Prophecy Updates and Commentary

Iran has announced that it will build ten (!) new nuclear facilities that will be sited, beginning next March, “inside mountain strongholds.” Iran is “defying international efforts,” and the USA, UK and France have issued vacuous diplomatic condemnations which no one takes seriously. The first link below notes that Iran has already “flouted” a series of UN sanctions so it will pay no attention to any UN or western sanctions in its effort to become a major nuclear power as soon as it can.

I find the timing of this announcement to be of interest. As noted in previous blogs, President Obama responded with incredible weakness to recent provocations and threats from North Korea and China. After Obama consistently showed weakness when he should have demonstrated strength, Russia quickly announced that it will help the Iranians “go nuclear” and Iran has just announced plans for ten new nuclear facilities. I think both Russia and Iran see Obama as the weakest American president since Jimmy Carter (and perhaps in all of US history). None of the nations in the Gog-Magog alliance identified in Ezekiel 38:2-6 so far have any reason to fear the USA as long as Obama is president. The danger, of course, is that Obama will finally realize how weak he is perceived by the world and that he will feel the need to “do something” to demonstrate some backbone and leadership. In past blogs I have opined that Russia and China (Iran’s backers) actually want the USA and Israel to attack Iran so they can “field-test” the latest Russian and Chinese weaponry against attacking US and Israeli warplanes and missiles. By defying the USA, the UN and Obama, Russia and Iran have all but said to the West: ”we dare you” to attack us. It is possible that Obama, in deep political trouble with the US voters, may finally launch an “October surprise” attack vs. Iran to try and demonstrate his “leadership” to the voters just before the US elections in November. Time will tell.

Now back to Iran’s announcement. The link below reminds us that Iran has already built a nuclear enrichment plant at Qom deep inside a “secret mountain base” which is suitable only for making nuclear weapons. Previous reports indicate that the Qom base was operational before western intelligence agencies even knew about it. Given that fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that Iran’s ten new nuclear facilities may already exist—buried deep inside mountain ranges within Iran. In making this announcement, Iran may simply be preparing the world for what will be unveiled in the future as a far more massive nuclear program than anyone previously realized. The second link cites an Iranian official as saying that the site selection for its ten new nuclear facilities is already “in its final stages.” This could infer that work at these ten facilities is already actually occurring. In an excellent example of the profound denial that exists within the western world about Iran’s bellicose intentions, a French diplomatic statement made the gullible statement that “We expect Iran to comply with its international obligations.” How can diplomats be so disconnected from reality? Iran has made it very clear it doesn’t care a whit about any “UN sanctions” or “international obligations.”

The USA and Israel have long dithered about attacking Iran and they are rapidly running out of time to act, as Russia’s announced support to help Iran go operational at the above-ground Bushehr nuclear plant (see my August 14 blog). The final link below cites the former US Ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, as saying that the world has only until August 21 to attack the Bushehr reactor before it goes active. That is only a few days from now. We will soon know if such an attack is carried out. Personally, I do not know what will occur, but if I had to bet one way or the other, I’d bet no such attack will occur by August 21st. I suspect that the above-ground Bushehr nuclear reactor is (and has been from the beginning) a decoy nuclear facility that would draw all the attention of world’s intelligence community. It is possible that the Bushehr plant really is a civilian energy-production nuclear facility and no more. If it is and it is attacked, Iran can play the victim when it is attacked.

The real extent of Iran’s nuclear weapons program is being determined by what is going on at the Qom nuclear weapons plant and whatever other “secret” nuclear plants are already in operation in Iran in deeply-buried sites within mountain ranges. The siting of one of its “real” nuclear weapons plants at the Iranian city of Qom is a very clever choice by the Iranians. Qom is a “holy” city in the Shiite religion so if bombs fall on Qom, it could both ignite a wave of Shiite rage against the West as well as cause Shiite Iranians to rally around the radical leadership of Iran.

The West faces hard choices. I’d feel more secure if the Western world were led by someone other than a ”community organizer” from Chicago. I think much of the western world feels the same way.

http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20100817/irannukes17_st.art.htm

http://www.expatica.com/fr/news/french-news/france-warns-new-iran-enrichment-plan-increases-concerns_90086.html

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2010/me_iran0785_08_16.asp

Russia has made a surprising announcement that it has decided to help Iran begin “going nuclear” on August 21st by giving Iran the uranium it needs to activate the Iranian nuclear reactor at Bushehr. Russia is doing so “despite US demands” to not do so. According to the link below, Iran will soon begin producing electricity with nuclear power from the reactor. The story relates that the uranium from such a reactor would normally not be able to produce weapons-grade uranium, but the world does not know what is being done at Iran’s other nuclear facilities scattered around Iran, hidden deep inside mountains, etc. Russia’s action means that Iran will soon be a nuclear power, and one can only wonder how soon it will have nuclear weaponry as well.

The USA and the West had previously thought that Russia would cooperate with a sanctions program vs. Iran, but Russia now has “interpreted” the UN sanctions in a way where they will have no meaningful effect (this was no surprise to steely-eyed realists). Perhaps the only people who are really surprised by Russia’s action are the ever-gullible western diplomats who believe whatever they are told by the rivals of the West during diplomatic “talks.”

The link observes: “Russian officials did not say why they had decided to move ahead with loading [nuclear] fuel into the Bushehr reactor.” Allow me to offer my opinion on why Russia chose this time to switch course and openly help Iran become a nuclear power. All nations, including Russia, have been watching President Obama’s pitiably weak performance vis-à-vis North Korea and China. China pressured Obama to hide the real extent of China’s military threat to the USA in an overdue Pentagon report. Obama meekly caved to China. The USA then sent a carrier task force to conduct naval maneuvers to “send a message” to North Korea after it sank a South Korean warship. North Korea growled at Obama and China told Obama not to exercise in the Yellow Sea off South Korea’s western coast. Obama meekly caved…again, this time to North Korea and China. Emboldened by Obama’s displayed weakness as a president, China also asserted “indisputable sovereignty” over the South China Sea, which is an international body of water bordered also by Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia.

Russia saw Obama weakly surrender to a series of “tests” arranged for him by China and North Korea. After Russia saw that Obama had no resolve within himself to counter any of China’s or North Korea’s assertiveness, Russia apparently decided that Obama is such a weak leader that his “demands” can safely be ignored with out any fear of serious consequences. Therefore, it went ahead with its announcement to help Iran go nuclear, brushing aside US objections. At least this apparently indicates that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Former Governor Sarah Palin have at least one thing in common: It would seem both have doubts that Obama has the “cojones” to lead the USA and the Western World (see my August 9th blog for the media link reporting Palin’s comments on this subject).

Obama’s policy of giving in to bullies will only invite a higher level of bullying from those and other nations. When will Obama display some backbone against Russia, China, Iran and North Korea (all nations listed in Ezekiel 38-39 as allies in the latter-day Gog-Magog alliance)? Many American voters and many key decision-makers in the western world are likely asking themselves this same question.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/08/13/russian-nuclear-agency-says-launch-irans-nuclear-plant-begin-week/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/30/AR2010073005664.html

A man in Hawaii has just been convicted of giving critical military secrets to China. He was convicted of giving China secret information about vulnerabilities of the USA’s B-2 bomber that can be exploited to make the B-2 more vulnerable to enemy missiles fired at it. The information given to the Chinese enables the Chinese to “lock on” to a B-2 stealth bomber and have a greater chance of shooting it down.

This is very bad news. If President Obama ever decides to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, the B-2 bombers will be a critical part of such an attack. However, since China has supplied Iran with many cruise missile and other military means to counter a US attack, it is very possible that China is sharing the stolen information with Iran. Even if it does not share the information with Iran, you can be sure that China is rapidly trying to devise a means to shoot down the B-2 bombers in light of the stolen information. China would, no doubt, like to “field test” its new weaponry against an actual B-2 attack. Therefore, China may station its own military technicians in Iran to deploy and use whatever new weapons system it has developed to see if it can shoot down B-2 bombers when/if they attack Iran. When/if B-2 crews attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, they better assume that they will be facing Chinese technicians who know about the B-2′s “vulnerabilities” and who will fire missiles at the B-2s that can exploit those “vulnerabilities.”

A recent blog documented that China is close to deploying a ballistic missile to sink US aircraft carriers. Now it has stolen military information to give it a better chance of shooting down B-2 bombers. If China ever develops the ability to detect our “boomer” submarines at sea (a ”boomer” sub is one which can fire nuclear ballistic missiles), the USA will not have much deterrence left to prevent a Chinese attack on the USA and all its allies. Unfortunately, such an attack (by Russia, Iran, China, et. al.) is exactly what Ezekiel 38-39 prophesies is certain to occur during the “latter days” of our age (Ezekiel 38:8 and 16). Let us all hope that the USA’s military technicians in the Pentagon are devising ways to counter whatever weaponry China is now developing to detect and shoot down our B-2 bombers.

I want to thank the reader who tipped me off to this story. I’ll offer three final thoughts. I think life imprisonment is too mild a sentence for convicted traitors who sell our military secrets to our enemies and rivals. Secondly, I hope the dullards in our intelligence and national security agencies who can’t comprehend that China is a determined enemy of the USA can now see the facts as they are. Finally, I am not at all comforted that our current president came to office without any military knowledge or experience during this time of unprecedented national danger.

hawaiinewsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12951005

In a remarkable development that would have been thought impossible just a matter of years ago, the USA and Vietnam are conducting a joint naval exercise, a clear sign that the two nations are experiencing a dramatic warning of their relationship. After fighting a long and bitter war in the 1960s and 1970s, the two former enemies are suddenly finding that more unites them than divides them. This naval exercise represents ”unprecedented” cooperation as one of the links below mentions.

Vietnam and China have a territorial dispute over the Spratly Islands, a chain of islands which reportedly may have significant oil reserves. Vietnam does not have the military power to stand up to China alone, and it is looking for a strong ally to counter China. The USA is the logical choice. Few people recall that Vietnam and China fought a brief war in 1979 when the Chinese army invaded Vietnamese territory (see third link below). China is a more recent enemy of Vietnam than the USA, and the USA poses no threat whatsoever to Vietnam today while China poses an increasingly-dangerous threat to Vietnam. Therefore, Vietnam has very good reasons to explore the possibility of military cooperation with the USA.

What a testimony to how international relations can change within mere decades. This is not an insignificant naval exercise, as the USS George Washington and its supporting warships will join Vietnamese naval vessels as their military forces learn how to work and maneuver as allies. The first report states that “Senior Vietnam government and military officials were guests on the [US] carrier Sunday as it cruised near the Paracel Islands–another chain claimed by China and Vietnam.” The second link, from the BBC, includes a map showing how grandiose China’s territorial claims really are.

If the USA and Vietnam draw steadily closer as allies, both nations will benefit immensely. Vietnam needs the US Navy to help protect it from China’s growing military and naval might, and the USA would benefit from being able to base US warships or warplanes in Vietnamese ports and airports.  Expect India, Japan, Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and other Pacific Rim nations threatened by China to look at the warming relations between the USA and Vietnam with much approval! I applaud the development myself!

Ezekiel 38:2-6 lists the members of the latter-day Gog Magog alliance (Russia, China, Iran, etc.) which will attack the latter day nations descended from the house of Israel (the ten tribes of ancient “Israel”...not the Jews of the modern nation with that name). The latter-day nations of the house of Israel include the USA, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Scandinavia and many European nations. In other words, it is the NATO and Western nations which are dominated by the modern nations of the house of Israel. [See my article, The USA in Prophecy, at my home page for the USA's very provable membership in the list of nations descended from the ancient ten tribes of Israel. My books provide extensive documentation for connecting various modern western nations with the specific tribes of the ancient ten tribes of Israel.] Ezekiel 38:13 lists a group of nations which will not attack the house of Israel during the Gog-Magog attack, meaning that they are allies of the house of Israel or an independent third bloc of nations. You may see my article on Japan’s Role in Latter-Day Prophecy at the Articles tab at my website to see my reasons for believing that Japan is the nation called “the merchants of Tarshish,” why I identify India as “Sheba and Dedan,” and why I identify the “young tiger” nations of the Pacific Rim as the “young lion” nations mentioned in Ezekiel 38:13. It now appears possible that Vietnam may join the list of the “young lion” or “young tiger” nations which will not be part of the Gog-Magog alliance and which may actually be western allies against China in that region of the Pacific Basin.

http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/asia/US-Vietnam-to-Launch-Unprecedented-Naval-Exercises-100348919.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-10925061

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Vietnamese_War

As long-time readers of this blog realize, I have long been warning that Russia and China have been preparing weapons systems to sink US aircraft carriers in the opening hours of a future World War III which is prophesied in Ezekiel 38-39 as certain to occur at the end of our age. The first link is a brief media report that was cited in one of my blogs about a year and a half ago regarding this danger.

The threat to US carriers from Chinese missiles is now so great that the mass media cannot ignore it any longer. The second link below is an AP story which is being reprinted in newspapers around the nation (including the one in my home city). It thoroughly examines the risks posed to US carriers by a new Chinese ballistic missile, the Dong Feng 21D, which can be launched from China’s land mass to destroy any US aircraft carrier within 900 miles (or more) of China’s mainland. [It is worth noting the article about this missile in the first link reported a 1240 mile range.] The article notes that China’s final testing of this missile will take place soon and that “China might soon put an end” to the era of “America’s virtually invincible carrier fleet.” It adds that China now has “Asia’s largest” navy and that “the US Navy no longer rules the waves as it has since the end of World War II.” If China sells this anti-carrier ballistic missile to nations such as North Korea, Iran, Russia, Panama, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Cuba, etc., US carriers may no longer be safe in many oceans or even in their home ports.

The article examines the very germane issue of whether the Chinese guidance systems are good enough to hit a moving target in the ocean; however, given the extensive spying done by China in the USA, it can be assumed that China has already stolen the best guidance systems that America itself has. The article briefly mentions that China could place nuclear weapons on these ballistic missiles. If they do that, then all China needs is a “near miss” to kill everyone in a US carrier task force (especially if they fire a salvo of nuclear-tipped missiles to be sure of “overkill” in their attack). This article doesn’t even mention another risk posed to US carriers that my blogsite has mentioned for a long time: the danger posed by supersonic cruise missiles which are now possessed and deployed by both Russia and China for use against US carriers. One such Russian supersonic cruise missile is called the “sizzler” and you can find previous blogs about it in the search function at the blog archives at this website.

A US admiral is quoted as saying that the US reserves “the right to exercise in international waters anywhere in the world.” What empty words! China will laugh at these words and all nations of the world know they are empty words. The USA just sent an aircraft carrier task force to conduct naval exercises with the South Korean navy in the Yellow Sea off South Korea’s western shore. China told President Obama not to do so, and Obama meekly surrendered to China’s ultimatum. This was after Obama’s previously craven [look this word up in a dictionary, please!] submission to China’s demand that a Pentagon Report not tell the truth about China’s growing military threat to the USA (both these subjects have also been covered in previous blogs at this website). It is becoming evident that Obama has no demonstrated ability to stand up to any of America’s rivals and enemies. This invites further aggression and bullying until Obama can find his backbone. China (and the rest of the world) also sees that Obama lacks the backbone to protect US borders from illegal immigration—revealing a major weakness in Obama’s character to foreign rivals.

Former Governor and Vice-Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, graphically exposed Obama’s character weakness in a speech in Arizona about border protection issues. She said publicly that both she and Arizona Governor Brewer (a female also) both had more “cojones” than Obama did on border protection issues (see third link below). Ouch! Let’s be graphically honest about what Sarah Palin meant. She was saying in a Spanish kind of way that Obama “doesn’t have the balls” to protect American interests (see fourth link below). More Americans than ever are agreeing with her as Obama’s poll number continue to tank. When Jimmy Carter’s cowardly response to Iran’s seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran went on and on, the “w” word (for “wimp”) stuck indelibly on Carter and he was hurled out of office by the American voters the first chance they had to do so. The “w” word is starting to stick on Obama.

Emboldened by Obama’s recent policy of persistent personal and national weakness, China has now also told the US to stay out of the South China Sea (a long-time international body of water). If Obama agrees to this Chinese bullying, he may as well fly the white flag of surrender over the White House. Remember North Korea’s brazen sinking of a South Korean warship recently? After vowing to take firm action, the leader of South Korea did….nothing. Obama also did…nothing. This has emboldened North Korea to take more aggressive action as North Korea has just seized a South Korean fishing vessel and its crew (see final link below). North Korea (and its Chinese masters) are probing to see if Obama has any backbone or “cojones” to confront their aggressions. North Korea has practically said to Obama in this action: “I dare you to do something if you have any guts.” So far, Obama has given no evidence that he has any backbone, cojones or guts.

It is a sad time for the USA. At a time when we need a leader with very strong characteristics to lead the nation in a difficult time, we have a leader who knows nothing about military matters and may never even have fired a BB gun. Unfortunately, it is increasingly evident that the Democratic party nominated Obama because he had the demographics to get elected. They gave no thought to whether he had any ability of experience to govern the nation. The Congress ought to be holding very public hearings to demand what the Obama administration and the Pentagon are building in the way of defensive weaponry to counter the Chinese missiles designed to sink US carriers and warships. The national security of the USA and the lives of 1000s of sailors are now seriously threatened.

This news about China’s efforts to rapidly build military weaponry to attack and destroy the US military’s main assets is long-overdue to be given to the US population, which is living in a “fools paradise” that the USA is all-powerful and not vulnerable to a successful attack. I hope that you will remember that this blogsite has warned about this danger for a very long time before the mainstream media made any serious mention of this growing military threat from China. Also, remember that Ezekiel 38-39 warned about this “latter day” danger 2500 years ago. God “wrote history in advance” in his biblical prophesies, and he is relentlessly moving to bring them to pass in our modern “latter day” period of time.

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,511955,00.html

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100805/D9HD98S00.html

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/08/01/palin-brewer-cojones-obama-lacks-immigration-enforcement/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cojones

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/08/08/nkorea-seizes-skorean-fishing-boat-waters-peninsulas-east-coast-amid-tension/