Prophecy Updates and Commentary

Israel’s Strategic Submarine Fleet Grows Again – New

May 17th, 2012

The Israelis have just taken delivery of a fourth, ultra-modern, German-made submarine which is expected to be fitted with nuclear-tipped cruise missiles as soon as it is fully operational. While it has been transferred from German to Israeli control, it will undergo several months of the usual sea-trials and tests that are standard procedures for all new warships.

This new submarine can stay underwater a very long time and reportedly has both “visible and invisible” abilities. Does this mean it has completely unexpected capabilities or does it mean that it incorporates new “invisibility” technologies in either its hull or its weaponry? That comment is not explained, but it leaves the nations guessing. While the Germans are making the Israeli submarines, the Israelis are making the nuclear-tipped cruise missiles, which are expected to have a 1500 kilometer range. This will be Israel’s fourth Dolphin-class super-sub and if they all have similar missiles, it means they can be stationed in the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea or even the Persian Gulf, putting virtually all Arab and Iranian cities, military bases and nuclear facilities within range of Israeli missiles. Israel also can deliver nuclear warheads via Jericho ICBMs and via long-range warplanes.

The world does not appreciate how powerful the Israeli military really is. If its enemies are ever stupid enough to provoke an all-out war with Israel, Israel can annihilate entire nations within hours if it opts to do so. Israel could end Egypt as a functioning nation for generations by simply exploding the Aswan Dam with a nuclear warhead. The dam would release a torrent of radioactive floodwater which would render Egypt’s arable land along the Nile River useless for at least a generation. One nuclear missile targeted at Turkey’s Ataturk Dam would render all Arab lands dependent on the Euphrates River equally radioactive and useless. All Arab/Moslem capitals will survive as long as Israel chooses to let them live. That is simply a fact.

Isaiah 19:16-17 foretells that “Judah [the Israelis/Jews] will be a terror to Egypt”…”in that day” [a biblical reference to the end of our age]. I think Egypt’s ruling military council realizes the fact of Israel’s total military superiority and is trying to keep the radical Islamic factions from taking power in Egypt as those radical groups don’t think in the real world and could bring about the extinction of Egypt if they assumed power. Isaiah 17 foretells Damascus will become a “ruinous heap” in language that portends a latter-day fulfillment. If Syria and Hezbollah launch a war vs. the Israelis, and especially if WMD warheads are used against Israeli targets (chemical/bacteriological weapons), Israel would have every right to use nuclear weapons on Damascus, the Hezbollah bases and every other Syrian facility that can make war against Israel. The press is full of media stories about the Iranian threats to Israel’s existence. I think Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other Arab nations realize their national survival effectively depends on good relations with the Israelis, even though the “Arab Street” doesn’t realize this fact. They also realize the Israelis are an immensely-valuable ally of theirs against Iran. After being an ally of Israel and a faithful NATO member, Turkey is increasingly an enemy of Israel and an undependable NATO ally as it is now led by an Islamic leader who tends to radical beliefs. Kamal Ataturk would roll over in his grave if he could see how Turkey has forsaken his secular, Islamic heritage.

Israel’s Netanyahu’s hand to act decisively has never been stronger now that he heads a new coalition with absolute power in the Knesset. As my books on the tribes of Israel point out, Genesis 49:8-10 prophesy that the Israelis (“Judah”) will be powerful like a young lion in the latter days. God has brought that prophesy to pass. The Moslem nations around Israel are much bigger than Israel, but they are far weaker militarily. They are like jackals that are baiting a resting lion. If they ever fully anger the Israeli lion into all-out war, entire Moslem nations will cease to exist or be rendered useless as nations.

The facts about Israel’s fourth super-sub can be found in the links below. Indeed, Israel is going to become even stronger militarily in the future. Germany is building Israel’s 5th and 6th super-subs already. This Israeli-German partnership indicates a much stronger alliance between these nations than is being acknowledged. It also shows the Germans have not forgotten how to build some of the world’s best U-boats. I wonder how many they are building for their own navy? Cooperation can go both ways. If a global crisis threatens Germany in the future, The Israelis could quickly transfer some of their nuclear-tipped cruise missiles to Germany for use on German subs if the Israelis choose to do so.

http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=268588

http://www.defensenews.com/article/20120502/DEFREG04/305020005/Israel-Receive-Fourth-Dolphin-Sub?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-gets-fourth-dolphin-class-submarine-from-germany-1.428039

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Will Iraq Split into Three Pieces? – New

May 15th, 2012

As readers know from my previous writings, Iran (“Persia”) is prophesied in Ezekiel 38-39 to be a part of the Gog-Magog alliance in the latter days, and it is a Shiite Moslem nation. Saudi Arabia and the Arab nations are Sunni Moslems and they are descended from Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar. The USA spent an immense amount of money and lost many soldiers and much equipment in the two wars it fought with Iraq in the Mideast. After occupying Iraq for years, the USA’s pull-out has now left Iraq on the verge of splitting into three nations, just as Yugoslavia split into many nations when it fell apart years ago.

This link offers a good analysis of what is happening in Iraq today. I have mentioned these trends in previous posts, but the danger of a three-way split in Iraq has never been greater. As the article notes, the current leader of Iraq, Al Maliki, is a Shiite Moslem and is regarded by Saudi Arabia as little more than an Iranian puppet. Sunni Moslem Turkey is also upset with the Iraqi leader’s treatment of Sunni Moslems in Iraq and is threatening to intervene in their behalf (much of Iraq used to be part of Turkey’s Ottoman Empire). The Sunnis and Shiites are very close to a divorce which could potentially touch off armed hostilities between the Sunni Arab Moslems and the Shiite Persian Moslems in the region. The leader of Iraq is also a backer of Syria’s embattled President Assad who is waging war against his own people to stay in power. This makes Iraq’s Shiite leader an ally of Russia and Iran which are also backing Assad. Saudi Arabia and the Sunnis would love to overthrow Assad and remove Syria from the Iranian camp.

The third portion of Iraq is the already semi-independent Kurdish region which has been friendly to the West and to the Israelis. The Kurds and the Turks have been mortal enemies for a long time, and an independent Kurdistan is one of Turkey’s worst fears. However, as I posted earlier, the Kurdish region sheltered and forcibly protected the Iraqi Vice-President (A Sunni Moslem) when the Iraqi Shiite leader tried to arrest him for what were most likely trumped-up charges. This Kurdish action won good will with the Sunni nations who are now protecting Iraq’s former Vice-President (who would likely become President of an independent Sunni “Western Iraq” if Iraq splits three ways). The Kurds’ protection of This Sunni Vice-President allows for the possibility that an independent Sunni “Western Iraq” would become allied with an independent Kurdistan against Iran and on the side of the Saudis and the other Sunnis Moslems. This could even lead to Turkey and the Kurds “burying the hatchet” and becoming allied against Iran under the auspices of Saudi help for this outcome (which would be hugely in the interests of Saudi Arabia and the other Sunni nations).

Behind the scenes, I think Israel is rooting for the Sunnis and the Kurds to make common cause with Israel against Iran. The Israelis, surrounded by hostile Hezbollah and Hamas, threatened by a hostile Syria and endangered by a possibly Islamist Egypt, are very ripe for a grand political settlement which would grant some kind of Palestinian “state” which would be closely supervised by the Saudis and Jordanians and which would make the Sunni Moslem nations, an independent Kurdistan and the Israelis all allies against Iran. This would greatly secure Israeli safety and such an arrangement would vastly secure the governments of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, etc., who could come under the Israeli nuclear umbrella against Iran. The USA and the West would favor such an outcome. Russia, again led by the assertive Putin, and China would not favor it and will work to stop it from happening. If the USA had strong leadership, the USA would work hard to make such an outcome happen, but I can’t see the Saudis and the other Sunni leaders (furious at Obama for abandoning their Sunni ally, Mubarak of Egypt) ever truly trusting the USA as long as Obama is president. I can’t see the Israelis ever truly trusting Obama either. The antipathy between Obama and Netanyahu runs deep (as was learned from Obama’s open-mike scathing comments about Netanyahu to France’s soon-to-be ex-President Sarkozy). A mutual distrust of Obama is oddly another factor drawing the Saudis and Israelis toward each other. These nations and their allies may re-draw the map of the Mideast on their own in a way which neither the USA or Russia like.

The Arabs have a long history of shifting alliances and allegiances, a trait prophesied for the descendants of Ishmael in Genesis 16:10-12. The time-honored principle of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” is well-known and often-practiced in the Mideast. The Saudis and the Israelis are accumulating a growing list of common enemies (Iran, the Al Maliki-led Shiite Iraq, Syria, and even President Obama—although they would never say that openly). This increases the odds of Israel and Saudi Arabia being pushed together as “friends.” Both the Israelis and the Arabs know that they share a common ancestor, the man named Abraham, so they have blood ties as well. The USA, the UK, many NATO nations and their allies have Abraham as their ancestor too via Jacob (although they are mostly clueless to this fact, as my books document). The Turks are descended from Abraham via Esau also named Edom in the Bible. One of Edom’s most prominent tribes was named Teman (Genesis 36:15 and 34), and the consonants of his name are T-M-N, the same consonants of Turkey’s old Ottoman Empire (TT-M-N). Another Edomite name is “Bozrah” (Genesis 36:33), and that name is found on the Iraqi city of Basrah (also called Basra). The Jordanians are descended from the old Ammonites of the Bible, and the name of their ancestor Ammon, is still on the Jordanian capital city, Amman. The Ammonites are not descended from Abraham, but are related to Abraham’s family of many nations via Abraham’s nephew, Lot.

It looks to me that a Divine hand is pushing all the sons of Abraham into one alliance in these end-times whether they realize it or not. Their enemies are listed as the Gog-Magog alliance in Ezekiel 38-39, and that alliance has already mostly taken shape.

Watch Iraq carefully. If it splits apart, the entire Mideast map of alliances may be re-drawn in a way which finally sets the stage for the prophesied alliances that will oppose each other in a final World War II (see my article, What Ezekiel 38-39 Reveals About a Future World War III [PDF]). Since God has already revealed a great deal of the future to us, you may as well see what he has to say in his biblical prophecies.

http://www.wnd.com/2012/04/malikis-iraq-now-splitting/

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Russia Already Used a Small EMP Weapon – New

May 13th, 2012

There was a short, but very important, mention in a Washington Times column that Russia has already used an EMP weapon in combat, and it has huge implications for all future warfare. Reportedly this use of an EMP weapon occurred during the time Russia was battling Chechen rebels about a decade ago. This link reports that Russia has built small, tactical EMP warheads which can be fired from mortars and aimed at a very specific target. In this case about a decade ago, Russia used EMP warheads fired from mortars to disable electronic cellular phones used by the Chechen rebels (presumably so the Chechens could not detonate IEDs).

This report is very noteworthy. Most EMP warnings have addressed the use of large-scale, strategic EMP weapons that take out electronics over entire chunks of nations and continents (the book, One Second After by William Forstchen, is an excellent read on the strategic use of EMP weapons). The Washington Times article shows that Russia has long ago miniaturized EMP warheads to be used from weapons as small as a mortar. Think of the revolutionary impact this could have on tactical warfare! It means that Russian forces could fire these miniaturized EMP warheads from mortars, artillery pieces, tanks, etc. in a wide variety of tactical usages along a broad battle front. If an enemy’s weaponry is not fully EMP-hardened, it means that Russia could instantly disable an enemy’s electronically-controlled weaponry (warplanes, tanks, APCs, etc.) and easily defeat a foe by disarming their ability to fight back.

Understandably, the report indicates the Pentagon is worried about this, and is taking “steps to harden its computers and electronics against the devastating effects of EMP weapons.” Hopefully, this means the Pentagon is doing this not just at the Pentagon building itself but at all its facilities and in all its weapons systems worldwide. Such an action is critically-necessary if the USA expects its weaponry to function in warfare situations. Terrorists could obtain such small EMP warheads and cause terrible havoc. Think what small, terrorist-fired EMP weapons could do if they were simultaneously detonated over the Wall Street stock exchange and the stock exchanges of other western nations. Would this mean “Bye-Bye” to the entire economy and all financial records held in US exchanges? Critical infrastructures would be devastated if such small EMP warhead were fired over power plants, dams, etc. All western nations need to take major preventive actions to protect their weaponry and infrastructures from Russia’s miniaturized EMP warheads or they will find their high-tech, electronically-controlled weaponry useless when Russia invades the Western nations, as Ezekiel 38-39 prophesies they will most certainly do when the West has sufficiently weakened itself via foolish disarmament actions or simply neglecting to take their own defenses seriously. The danger of such weaponry in the hands of terrorists shows that critical civilian agencies, public utilities and corporate facilities all need to take such action as well. For a detailed analysis of how the Bible’s prophecy in Ezekiel 38-39 will be fulfilled in a future year, please read my article, What Ezekiel 38-39 Reveals About a Future World War III [PDF]. I most certainly do not predict when this war will occur, but the Bible guarantees it will occur at the very end of the current “latter day” period in which we now live. For a full examination of how the Bible’s “latter day” prophecies are being steadily fulfilled in modern times, please read my article, Are We Living in the Biblical Latter Days?

I have one last question. Have America’s and NATO’s military planners also developed small-scale, tactical EMP warheads? If not, they have been seriously outsmarted by Russia. In terms of tactical usage, very small, mortar-fired EMP warheads, if fired just ahead of US military convoys on roadways in Iraq and Afghanistan, would have dramatically lessened the dangers posed by IEDs against US soldiers and marines. The fact that such an EMP-related defense was not used implies the USA has neglected to develop such a critically-important piece of tactical weaponry.

I’ll bet you won’t hear about this serious danger from any of the major TV media networks.

http://www.gertzfile.com/gertzfile/ring042612.html

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China Gets Approval to Own US Banks – New

May 11th, 2012

Today’s USA Today had a tiny reference to the fact that the US Federal Reserve Board approved a proposal by a large Chinese bank to purchase a US bank in New York City, and it also approved the opening of Chinese branch banks in New York City and Chicago. A much more detailed story about this development appeared in the British media (see link), and I thank the friend who sent this link to me.

There are several things worth noting about this deal. It is the first acknowledged purchase of a US bank by a Chinese bank, but have other banks been bought by China, in either a majority or minority interest ownership arrangement? Also, a post I wrote many months ago documented that China was investing its surplus US dollars in all kinds of US commercial and residential real estate, farm land, etc. One also wonders how many millions of shares of major American banking, industrial, retail and other types of companies are owned by Chinese investors and banks already. It would be possible for Chinese investors to actually be the real owners of many millions of shares of stock which are held in “street name” by major American brokerage house via third-party firms.

Another interesting fact is that the approval of Chinese banks owning US banks was given by the US Federal Reserve Board (a private banking company with a federal charter to serve as the nation’s central bank). This means that no branch or part of the US federal government approved this transaction, but it is being implemented anyway. This speaks volumes about who is really running and governing the United States of America. The US Congress didn’t vote to approve this. The president didn’t sign any bill to approve this. The Supreme Court didn’t rule this was permissible under the US Constitution. However, the Fed (the beating heart of the current global financial/monetary system called Babylon the Great in Revelation 17-18) approved it so it will happen. One wonders how many more US banks and financial firms will be openly or quietly bought up by Chinese banks in future years with surplus US dollars held by Communist China. The “camel’s nose” is now under the tent, and its only a matter of time till the whole camel enters the tent. It may well be that in a few years, the mortgages, car loans and many other types of consumer debt will be owed by American borrowers to Chinese creditors, but Americans may not realize it as their loan instruments will be serviced by firms with English-sounding names.

I’m reminded of two scriptures that directly deal with this trend. The first is Proverbs 22:7 that “borrowers are servants to lenders.” The more that the USA falls into massive and unpayable debt to the Chinese and the world, the more the USA will steadily lose its sovereignty over its own domestic economy and currency. The second scripture is Deuteronomy 28:43-44 which is found in a listing of national curses that will befall nations descended from the ancient tribes of Israel when they forsake God’s laws. The USA is one of the major nations in today’s world which is descended from the ancient ten tribes of Israel, who never returned to the Holy Land but migrated to other regions of the world (evidence documenting this conclusion can be found in my books, articles and audio messages on my website). This prophetic scripture says that “strangers” (foreigners) will get higher and higher over Israelites in the Israelites’ own land if they disobey God and that the Israelite nations which disobey God will find themselves in a position of owing debts to these foreigners. Has this happened to modern America? Yes. The USA does not have an unlimited amount of time to regain control of its own national destiny and financial sovereignty. At some point, the debts will become so large that the entire USA will be “servant” to its international creditors, as Proverbs 22:7 warns. Maybe we are already past the point of no return. I hope and pray that is not the case.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/9256036/Federal-Reserve-allows-Chinese-controlled-banks-to-take-stakes-in-US-banks.html

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Putin’s Return Means an Aggressive Russia

May 9th, 2012

As readers no doubt realize, Vladimir Putin is again taking over the top position in Russia’s government as its re-installed President. Putin can be expected to adopt a more aggressive and bellicose stance against the West. Indeed, it is already happening. Putin sees a Europe internally torn by its Eurozone crisis and increasingly divided against itself as well as a USA which is hopelessly in debt but still acting and intervening internationally as if it was a nation with a massive budget surplus. Like a shark can smell blood in the water, Putin can see the weaknesses manifesting all over the western world and he can be expected to exploit those weaknesses. Personally, I think he will exploit those weaknesses very skillfully in Russia’s interests.

Russia is threatening to place many missiles in Kaliningrad, an enclave of Russian territory on the Baltic Sea surrounded by Poland (see first link). Missiles placed there could be launched against NATO military bases or European cities. Russia is already threatening to launch missiles from Kaliningrad against NATO bases in a pre-emptive strike if NATO deploys a class of anti-missile missiles of its own. The second link reveals that Russia is already deploying its most sophisticated ground to air missiles in Kaliningrad. My post from over a year ago warned that Russia could greatly militarize Kaliningrad by deploying its missiles there, and that is exactly what is beginning to happen. Russia is also able to deploy ground-to-ground missiles in Kaliningrad, and these missiles could target cities and military bases all over Europe. European nations seem largely clueless regarding the growing military threat posed by a resurgent Russia.

The third link reveals that Putin is already embarking on a massive military arms build-up for Russia, similar to the build-up already being implemented by China. When you read the list of new weaponry planned by Putin, you will see that it will result in a massive increase in Russian military power. The fourth link includes a warning about Russian military intentions against the West due to President Obama’s “open-mike” comment to recent Russian President Medvedev that he will have more “flexibility” on arms agreements after the election. That comment by Obama (which Medvedev dutifully promised to pass on to Putin) strongly indicates that Obama will make statements during the election to give the impression he favors a strong military position by the USA, but will “cave” to Russian demands after the election. America will be in deep trouble vis-à-vis its Russian and Chinese rivals if Obama is re-elected and embarks on very risky disarmament plans for the US military. Obama’s open-mike comment strongly implies that Obama does not intend to tell American voters the truth about what he will do if he is re-elected to a second term. In my opinion, Obama is no match for Putin in any kind of negotiation. I believe Mitt Romney, who has long experience in tough, hard-nosed executive and large-scale corporate matters and negotiations, would be a far better American president to represent American interests in negotiations with Putin.

While Russia and China are on military build-ups, Europe’s military forces have declined badly in size and readiness, and the USA continues to wear out its military hardware and soldiers in an Afghan War that lacks any definable purpose or strategic goal. Furthermore, a massive military cut for US forces loom in a sequestration process if the US Congress fails to get its act together and come up with a responsible program to cut federal spending and increase revenues to end the debauching of the US federal budget and the US dollar as well as the value of US bonds due to voting for endless trillion-dollar annual budget deficits. In my judgment, both Obama and the US Congress get an “F” grade in handling the US economy and budget.

The above trends are totally consistent with Bible’s prophecy in Ezekiel 38-39 that Russia, China, Iran and their allies (called the “Gog-Magog” alliance, which has already come into being) will launch a surprise attack in the latter days (Ezekiel 38:8 and 16) against the West led by the modern nations descended from the ten tribes of “Israel.” As my books and articles on my website make abundantly clear, the nations to be attacked by the Gog-Magog alliance are easily proven to be the USA, the UK, the NATO nations of Europe and Scandinavia, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and their allies around the world. You can order my downloadable e-book, The “Lost” Ten Tribes of Israel…Found!, for a mere $12.99 to see for yourself how easy it is to trace the ten tribes of Israel, which God promised would grow into a vast multitude of people after they went into exile in ancient times. (Hosea 1:10). The e-book is a tremendous value as I have seen used copies of that out-of-print book of mine selling for $150-250 in the secondary market for used books.

I also urge you to read my article, The United States of America in Biblical Prophecy, or listen to my audio messages about (A) the migrations, history and modern locations of the ten tribes of Israel as well as (B) their prophesied role in future prophetic fulfillments which will happen on earth before the return of Jesus Christ/Yahshua and the establishment of his millennial rule in a Messianic, 1000-year reign with his saints on this earth (Revelation 19:21-20:5). The future years on our earth are prophesied to be a very dangerous “wild ride.” The more you know about these events in advance, the more pre-informed and better off you will be!

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/05/03/russian-military-ups-ante-on-missile-defense/

http://www.worldnewstribune.com/2012/04/26/moscow-deploys-advanced-sa-21-growler-missiles-in-rebuff-to-obama/

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2012/0220/Fearing-West-Putin-pledges-biggest-military-buildup-since-cold-war

http://www.wnd.com/2012/05/russias-putin-ready-to-move-quickly/

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Israelis Call Up Military Reserves

May 7th, 2012

In what is a clear sign of the deteriorating security situation on Israel’s borders, the Israeli military has called up six reserve battalions to duty and the Knesset has authorized the activation of another 16 battalions if necessary. The precipitating reason is the increased security threats along the Egyptian and Syrian borders, not an Iranian-Israeli confrontation.

Egypt has been in a state of barely-controlled chaos since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak and the Egyptian military council running the nation is the only remaining source of any order. With the Islamist parties doing well in the Egyptian elections, the danger of an Islamist Egypt grows more likely. If the Egyptian military refuses to hand over power to an Islamist in the nation’s presidential elections (if an Islamist wins), Egypt could slide into civil war. The link calls the Syrian border situation “highly combustible” and if a conflict erupts along the Egyptian-Israeli border, it is hard to see how Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon would not also attack Israeli targets with barrages of tens of thousands of missiles. The article notes that some Israeli reservists are not happy about the call-up, but the dangers to Israeli security are growing more ominous, indeed.

A deteriorating security situation for Israel on its borders combined with a very tense situation between Israel and Iran is something which readers of this blog are urged to watch closely. Zephaniah 2 and Zechariah 12 are both prophecies pertaining to the Israelis/Jews in the latter days and both indicate that there will be serious dangers of war threatening “Judah” (the Israelis). Note particularly Zephaniah 2:8-9 in which God notes that Ammon and Moab are “magnifying themselves against their [Judah's] border.” While Ammon is linked to Jordan (which does not have a conflict with the Israelis at this time), the Syrians may represent Moab. What is especially worth noting is that God has prophesied in Zephaniah 2 that Judah will have a nation in the former Holy Land in the latter days and that God himself is guaranteeing its security and survival (Zechariah 12:1-6). Zephaniah 2:8-9 confirms that Divine attention is focused on the border situation of the Israeli nation in the latter days. It won’t be just you and me that are watching this situation closely. Zephaniah 2:8-9 indicates that God’s eyes are following it very closely as well.

I thank a friend for sending this link to me.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/knesset-approves-call-up-of-22-idf-battalions/

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Ancient Inscription Gives Evidence of King Saul?

May 4th, 2012

The May-June, 2012 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review (BAR) has two articles which I highly recommend to readers (first link, second link). The first makes a very plausible case that an ancient inscription found in Israel confirms the biblical account of the transition from the last Judge, Samuel, to the first King of Israel, Saul. The author of the article bases this conclusion on the interpretation of the ancient inscription by a very credible and prestigious French epigrapher. The article states that the inscription is “likely referring to the installation of the first Israelite king, Saul…”

The inscription contains instructions from a higher authority to a local magistrate in language that strongly implies the local magistrate is being told to follow the rules issued by a new king of Israel instead of a previous system of rulership. While the text is short, it “…contained all the essentials’ that are in the Biblical text…” I find the article’s conclusions persuasive.

The second article does an exemplary job of showing the linguistic roots of the Hebrew language and the linguistic challenges scholars face in properly applying ancient inscriptions into a correct time period and context. It explains that Hebrew did not emerge as a recognizable language until approximately just prior to the establishment of the Israelite monarchy. Hebrew descended from an earlier Semitic language/script which the article’s author calls ”Early Alphabet.” That precursor language gave birth to the later languages called “Hebrew, Moabite, Ammonite, Ugaritic, Aramaic, etc.” The article explains why it is difficult to determine which language is represented in ancient inscriptions because they did not write vowels and the consonants of root words in these languages are so similar. This makes it difficult to determine whether a particular inscription is Hebrew or Phoenician for example. This is a difficulty I describe in my books about the history of the ten tribes of Israel.

Modern generations really do not grasp, I think, how languages are changeable over time. For example, if you were to be given an ancient document written in the English language about a millennium ago, you would be very challenged to make any sense of it. When doing research for my four book set, I had the opportunity to access and study original English-language books from the 16th and 17th centuries. In reading those books, it was very helpful to know some of the German language as English was written in a very “German” looking manner at that time. Modern English, German, Dutch, Norwegian, etc. are languages that descended from the Indo-European language brought into Europe by the migrating Scythians and Parthians (the ten tribes of Israel) even as ancient Hebrew was one of a family of languages/scripts which descended from an earlier Semitic language.

The article particularly mentions the difficulty in identifying whether an ancient inscription is Israelite or Phoenician because the languages were so similar. The Bible confirms this fact. The great Israelite/Phoenician Empire began with the strong friendship of King David of Israel and King Hiram of Tyre (I Samuel 5:11-12). This alliance continued between King Hiram and King Solomon of Israel after David’s death. Indeed, it became even stronger. I Kings 9:26-27 records King Hiram shared all the seafaring and maritime skills of the Phoenicians with the Israelites as their people were merged into a common navy. I Kings 5 and 9:10-14 record that Solomon’s and Hiram’s subjects worked extensively in each other’s territory and this would have inevitably further merged them culturally and linguistically as my books point out. This explains the considerable “overlap” between Israelite and Phoenician inscriptions as these peoples remained allied long after Solomon’s death.

The fact that Hebrew did not really emerge as a distinct language/script until almost the time of the Israelite monarchy has important ramifications. For example the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived approximately from 2000-1700 BC (Bible reference sources will disagree on specific dates). However, it means that Abraham did not speak Hebrew when he spoke to the Creator or anyone else. Nobody spoke what we call “Hebrew” until many centuries later. If someone in David and Solomon’s time was handed a document from Abraham’s time to read, they likely would have been able to make out only a few words which had not changed over the centuries. If you were given a text in English as it was written from the time of Chaucer (“1340?-1400″ according to one source I consulted), you would be very challenged to make much sense of it either.

I highly recommend reading both the articles. They will be well worth your time!

http://www.bib-arch.org/bar/article.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=38&Issue=03&ArticleID=04&Page=0&UserID=0

http://www.bib-arch.org/bar/article.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=38&Issue=3&ArticleID=2

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War Tensions in South China

May 1st, 2012

War tensions are building in the South China Sea, due to China’s clearly excessive claims of territorial sovereignty over “almost all of the 1.2 million square mile area” of that Sea (see first link). China is directly confronting the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam in making its very expansive claims.

The USA Today article opines that “a clash between East and West is perhaps unavoidable,” and includes one regional analyst’s opinion that “It’s only a matter of time before one side opens fire on the other and there will be casualties.” There has already been one maritime standoff between Chinese and Philippine naval forces. The second link reports that the Philippines realizes that it has neglected its military defenses and now is making an effort to build up its military due to the South China Sea tensions with China.

Why would China make such obviously excessive claims in the South China Sea region? The first link cites an analyst’s opinion that “China has boxed itself in.” Personally, I think China’s strategy is very calculated and deliberate. As the first link observes, several nations that could find themselves in a shooting regional war with China are US allies. If a shooting war breaks out, the USA is almost certain to respond with at least one carrier task force being dispatched to the region. China is creating a situation where it could be drawn into a regional, limited war with US naval forces, and I think China is doing this quite deliberately. Consider the following analysis.

China has built many new weapons systems which are designed to sink US aircraft carriers and surface ships as well as destroy US warplanes; however, their weapons systems have never been tested in combat conditions. Also, China’s military personnel are very “green” and untested in terms of how well they will perform in combat conditions. China needs to test its weaponry against US carriers in real-world battle scenarios to know if they can defeat US carriers or whether the USA has deployed defensive weaponry on its carriers that can defeat China’s new supersonic cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and torpedoes. China does not wish an all-out war with the USA yet, but it needs to test its weaponry against US forces to know what kind of strategic planning it can do to prepare for a future war with the USA and the West (which is prophesied in Ezekiel 38 to occur at the very end of the “latter days”). A limited war in the South China Sea would be very favorable to China geographically as it is in China’s backyard and China can deploy a wide variety of land-, sea- and air-based weaponry. China also wants to test the mettle of the regional anti-Chinese alliance which is forming to counter China’s military build-up. It also wants to see if Japan, India and Australia would join in the battle or whether they would refuse to engage their forces.

During the Cold War, both the USA and the Soviets would arrange tests of their latest weaponry via surrogate wars (often Mideast wars at that time). China may be arranging a direct conflict with US forces in the South China Sea which would give China acceptable options depending on whether the war goes well or poorly for them. By making excessive and bellicose claims in the South China Sea, China can assert its claim successfully if the war goes well for them or they can quickly agree to a cease-fire and UN arbitration over contested claims by regional nations in the South China Sea if the war goes badly for them. China (and Russia) could also test their latest anti-carrier weaponry in the Persian Gulf in a surrogate situation if a war breaks out between Iran and Israel which draws in the USA and other regional powers. China and Russia could easily position their latest cruise missiles on the Iranian coast and fire them at US carriers (ostensibly under Iranian control) if such a war break as out. They will allow the Iranians to claim they sunk a US carrier if the missiles are successful so Russia and China would have plausible deniability about their weaponry being used.

As noted in the first link, Russia and China are conducting joint naval exercises in the Yellow Sea while the USA is conducting joint naval exercises with South Korea in the region. More information about the large-scale Russian-Chinese exercises are included in the final link which also notes that China had previously seized Vietnamese fishermen in a maritime dispute in the South China Sea.

China is steadily pushing the situation toward a conflict in the South China Sea. I think that is exactly what China wants to do, although it would not say so openly.

http://www.usatoday.com/NEWS/usaedition/2012-04-27-China-Philippines-standoff_ST_U.htm

http://news.yahoo.com/philippines-appeals-us-help-building-armed-forces-202242978.html

http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/22/11332542-china-russia-begin-naval-war-games?lite

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Gold and Consumer Goods Now Paying for Iran’s Oil

April 27th, 2012

The first link has some very interesting information which indicates that the West’s sanctions against Iran could backfire badly against the USA and the West. Indeed, that may already be happening and there may even be a prophetic significance to it.

The USA Today article reports that other nations are now finding other ways to pay for Iran’s oil other than in US dollars, Euros or other currencies previously used before the recent tougher sanctions were implemented by the USA and the West. A recent post reported that Iran had been booted from the international “SWIFT” program which facilitated payments in international trade via the global banking system. The first link reports that India, China and other nations are now paying for Iran’s oil in gold or other commodities and even finished consumer goods such as cars, washers, refrigerators, clothing, etc. Indeed, this new method of paying for Iran’s oil is both credentialing gold as a new international monetary currency and is also creating an international barter system for global trade! As these alternate methods of trade expand, the US Dollar, the Euro and the banking system itself are being replaced by a new method of conducting international trade.

Apparently, there are big plans for other nations to continue buying Iranian oil via gold, finished good and other commodities. The link reports that Iran has placed an order for China to build 12 new supertankers to transport the huge volumes of Iranian oil which will now be bought outside the West’s currency and banking system. China’s factories will benefit and the West will lose out on all this construction business.

It begs the question of who is being hurt the worst by the sanctions against Iran. There seems to be no effect of the sanctions on halting or even slowing Iran’s nuclear programs. As many of my posts have noted, Revelation 17-18 prophesy the current global monetary/economic system will collapse in the latter days, to be replaced by a new monetary/economic system established by a new “beast” system. The ability of Iran and its trading partners to carry on their trade without any need for the US dollar, the Euro or even the banking system itself weakens the hold that the West’s currencies and banking system have had on world trade, hastening the eventual fulfillment of the prophecies of Revelation 17-18.

The second link is a humorous look at the situation, observing in cartoon form that the EU’s sanctions against Iran are hurting Iran less than the EU’s sanctions against one of its own nations, Greece. Elections are imminent in Greece, France and perhaps other nations in Europe. The outcome of those elections could alter the entire process whereby Germany and other Nordic nations have been attempting to use the EU to impose harsh austerity measures on the southern Eurozone members. The Euro as we know it today might unravel yet. The third link notes that Moody’s has just downgraded Spain’s debt rating by two notches, creating a “crisis of huge proportions” which threatens the Spanish banking system and its economy which already has unemployment of over 22%.

What happens in Europe will have massive effects on the USA as well. I just watched a cable-TV report which reported that the reported US unemployment rate of 8.2% is a phony statistic as that figure is attained by the US government pretending that 5,000,000 unemployed Americans don’t “officially” exist, and that the real American unemployment rate is over 10%. Readers can always go to the independent website, shadowstats.com, to see what the real inflation and unemployment rates are in the USA, which are much worse than the official government reports. As the US election draws nearer, it is worth observing that the voters will be casting their votes based on the real world inflation and unemployment rates, not the rosy manipulated reports issued by the US government and dutifully reported by its handmaidens in the establishment press. While I make no election predictions, that does not bode well for Obama.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012-04-25/iran-nuclear-sanctions/54540484/1

http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoon/display.cfm/108251

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/27/spanish-credit-rating-downgraded-crisis-huge_n_1458158.html?ref=business

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India and South Korea Field New Strategic Missiles

April 25th, 2012

All readers know that China has been on a very rapid military build-up. China’s neighbors are now being forced to play “catch up.” India has successfully tested a new ICBM which will be able to hit Beijing with a nuclear warhead. Its range is reportedly far enough that a sidebar to this article (in the print version) states that India’s new ICBM can travel as far as Eastern Europe. That means a large swath of Russia, China’s strategic ally, will also be within the range of this missile. Not only is India developing its own domestic missile capability, it is also the world’s leading importer of military weaponry as it seeks to “catch up” with China (see first link). The new ICBM is expected to be deployed “by 2014″ which means it may be deployed earlier than that date. A naval ICBM variant may also be built.

South Korea has quietly developed and deployed a new cruise missile which can hit all parts of North Korea (see second link). The full range of this cruise missile is not revealed, but if it can hit all of North Korea from wherever it is based in South Korea, it can hit Chinese cities as well. Beijing would not be that far from South Korea. Given that North Korea’s nuclear facilities are within range of this South Korean cruise missile, it makes South Korea’s cruise missile a strategic weapon.

North Korea has made a new warlike threat against South Korea (see third link). North Korea does this every so often, and it is usually bluster. However, North Korea is unpredictable as it not long ago shelled a South Korean island with its artillery and was the obvious suspect in the sinking of a South Korean warship. North Korea has a massive number of artillery pieces aimed at Seoul, so artillery suppression would be a major mission of both South Korean and American forces if war ever does break out on the Korean peninsula. The fourth link adds an odd twist to the North Korean arms situation. It poses the question of whether a sophisticated missile launcher vehicle in a North Korean military parade was given to them by the Chinese in violation of arms agreements, and it raises a further question of whether the missile it carried is a new, sophisticated missile or a dummy made to look like a real missile.

I’ll add one more comment on the Indian military situation. The final link indicates that even though India has successfully tested a new ICBM that can reach Beijing and is buying a great deal of military equipment, it has a long way to go before its military is truly ready to fight a war. The last link cites an internal Indian readiness review that India’s military is critically short of tank ammunition, other types of ammunition, modern artillery, etc.

These developments further fulfill Ezekiel 38-39′s prophecy. North Korea, Russia, Iran and China are all in the Gog-Magog alliance which is prophesied to attack the nations of the latter-day house “Israel”–the ten tribes of Israel (USA, UK, NATO nations in much of Europe and their allies) at the very end of this age. The Israelis (“Judah”) are not even mentioned in the Ezekiel 38-39 prophecy although I fully expect they will part of the attacked American/western alliance due to prophecies in Zechariah 14 and Revelation 16:12-16.

India, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore and (increasingly) Vietnam are falling into place as allies in the prophesied Asian alliance described in Ezekiel 38:13 which is called “Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all the young lions thereof.” This alliance clearly is not part of the Gog-Magog alliance in Ezekiel 38′s prophecy and they are falling more in line with the western nations in a defensive anti-Chinese alliance by sheer necessity and mutual strategic interests (as the first link indicates). India, challenged by two nuclear enemies (China and Pakistan) especially needs allies with nuclear capabilities (i.e. the USA). Given the information in the last link, India also very much needs allies with conventional military strength. For more information on this anti-Chinese Asian alliance prophesied in Ezekiel 38, I recommend reading my free article, Japan’s Role in Latter Day Prophecy.

http://www.startribune.com/world/148192645.html

http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/nightwatch/2012/04/21/south_korea_deploys_new_missle_in_reposte_to_north

http://www.voanews.com/tibetan-english/news/-N-Korea-Threatens-South-with-Special-Military-Action–148508705.html

http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/20/truck-raises-questions-about-chinas-role-in-north-koreas-missile-program/?hpt=hp_t3

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/parliamentary-panel-to-ensure-ammunition-supply-for-army/1/185610.html

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