see.
 
Finally, the fourth link details the visit of a Russian warship to a Cuban port (not far from Florida and the US Gulf Coast). While this is easily dismissed by US war planners as mere Russian saber-rattling, consider the eventual threat that this action could foreshadow. The same Russian ship also visited Venezuela recently. Since this is a modern Russian warship, it is likely equipped with the Russian supersonic “sizzler” cruise missiles. Russia doesn’t need to build an expensive new naval base in Cuba to successfully attack US warships berthed in US Gulf Coast ports in a future war. If Russia lulls the USA to sleep by getting the USA to accept Russian warships in Cuba and Venezuela as “normal” events, the opening of a future war vs. the USA could include supersonic cruise missiles being launched from Russian warships making “normal” visits to Cuban and Venezuelan ports.  As part of a coordinated worldwide strike vs. all major US and NATO war assets, a Russian warship in Cuban waters could fire salvos of sizzler cruise missiles (and subsonic cruise missiles) at all major US naval ships located in US ports on the Gulf of Mexico and on Florida’s coasts. a Russian warship in Venezuelan waters could launch similar attacks vs. the Panama Canal, also destroying that asset in the opening minutes of a new world war. These attacks would occur at exactly the same time that Russian and Chinese subs (or warplanes) launched similar missiles at every US carrier wherever they are located on the globe. If the USA is not on a war footing and alert, would any carriers or major ships survive?
 
The USA does not realize the dangers it faces. While it is preoccupied with seemingly-endless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Russia and China (strategic allies to each other) are quietly preparing to launch a global surprise attack against the USA and all its allies.  How do I know this? Ezekiel 38 has foretold this event in advance. It prophesies that Russia, China, Iran and their allies will launch a global World War III vs. the USA and its allies at the very end of this age (the western democracies are called “Israel” in this prophecy because they are mostly descended from the migrating ten tribes of “Israel” who never returned to the ancient Promised Land as “Judah”-the Jews-have done). The migrating ten tribes of Israel have grown very large and prosperous, just as the Bible prophesied would occur after they were exiled from the Promised Land millennia ago. God has guaranteed he will cause this final war to occur if he has to implant the thoughts in the minds of the Russian and Chinese leaders to do it (Ezekiel 38:4, 10-11). Given the increased bellicosity of Vladimir Putin and the rapid expansion of the Chinese military, it looks like God has already done this. We could be living in the preparatory stages for this attack. I hope some US war planners in the Pentagon are paying attention to the ways that Russia and China could easily paralyze US defenses in the opening hour of a new World War III. I wonder if the Pentagon war-gamers have considered the Russian-Chinese attack scenarios suggested above in this blog. I hope so…because Ezekiel 38 warns an attack like this is inevitable.
 
 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/24/russia-nuclear
 
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081223.wchinanavy1223/BNStory/International/home
 
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5778
 
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,466989,00.html

December 27, 2008
Steve Collins
 
Previous posts have commented on the fact that US and NATO warships were sent to the Gulf of Aden to combat the threat of ragtag pirates operating on tiny surface craft. Previous blogs also discussed the near-disastrous terrorist attack which could have occurred if an Iranian ship loaded with radioactive cargo (reportedly radioactive sand loaded in China) had not been Providentially hijacked by the Somali pirates. It was when the pirates began dying of radiation sickness that the world’s intelligence services realized the real nature of the cargo on the Iranian ship and hurriedly sent warships to the Arabian Sea. If this Iranian ship had detonated itself as a radioactive dirty bomb off the coast of Israel after passing through the Suez Canal on its way to its supposed destination in Europe, the Israeli reaction would very likely have been nuclear. Such cities as Tehran, Qom, etc. in Iran would likely no longer exist if an Iranian-abetted nuclear terrorist strike had hit Israeli territory. Knowing nuclear strikes by the Israelis could be triggered by such a mass-casualty attack upon the Jewish State, the USA and NATO rushed warships to the Arabian Sea. Personally, I think the US and NATO motive was less-motivated by a concern to fight piracy and more-motivated by a need to stop Iranian-sponsored “suicide ships” which could start a nuclear war. Evidence for this conclusion is found in the fact that NATO warships have done precious little to use their power to stop piracy since arriving in the region. Only India’s warship seems serious about opening fire on the pirates.
 
You may recall that one of the ships highjacked by the ragtag pirates was a vessel that turned out to be loaded with Russian tanks from the Soviet era. The Russian tanks were reportedly destined for the repressive Sudanese government. After this Russian cargo was pirated, a Russian warship also raced to the Arabian Sea. It has recently been reported that a Chinese flotilla (two warships and a supply ship) are also now being sent to the Arabian Sea region (see first link). It has scarcely been reported that Iran intends to do the same thing (see second link).  The link reports that Iran sent a warship to “protect its cargo ships.”
 
Have Russia, Iran and China all suddenly seen seized by an altruistic desire to protect the world’s shipping from pirates? Only the naive would entertain such views. Russia, China and Iran have been embarrassed by the pirates’ seizing ships with clandestine Russian, Iranian and Chinese cargoes which exposed the secret agendas of those nations. You can be sure that their naval vessels have been dispatched to make sure that no more clandestine cargoes get intercepted. NATO forces should watch very carefully the routings of the Russian, Chinese and Iranian warships to try and determine which cargo vessels are being protectively “shadowed” by those warships. Those are the cargo ships most likely to have more clandestine cargoes on them from Russian, Iranian and Chinese ports.
 
China also surely welcomes the chance to dispatch warships to the sensitive Mideast maritime routes. China is greatly increasing the size and firepower of its navy and the global goal of “fighting piracy” gives it the political cover it needs to start sending its warships to the Mideast’s oil-producing region. Expect more Chinese vessels to sail to global destinations in the future as China’s navy continues to flex its muscles.
 
Ezekiel 38 prophesies Russia, China and Iran will all be allies in the age-ending “Gog -Magog” alliance which will attack the western world (called “Israel” in the prophecy because the western democracies are mostly descended from the former ten tribes of “Israel”) at the conclusion of this age. The Gog-Magog alliance is now sending its warships to the Arabian Sea to sail the same waters patrolled by NATO vessels. However, I don’t think their real mission is “fighting piracy.” I’ll bet their warships have been sent to protect clandestine Russian, Chinese and Iranian cargoes from both the pirates and from the shadowing NATO ships. China also wants to start positioning its naval fleet to challenge US dominance of the world’s maritime sea routes. Think I’m over-reacting? Read the third link, in which a Chinese Admiral openly acknowledges this is a Chinese naval goal.
 
 
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,470686,00.html 
 
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,470630,00.html
 
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2008/ea_china0815_12_22.asp

Hi Steven,
 
I would really appreciate to hear your opinion on a view of Revelation that I was introduced to for the first time. I viewed a video regarding the Preterist view of Revelation by Gary Demar of American Vision. As I’m sure you already know, this view teaches that all the end-times prophecies of the New Testament were fulfilled in A.D. 70 when the Romans attacked and destroyed Jerusalem and Israel.  What is your opinion of this viewpoint of Revelation?
 
Thank you for your time, and all the great article you have written.  I am looking to purchase all you books shortly.  

Steve

MYREPLY

Dear Steve,
 
Yes, I’ve heard the preterist theory proposed over the years. I think it is a complete scriptural error for many reasons. So many Old Testament prophecies focus on the “latter days” or “time of the end” which will be climaxed by the arrival of a Messiah who sets up a global, utopian Messianic Age/Millennium (we Christians see in these prophecies the return of Jesus Christ and the setting up of his Kingdom on earth). In 70 AD, no Messiah came and did these things. No Messianic Age occurred after 70 AD.  Therefore, none of these Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in 70 AD so they have to be fulfilled at a later date. Some New Testament biblical prophecies (such as the book of Revelation) hadn’t even been written when the events of 70 AD occurred!. The consensus of biblical scholars is that the book of Revelation wasn’t written till the mid-90s AD so its prophecies about future events can’t possibly apply to events in 70 AD.
 
It is my view that the preterist heresy was developed by people who do not want to see any real return of Christ or his millennial rule, so they deceive themselves with a theory which has no biblical support.
 
Steve