Prophecy Proof Insights

The Weather Continues to be Unusual Where I Live & Elsewhere in the World

2012-02-15T11:26:00.000-08:00

Last June I described how unusual the weather was where I live (Northern California). My area saw wintry weather conditions (cold and rain) instead of the normal dry weather and temperatures near 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Now the reverse is taking place… The weather where I live has been unusually warm and dry for the past few months.

My area recently did not receive any rainfall for more than an entire month despite the fact that winter is the season where we get most of our rain for the entire year. Temperatures a couple of weeks ago were so warm (70s Fahrenheit) that you’d think it was April instead of late January.

The dryness in my area is expected to continue for the next several weeks. The following map shows a drought forecast through April 30 of this year for the U.S.

If you are unable to view the map below, you can find the map at the following link

My area is not the only place that is experiencing unseasonable weather conditions as several other places around the world have recently experienced unseasonable weather conditions too. For instance,

Many parts of Europe and even North Africa have experienced extreme wintry conditions (cold and heavy snow) recently. The extreme winter weather has led to the deaths of hundreds of people and has trapped tens of thousands of people in Europe.

The first video below provides some idea of what people living in the Balkans are dealing with while the second video provides some idea of what people living in Eastern Europe are dealing with:

If you are unable to see the videos below you can find them at the following links: Video 1 Video 2

Meanwhile, many parts of the United States are experiencing drought conditions. The following map below shows how extreme the drought is in some areas of the country, including in Texas and in Florida:

If you are unable to view the map below, you can find the map at the following link

The reason I’ve brought up the unusual weather is that I listened to an interesting podcast interview last night featuring a climate forecaster who took time to explain why the weather is so unusual in many places around the world and took time to provide a forecast of what may happen later this year in terms of the weather. The topics the podcast interview specifically covers include the following

Why it has been so warm and dry in many parts of the U.S. while it has been so cold in Alaska and the Arctic.
Why the weather in much of Europe went from relatively warm to extremely cold recently.
How a major Icelandic volcano eruption last year has played a huge role in creating the unusual weather this year and how it still may impact the weather next year.
An early preview of the Atlantic hurricane season, which sounds like it could be another busy season.

If you are interested in hearing why the weather has been unusual in many different parts of the world I think you’ll find the 18 minute podcast interview interesting and informative.

You can access the podcast at the following link: http://www.netcastdaily.com/broadcast/fsn2012-0214-1.mp3

Another Difference Between the Situation in Syria and Situation in Libya: A Large Christian Population

2012-02-13T09:42:00.000-08:00

I shared some comments last week made by British Foreign Minister William Hague about why there has not yet been military intervention in Syria. Recall that one of the points Hague made is that the situation in Syria is more complicated than it was in Libya:

"Secondly, the consequences would be far more difficult to foresee in Syria than they were in the relatively straightforward Libya because of the knock on effects across the region”.

I listed some important reasons why the Syria situation is different than the Libya situation including:

The possible involvement of Hezbollah if Syria is attacked

The likely escalation of Iran's involvement in Syria if Syria is attacked.

The potential for Syria President Bashar al-Assad to resort to using chemical weapons against his people.

Today I want to bring up another important difference about the situation in Syria that I did not mention last week, but I think is noteworthy enough to devote an article to: the presence of a large Christian population which could face increased persecution if there is regime change.

The Coptic Christians in Egypt have experienced increased persecution since the fall of the Mubarak regime last year. Hossam Bahgat, the head of a human rights organization in Egypt, describes the challenges the Copts face after the fall of Mubarak:

“‘Muslims are convinced that Copts were too powerful under Mubarak, and are motivated by the desire to teach Christians a lesson right now…’ Hard-line Muslims want to show Christians ‘that they need the protection of Muslims, that the West is not going to protect them and that they no longer have any of the privileges that these extremists believe the Copts enjoyed under Mubarak’".

The following articles provide some detail of the increased persecution and unease that Coptic Christians have dealt with recently:

February 4, 2011: Link

May 9, 2011: Link

October 8, 2011: Link

October 10, 2011: Link

November 22, 2011: Link

The reason I’ve brought up the plight of the Copts is that there is concern within Syria’s large Christian community that they’ll face persecution like the Copts if/when the Assad regime collapses in Syria.

Christians currently make up approximately 10% of Syria’s nearly 23 million person population while the Alawites (the Shia Islam-related religious sect that Assad is associated with) make up approximately 9% of Syria’s population.

In contrast, Christians only make up an estimated 2.64% of Libya’s 6.6 million people with most of those Christians being foreign workers.

The minority status of the Alawites and the Christians in Syria unite these groups on the same side. An informative article from the Global Post recently described how intertwined the two groups are. Here are a few particularly noteworthy experts:

As a fellow minority, Christians have long supported the Alawite regime in order to ensure protection and rights for themselves.
…
Thousands of Christians are tied up in the regime's security apparatus and are employed in high-ranking government and military positions.
…
Both Alawites and Christians drink alcohol, regularly together. Alawites are seen by some Christians as being less Islamic in that many do not fast during the holy month of Ramadan.

The Christian Post recently published an article about the dilemma Syrian Christians face with the ongoing unrest in the country. The article includes the following quote from a national security analyst at the Christian Action Network about difficult situation Syrian Christians currently face:

The Christians in Syria face a dilemma. They are morally obligated to support the protesters, but if Assad falls, sectarian strife could ravage the country and Islamic terrorists will target Christians as they have in Iraq and Egypt. If they support Assad and he falls they could be targets for revenge. That is why the Christian community in Syria is largely silent, not knowing what to do.

In sum, there is a significant risk that the more than two million Christians living in Syria could be subject to a large increase in persecution if the Assad regime falls. The Syrian Christians’ historic support of the Assad regime could make them a target of persecution/revenge attacks by people who oppose Assad. In addition, the Syrian Christians could face persecution if the next regime is not as tolerant of Christians as the Assad regime has been.

Just to be clear, I am not making a statement about whether the Assad regime should stay or should go. I’m just noting that the status of Syria's large Christian community is another issue that makes the current situation in Syria more complicated than the situation in Libya was prior to last year’s military intervention.

Analyzing Whether Domestic Politics May Play a Role in Benjamin Netanyahu’s Handling of the Iran Situation

2012-02-10T10:58:00.000-08:00

In my last article I discussed how domestic political pressures may play a role in impacting Barack Obama’s handling of the Iran situation through November’s U.S. presidential election.

I noted that Barack Obama may be compelled to order military action against Iran if U.S. public opinion begins to favor military action over the use of sanctions on the Iran issue.

I also noted that an Israeli military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities is one possible event which could cause U.S. public opinion to begin favoring military action over the use of sanctions as a majority of American voters, including Independent voters, feel the U.S. should support Israel if they launch a military strike against Iran.

Today I want to discuss whether domestic political pressures could influence Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to launch a military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

I mentioned in my last article that I researched the role that domestic politics may have on the way democratic leaders conduct wars for my Political Science senior honors thesis. A key finding from my thesis is that domestic politics sometimes matters when a democratic leader attempts to decide what to do next in a conflict. For instance, the public’s opinion on a war and the opposition political party(s)’s stance on a war are irrelevant to a democratic leader when formulating wartime policy decisions if the next election is a long ways away and a lot of time has passed since the last election.

A more extensive discussion of my findings is available in my last article, which can be found at the following link.

I will next provide a brief breakdown of Netanyahu’s policy stance on Iran, the main opposition party’s policy stance on Iran, and Israeli public opinion on the Iran issue. Then I will discuss whether the opposition’s policy stance and Israeli public opinion are important factors for Netanyahu’s decision-making on Iran.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s Position on Iran
I’ve examined several different articles that suggest Benjamin Netanyahu favors a military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities. Here are a couple of examples:

Military.com

“An Israeli official said Wednesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to persuade his Cabinet to authorize a military strike against Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program - a discussion that comes as Israel successfully tests a missile believed capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to Iran”.

Daily Telegraph

“Mr Netanyahu, supported by Ehud Barak, his defence minister, is widely known to lead a camp favouring military action against Iran but he has run into persistent opposition from senior military and intelligence commanders who question whether unilateral air strikes would be effective”.

The notion that Netanyahu favors a preemptive military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities seems in line with a statement he made to the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) about the need to strike Israel’s enemies before Israel’s enemies strike first:

“A security philosophy cannot rely on defense alone. It must also include offensive capabilities, which is the very foundation of deterrence…We operate and will continue to operate intensely and determinately against those who threaten the security of the State of Israel and its citizens. Our policy is guided by two main principles: the first is ‘If someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first,’ and the second is ‘If anyone harms us, his blood is on his own hands.’”

Opposition Position on Iran
The political party with the largest number of seats in the Knesset is Kadima (not Netanyahu’s Likud Party). Unlike the U.S., Israel has a parliamentary system that enables several parties to win seats in the legislature even when receiving a small percentage of the total vote. The nature of Israel’s parliamentary system often requires a group of political parties to come together to form a coalition government. Kadima is an opposition party because it was unable to successfully form a coalition government while Likud was successfully able to form one.

The position of Kadima party leader is currently being contested by incumbent Tzipi Livni and Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Shaul Mofaz.

Given the uncertainty about who may emerge as the leader of Kadima, I assume that Kadima Party leader Livni’s stance on Iran and Mofaz’s stance on Iran are stances that Netanyahu is particularly aware of.

Livni’s stance on Iran does not rule out the use of the military option to deal with Iran as “all options are on the table”:

"It's clear that Iran is trying to achieve a nuclear weapon and Iran needs to be stopped…Iran needs to understand ... that all options are on the table."

However, Livni appears to want to focus on applying new sanctions on Iran and the Iranian regime for now:

“The international community must continue the implementation of new sanctions against Iran and add to them sanctions targeted against the regime leaders in Tehran”

Meanwhile, Livni’s rival Shaul Mofaz also prefers to strengthen sanctions on Iran over pursuing the military option at this present time:

"I think the time has come to intensify sanctions on Iran that will paralyze the Iranian economy… military action of any kind, particularly from Israel, is the last and worst action at this time, but all options must be on the table and ready. We will not accept a nuclear Iran."

In total, the two individuals vying for Kadima’s top position appear to favor the use of sanctions over resorting to military action to deal with Iran at this present time.

Israeli Public Opinion on Iran
Two recent public opinion polls that asked Israelis whether they support a military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities suggest that more Israelis support a military strike than oppose a military strike. The poll results are shown in the following tables:

Haaertz/Dialog Polling Institute
Yes	No	Undecided
41%	39%	20%

Anwar Sadat Chair: University of Maryland
Yes	No	Don’t Know/Refused
43%	41%	16%

The numbers above suggest that Netanyahu would have the support of the Israeli public if he ordered a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.

Will Domestic Politics Matter to Netanyahu?
According to Election Guide’s election calendar, Israel does not have a scheduled parliamentary election until October 2013, or 20 months from now (unless Netanyahu calls for early elections). This is significant because Israel’s next parliamentary election is so far away that Netanyahu is probably unconcerned about what the opposition thinks about what should be done and probably unconcerned about whether a military strike against Iran is popular with the public when it comes to handling the Iran situation.

In other words, Benjamin Netanyahu’s stance on Iran is a major key in deciding whether Israel will ultimately launch a military strike against Iran through the rest of this year (unless early elections are called). Consequently, Israel is likely going to launch a military strike at some point soon if Netanyahu continues to hold the position that a military strike is necessary.

Constraints to Immediate Action
The passage from the Military.com article and the passage from Daily Telegraph article posted earlier mentioned something important which may be constraining Netanyahu from immediately ordering a military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities at the present time. The articles mention that Netanyahu does not yet have enough support from his cabinet.

Israeli law requires a leader like Netanyahu to obtain cabinet approval before initiating a war. However, some have speculated that Netanyahu could circumvent the law by framing military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities as an “operation”.

Even if Netanyahu could circumvent Israeli law, securing the support of his cabinet is likely important to Netanyahu because he will want to show the world that he has not acted unilaterally/against the wishes of his cabinet on such an important decision. In addition, securing cabinet approval is something Netanyahu may feel obligated to do since his predecessor Menachem Begin sought cabinet approval before ordering a military strike against an Iraqi nuclear reactor over thirty years ago.

Another thing that may be restraining Netanyahu at the moment is pressure from Barack Obama. A recent report claims that Obama Administration officials believe Obama has "convinced" Netanyahu to wait to see if new sanctions on Iran will work.

I am skeptical that Obama has fully "convinced" Netanyahu to wait. If Netanyahu told Obama he will wait, it may be due to him not having cabinet approval yet (so he would have not much of a choice right now anyway but to wait until he secures cabinet approval). Just my speculation...

What If Early Elections Are Called?
Domestic political factors may play a role in Netanyahu’s handling of the Iran situation if an early election date is set soon. Here are a couple of examples:

The scenario that could alter Netanyahu’s decision-making the most would be if Israeli public opinion begins to strongly oppose taking military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities. Netanyahu may become more hesitant to order a military strike because he could jeopardize his political future by ordering one (he would be acting against the wishes of a majority of voters on a very important issue).

Meanwhile, the likelihood for a military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities would likely increase if Kadima began to advocate a military strike above all other policy options.

Conclusion
In sum, domestic politic factors are unlikely going to impact Netanyahu’s handling of the Iran situation unless Netanyahu calls for early elections. The next election is so far away that Netanyahu can focus on securing his cabinet’s approval, dealing with American pressure in a diplomatic way, and focus on ordering the launch of an attack at the opportune time.

However, time is running out if Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s assessment that Iran’s nuclear program is less than a year away from being at a point of no return is correct (entering in a “zone of immunity”). If Netanyahu believes that Israel must act, he must order the launch of the military strike soon.

My best guess at what happens is that Netanyahu will eventually secure cabinet approval and will order a military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities later this year if sanctions do not show much signs of slowing down Iran's nuclear program. If Israel's military strike comes before November's U.S. presidential election, I think that U.S. domestic political pressure following an Israeli military strike will compel Barack Obama to order the U.S. military to provide assistance to Israel. If/when that happens the Mideast could become very chaotic…

Analyzing the Role Domestic Politics May Play in Barack Obama’s Handling of Iran Through the Election

2012-02-08T08:20:00.000-08:00

There is growing speculation about the potential for a U.S. military strike against Iran sometime later this year. The talk about a potential military strike against Iran comes at an important time in American politics. The year 2012 is a presidential election year in the U.S., which means that Barack Obama must work to persuade American voters to grant him a second term.

Today I want to discuss how domestic political pressures might influence Barack Obama’s handling of the Iran situation through November's election.

I analyzed the role that domestic politics may have on the way democratic leaders conduct wars for my Political Science senior honors thesis. More specifically, I analyzed whether the proximity of an election has an impact on a democrat leader’s war termination decision. Here is the abstract or summary of my senior honors thesis:

A decision a democratic leader inevitably faces during a war is whether to end it. I argue that a democratic leader’s foreign policy decision, specifically her war termination decision, is affected by electoral pressures. I unveil a model identifying several factors that democratic leaders may consider when they make foreign policy decisions and hypothesize that these factors vary in importance at different points in a country’s election cycle. To test these hypotheses, I apply chi-square and population-average regression to a new data set covering several wars that democracies have participated in from 1950-2006. I find that electoral pressures during the campaign season do not affect a leader’s propensity to move towards or away from terminating a war, but does affect what factors a leader looks at when they make foreign policy decisions. I also find that a democratic leader is more likely to deescalate a war and a newly elected democratic leader is more likely to terminate a war in the few months following an election.

In other words, domestic politics sometimes matters when a democratic leader attempts to decide what to do next in a conflict. For instance, public opinion on a war and the opposition political party(s)’s stance on a war are irrelevant to a democratic leader when formulating wartime policy decisions if the next election is a long ways away and a lot of time has passed since the last election.

Although my thesis was aimed at explaining how electoral pressures may impact war termination decisions, the model I developed for my thesis is capable of accounting for how electoral pressures may impact conflict escalation decisions.

We are close enough to November’s presidential election that Barack Obama may be now considering domestic political factors when assessing how to handle the Iran situation. According to my thesis’s findings, a shift in a democratic leader’s own position regarding conflict, a change in public opinion regarding conflict, and a shift in the opposition party’s position regarding conflict are relevant factors in the leader’s decision to deescalate, maintain, or escalate the level of their country’s involvement in a conflict during election time.

I will next apply my thesis findings to the U.S.’s situation with Iran.

Barack Obama’s Position on Iran
Obama currently prefers to avoid using the military option (although he does not rule out the military option) when dealing with Iran. Obama said the following to summarize his position on Iran:

"We're not taking any options off the table…Our preferred solution is diplomatic, we're going to keep on pushing on that front ... [but] I've been very clear that we're going to do everything we can to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and creating an arms race, a nuclear arms race, in a volatile region."

Assuming the Republican Party’s position regarding Iran and public opinion regarding Iran stay the same (it’s the change in position/opinion which matters more than the actual position/opinion to a leader), Obama is unlikely going to resort to military action against Iran unless his own position on Iran changes.

Obama may be very reluctant to resort to military action against Iran as military action carries a lot or risk. For instance, Iran may respond to an attack by shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, which could lead to an oil shock if a closure is prolonged. An oil shock is the last thing Obama needs with Americans already concerned about the state of the economy.

The Opposition’s Position on Iran
Mitt Romney is currently leading the delegate count in the Republican Party presidential nomination process. Therefore, I assume Romney’s stance on Iran as the policy stance that is relevant to Barack Obama.

Like Obama, Romney also appears willing to apply sanctions to Iran and have an military option open. Romney’s position on Iran is presented in the following passage:

I want peace. And if I am president, I will begin by imposing a new round of far tougher economic sanctions on Iran. I will do this together with the world if we can, unilaterally if we must. I will speak out forcefully on behalf of Iranian dissidents. I will back up American diplomacy with a very real and very credible military option. I will restore the regular presence of aircraft carrier groups in the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf region simultaneously. I will increase military assistance to Israel and coordination with all of our allies in the region. These actions will send an unequivocal signal to Iran that the United States, acting in concert with allies, will never permit Iran to obtain nuclear weapons.

One important distinction between Obama and Romney is that Romney would increase the U.S.’s Navy’s regular presence in the Persian Gulf if he becomes President of the United States. An increase in the U.S.’s regular presence in the Persian Gulf represents an escalation in U.S. military’s involvement vis-à-vis Iran.

Therefore, Romney’s position regarding Iran represents an escalation from the status quo in terms of military involvement.

Barack Obama’s handling of Iran is unlikely going to be affected by Romney’s position regarding Iran unless Romney begins to advocate a de-escalation policy (conversely, Romney's position would still represent "escalate" if he began to call for the bombing of Iran). Since Romney is vying to win Republican voters, who tend to support a tough stance on Iran, it is highly unlikely that Romney will adopt a more dovish position than his current one in the near future.

Public Support
A recent United Technologies/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll asked respondents which policy option they would currently choose to deal with Iran from a list of policy options. The poll found that:

47% favor imposing economic sanctions on Iran.
13% favor taking covert action against Iran, including assassination and sabotage.
17% favor military action against Iran, including taking out Iran’s nuclear facilities.

I interpret these numbers to imply that more American voters would rather see the U.S. pursue economic sanctions to deal with Iran at this moment than to take military action against Iran.

This does not mean that the American public ultimately would not support military action if it was taken. In fact, a recent poll from The Hill suggests that more Americans would support military action against Iran than would oppose. [1] Again, the United Technologies/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll results suggest that more voters would prefer to try out economic sanctions now to see if they work than to bomb Iran without trying out sanctions.

Assuming the Republican Party’s position regarding Iran remains the same and his position towards Iran remains the same, Obama is unlikely going to resort to escalating the U.S.’s military’s involvement vis-à-vis Iran if public opinion remains as it is now. However, Obama may consider escalating the U.S.’s military’s involvement in Iran if the public opinion begins to favor military action over sanctions.

The interesting thing is that there is a potential for the U.S. public opinion to swing to the point where taking military action is preferred above all other policy options. One potential event that could cause this swing is an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

A recent poll from Poll Position suggests that a majority of American voters feel the U.S. should support Israel if Israel takes military action against Iran. More importantly, the poll suggests that more than 50% of Independent voters, the type of voters that Republicans and Democrats try hardest to sway, feel the U.S. should support Israel if Israel takes military action against Iran (and only 21.1% feel the U.S. should not).

Given the close proximity of November’s election, Barack Obama could be compelled to approve military action against Iran even he prefers to continue applying sanctions on Iran if public opinion swings to pro-military action following an Israeli attack of Iran’s nuclear facilities. Obama would be compelled to consider approving military action so he does not risk alienating the large number of voters who want military action (if he alienates these voters they could turn to the Republican candidate who likely would support taking military action). In addition, Obama may be compelled to consider approving military action as a way to minimize the political damage inflicted by critics who say he does not stand with Israel (the criticism that Obama does not stand with Israel would really resonate with many voters if Obama does not act to support Israel following an Israeli military strike on Iran).

In total, it is unlikely that Barack Obama will order U.S. military action against Iran unless his position on Iran becomes more hawkish and/or U.S. public opinion begins to favor military action over economic sanctions. However, an Israeli military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities may increase the likelihood that Obama opts to escalate U.S. military involvement vis-à-vis Iran, especially if a majority of the public is in support of military action.

I intend to write an article in the near future about whether domestic political pressures will play a role in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to launch a military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Note of Caution: Democratic leaders consider more than just domestic political factors when formulating foreign policy decisions. The degree to which domestic political factors play a role in impacting a democratic leader's decision-making compared to a factor like geopolitics is unknown. However, domestic political factors seem to have some relevancy during election time, which is the time period that the U.S. is currently in.

End Note
[1] The Hill Poll suggests that 49% of Americans support taking military action against Iran while 31% of Americans oppose taking military action. The reason I’ve decided to use the United Technologies/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll over The Hill Poll is that the United Technologies/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll provided respondents a variety of policy options to choose from instead of a “yes/no” choice for just one policy option.

Why Has the West Not Intervened Militarily in Syria Yet?

2012-02-06T10:25:00.000-08:00

As many of you probably have heard, a U.N. Security Council resolution backing the Arab League’s plan to encourage a post-Assad transition in Syria was vetoed by Russia and China on Saturday. The veto left many in the international community disgusted and concerned that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad will continue to escalate the killing of civilians.

It’s not completely clear what is going to happen next. What we do know is that countries like France and the U.S. are discussing the formation of a group that potentially may provide assistance to the Syrian opposition. Although some countries are willing to work with the Syrian opposition, it does not seem like anyone is willing to intervene militarily in Syria like they did in Libya. We have not yet heard calls by major world leaders to impose a no-fly zone in Syria or to send troops into the country.

A question that many people may be wondering is “Why has the West not intervened militarily in Syria when they intervened in Libya just last year?” The question is a valid one to ask because we heard world leaders talk last year about the need to create a no-fly zone in Libya to protect Libyan civilians from Gaddafi while today we hear about how Assad is waging war against his people.

I read some recent comments by British Foreign Secretary William Hague about the situation regarding Syria. I want to share Hague’s response to a question about why there has not yet been intervention in Syria like there was in Libya because I think his comments give us a good idea of why the countries are reluctant to intervene militarily in the country. I’ll also provide some of my thoughts while sharing his comments.

The first thing Hague mentioned is that there is not a U.N. resolution to authorize intervention:

"In Libya we had the authority of the UN to take all necessary measures. Given what has happened this weekend, we could not pass such a resolution”.

You may or may not think a U.N. authorization is worth the paper it is written on, but it is important to diplomats and decision makers. U.N. authorization provides a leader who leads their country into a conflict protection from being accused of engaging in a conflict unilaterally by critics. In addition, a U.N. authorization provides a leader who wants to lead their country into conflict the ability to say they are trying to show unity with the international community by assisting the war effort.

The second thing Hague mentioned is that the situation regarding Syria is far more complicated than it was with Libya:

"Secondly, the consequences would be far more difficult to foresee in Syria than they were in the relatively straightforward Libya because of the knock on effects across the region”.

The second point that Hague brought up is probably the most important factor keeping countries from intervening in Syria. There are some key differences which make intervening in Syria a far less compelling option for world leaders than intervening in Libya was. Here are some of the differences.

Hezbollah has threatened to attack Israel if the West intervenes in Syria. You did not have the enemies of Israel threaten to attack Israel if the West intervened in Libya.

Intervening in Libya did not come with the risk of getting Iran involved like intervention in Syria would. The Assad regime is a key regional ally of the Iranian regime. Consequently, the fall of the Assad regime could translate to a weakening of Iran’s position in the Mideast, especially if the new regime in Syria were more aligned with Saudi Arabia (Iran’s nemesis). The fear of a reduced role in the Mideast if Assad's regime is replaced could compel Iran to intervene (further) to assist Assad. In addition, Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah have agreed to join forces in case of war against Israel, so Iran might be obligated to join the conflict if Hezbollah carries out its threat to attack Israel following an attack of Syria.

Syria possesses one of the largest stockpiles of chemical weapons in the world. Some people are concerned that Assad could resort to using these weapons on civilians if he perceives his regime to be in trouble.

Another consideration related to Hague's second point is that military intervention in Syria may encourage people wanting regime change in other Middle East countries to fight or renew their fight against their respective regime. If people living in other Middle East countries become emboldened we could see even further Mideast instability.

The third point that Hague brought up is that the level of international intervention for Syria would have to be much greater than it was for Libya.

“Thirdly it would have to be on a dramatically bigger scale in Syria in order to be effective".

I think this is another important thing for the countries that want to see Assad ousted to consider. The Free Syrian Army (FSA), the opposition military force fighting against the Assad regime, is relatively small and disorganized compared to Assad’s forces. Consequently, a coalition like NATO would need to provide much more than air support to give the FSA a chance to make significant gains against Assad’s forces. For instance, in addition to providing air support, NATO would probably need to provide a lot of ground assistance to help improve the FSA’s ability to combat the technological, organizational, and numerical advantage that Assad's forces possess.

The recent end of the conflict of Libya may make many countries reluctant to commit a lot of resources again for a military campaign in Syria (many countries may still be feeling “battle fatigue” from Libya). Amazingly, it’s only been 3.5 months since Gaddafi’s death…

I am not a prophet (nor claim to be one) so I cannot say for certain what will happen in Syria. However, I think you will see a group, including the U.S., European countries, and many Arab League countries, work together behind the scenes to strengthen the Free Syrian Army and help other anti-Assad groups in Syria. Given the international community’s reluctance to intervene militarily in Syria, I think you will see willing countries do as much as they can to help the Syrian people oust Assad without resorting to direct military intervention like in Libya.

New Crime Reporting App May Be a Prelude of Things to Come During the End Times

2012-02-03T10:46:00.000-08:00

I wrote a few months ago about some of the technology that I thought we might see the Antichrist utilize to enable his followers to report to the authorities on the whereabouts of people who follow Christ and/or on the whereabouts of people who say anything negative about the Antichrist. Here is a passage from the article:

I imagine that the Antichrist’s reporting system will offer rewards/incentives to individuals who turn people in to the authorities. For example, a person who turns in a person to the authorities could be awarded with increased food rations. I can even imagine that there could be a downloadable mobile app where the followers of Antichrist can utilize their cell phones or other mobile devices to turn people in to the authorities when they don't have immediate access to a computer.

I did not expect to see the development of a mobile app capable of reporting people to the authorities right away when I wrote the above passage. However, the announcement of a new mobile app called CrimePush has made me realize that the development of the type of mobile app I described in the passage above is possible right now...

CrimePush is a new mobile app that will eventually enable anyone with a smartphone (iPhone, Android phone, etc) to anonymously report a crime to the authorities quickly. One of the co-founders of CrimePush described the mobile app in the following way:

We make reporting a crime something the average person can do in a matter of seconds, without interrupting their day or causing any major inconvenience. Capture the evidence and press the Push to Report button. Time matters, and so does the information,

The article that led me to discover CrimePush described the purpose of the application in a more direct way:

The application also allows for users to report crime anonymously so that they may continue with their busy lives knowing that with a push of a button, police will know and have everything to pursue the criminal. Ordinary users become the eyes and ears of authorities.

The CrimePush application is currently in its beta stage of development, so I was able to download it without worrying about alerting the authorities by trying it out (the app is not yet able to send event reports to the authorities). The first thing you see after you open the app is an information screen where you enter your information so that the authorities know who you are if you choose to not report anonymously (shown in the screenshot below). The application gives you the option to turn on GPS so the authorities know the location where you’re reporting the event and the option to report anonymously.

If you cannot see the screenshot below, you can access it at the following link

The next screenshot shows the main menu screen of the application, which appears after you’ve enter your information. A person only needs to press the button that best describes the event they seek to report to begin the reporting process.

If you cannot see the screenshot below, you can access it at the following link

For this test I pressed the “Medical” button which appears on the center of the main menu screen.

The application next shows a screen where a person can enter details about the event and provides an option for a person to add a photo, an audio clip, or a video clip to further describe the event. Providing a photo, an audio clip, or a video clip is as easy as pressing the button of the item you want to add.

I’ve provided two screenshots side by side below. The screenshot on the left only has what I typed (you don’t actually have to type anything if you don’t want to) while the screenshot on the right includes a photo, a video clip, and an audio clip that I added to my event report.

The only remaining thing that I would need to do to send the event report to the authorities is to press the word “Push” on the upper right corner of the screen.

If you cannot see the screenshots below, you can access them at the following link

I found CrimePush to be very user-friendly and intuitive. In fact, I think a technological novice will be able to quickly learn how to use the app effectively. I think CrimePush is going to be very popular once the application is fully developed because it is so easy to use.

Although I think CrimePush will be a useful app once it is fully functional, it makes me a bit apprehensive about the future. I think the mobile app may provide us a glimpse or preview of a type of reporting system the Antichrist could someday utilize. In other words, the CrimePush may provide a template for a type of reporting system that the Antichrist could utilize in the future.

CrimePush demonstrates that it is now possible to inexpensively develop a user-friendly mobile app where people can report on what they see or hear to the authorities anonymously and quickly. If a small group of people can develop a mobile app like CrimePush, then it should not be difficult for a future world leader like the Antichrist (who will have much greater financial resources and technical expertise at his disposal than the developers of CrimePush) to have mobile app(s) that enables people to report on anyone who says anything negative about him or to report on anyone who rather follow Christ than him.

There may come a point in time in the future when it will be a crime to follow Christ and people will be encouraged to report to the authorities on the whereabouts of people who follow Christ and/or the whereabouts of people who say anything negative about the Antichrist:

Christ warned that the love of many will grow cold as His Second Coming approaches (Matthew 24:12). Christ also warned that people will be hated worldwide for believing in Him (Matthew 24:9, Mark 13:13, Luke 21:17). Conditions will become so bad that family members, friends, etc. will betray each other by causing each other to be put up to death (Mark 13:12 & Luke 21:16-17).

Mat 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

Mat 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

Mat 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

Mat 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

Mar 13:12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.

Mar 13:13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Luk 21:16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.

Luk 21:17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.

The establishment of a future reporting application similar to CrimePush would make it easier for the type of betrayal described in the Bible passages above to transpire. For instance, a teenager with a smartphone could simply press a couple of buttons on a reporting app to alert the authorities anonymously that their parents refuse to follow the Antichrist or that their parents said something negative about the Antichrist. The teenager could also provide the authorities with video, photo, or even audio details of where their parents are located, and the authorities could use this information to find and arrest the parents.

Finally, I just want to make it clear that I am not saying that the CrimePush app is a tool of the Antichrist. I actually expect for the Antichrist to have a more sophisticated reporting app than the one developed by CrimePush. For instance,

I imagine that the Antichrist’s reporting app will be fully-integrated to an information database so that a person who uses the reporting app will be able to quickly link their reporting app account to their name in the database. The integration could allow the authorities to quickly reward a person (i.e. increase their food rations) who used the reporting app to provide useful information that led to the capture of someone (thereby encouraging more people to use the reporting app to turn people in to the authorities).

Technological innovations are coming to the forefront quickly. Given the rapid pace of technological innovation, we should not be surprised if we soon hear about more technological innovations which can be used someday to make it even more difficult for opponents of Antichrist to avoid persecution during the End Times.

Updating My High Youth Unemployment Article From Last Year

2012-02-01T11:36:00.000-08:00

Around this time last year I published an article about the growing youth unemployment problem. The reason I published an article about this topic is that I sought to highlight how the level of youth unemployment in several countries, a factor that many commentators believe contributed to the unrest in Tunisia and Egypt in 2011, is comparable to or even higher than the level of youth unemployment in Tunisia and Egypt. The concern that some experts have is that high levels of youth unemployment could eventually lead to the kind of unrest seen in countries like Tunisia and Egypt.

Today I want to update that article by sharing updated statistics about the youth unemployment situation in several countries around the world.

The original article I wrote last year about this topic can be accessed at the following link

The table below shows youth unemployment rates for several major countries around the world. The following bullet points should help to clarify what each category listed in the table below represents.

Last Article Rate: The youth unemployment rate reported in my previous article about the topic.

Rate: The most recent youth unemployment rate that I could find.

Change: The change in the youth unemployment rate since my previous article about the topic.

Date: The period when the youth unemployment rate was measured.

Age Group: Countries define “youth unemployment” differently when it comes to which ages are included. This category describes which ages are included in a country’s “youth unemployment” measure.

Youth Unemployment Rates
	Last Article Rate	Rate	Change	Date	Age Group
Australia	18%	17.30%	-0.7%	Dec-11	15-19
USA	19.10%	16.70%	-2.4%	Dec-11	16-24
Canada	14.40%	14.10%	-0.3%	Dec-11	15-24
Britain	20.30%	22.30%	+2.0%	Dec-11	16-24
France	24.60%	23.80%	-0.80%	Dec-11	Under 25
Germany	8.60%	7.80%	-0.80%	Dec-11	Under 25
Portugal	21.70%	30.80%	+9.1%	Dec-11	Under 25
Spain	42.80%	48.70%	+5.9%	Dec-11	Under 25
Greece	34.60%	47.20%	+12.60%	Oct-11	Under 25
Italy	29%	31%	+2.0%	Dec-11	Under 25
Ireland	29.10%	29%	-0.1%	Dec-11	Under 25

Notes:

Government statistics tend to understate a problem, so it is possible that the true youth unemployment rate in a particular country is higher than the rate listed in the table. Interestingly, Spain's National Statistics Institute reported the 16 to 24 youth unemployment rate at 51.4% or nearly 3% higher than the rate provided by Eurostat.
The youth unemployment rate was approximately 25% in Egypt and 30% in Tunisia when these countries experienced their respective uprisings in 2011.

The youth unemployment problem has dramatically worsened (with the exception of Ireland) in the countries which are at the forefront of the ongoing sovereign debt crisis in Europe over the past year (highlighted in yellow in the table). The extremely high level of youth unemployment in Spain and Greece (nearly 50%!) could create an explosive situation in these countries soon.

I would not be surprised if we saw extreme instability in countries like Spain and Greece if the situation does not improve soon. The youth unemployment rates are so high in these countries that there is a real risk that a large number of youths will become so desperate and angry about the economic situation that they’ll resort to applying pressure to their respective governments to bring change far beyond what has taken place already (for instance, you could see the unemployed youths in Spain organize to apply political pressure far beyond what the Indignants movement applied in 2011).

I’ll conclude this updated article by quoting the ending of my previous article about youth unemployment problem because I think it still helps to explain how the problem is relevant to those of us interested in Bible prophecy.

The Bible suggests that we are supposed to see political instability or “commotions” prior to the Second Coming of Christ.

Luk 21:9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.

Therefore, we should not be surprised to see political unrest arise around the globe because it must happen: “these things must first come to pass”. The current youth unemployment problem may play a role in helping to create the coming global political unrest as it seems to have played a role in Egypt and Tunisia’s unrest and it is a problem that is prevalent in many areas of the world.

Examining Jeremiah 4:5 Onwards for Potential End Times Relevance

2012-01-30T11:33:00.000-08:00

You’ve probably noticed that I’ve written about several Bible prophecy verses, passages, and chapters in many of my recent articles. The reason I’ve focused so much on Bible prophecy recently is that I am trying to push myself to address certain verses and chapters so that I can facilitate the completion of the series of articles I’m working on in relation to Ezekiel 38, Ezekiel 39, Revelation 17, Ezekiel 7, Jeremiah 25:15-38, and other important Bible prophecy chapters.

Jeremiah 4 is another chapter that I want to address as I work towards the completion of the series of articles that I’m working on. I’ll share today why I currently think that Jeremiah 4:5 onwards may have potential End Times implications

Jeremiah 4:5 onwards is about an attack on Judah and Jerusalem. The specific time frame of the attack is not explicitly stated, but many Bible commentators believe that the attack took place during the time of the Babylonians.

I think there is a strong possibility that this attack of Jerusalem and Judah occurred during the time of the Babylonians since Jeremiah prophesized around a time when Jerusalem was about be threatened by the Babylonians. However, I also think there is a possibility that Jeremiah 4:5 onwards has dual fulfillment (fulfillment during Jeremiah's time and future fulfillment). I’ll provide examples of why I think there is a possibility of a future fulfillment next.

The first thing that makes me ponder whether Jeremiah 4:5 onwards has future implications is that the leader of the military force coming against Jerusalem and Judah is referred to as the “destroyer of the Gentiles”.

Jer 4:5 Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities.
Jer 4:6 Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.
Jer 4:7 The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.
Jer 4:8 For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us.

The title “destroyer of the Gentiles” could apply to Nebuchadnezzar, but the title is also seems (or even more) befitting of a future leader of a very powerful military force.

Another reason I see potential for Jeremiah 4:5 onwards to have dual fulfillment is that Jeremiah 4:9 includes the phrase “at that day”.

Jer 4:9 And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the LORD, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.

The phrase “at that day” appears elsewhere in the Book of Jeremiah, including Jeremiah 25:33, a verse that is part of a passage that I believe is very relevant to the End Times (Jeremiah 25:15-38).

Jer 25:33 And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.

Another consideration is that Jeremiah 4:9 mentions that the religious and political elite of Jerusalem will be caught completely off guard by events. The downfall of Jerusalem’s political and religious elite is found elsewhere in Bible prophecy including the verses shown in the following table:

Jer 4:9 And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the LORD, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.

Isa 3:1 For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,

Isa 3:2 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,

Isa 3:3 The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.

Isa 3:4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

Eze 7:26 Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumour shall be upon rumour; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients.

Eze 7:27 The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled: I will do unto them after their way, and according to their deserts will I judge them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

Zep 1:8 And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD'S sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.

Zep 1:9 In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit.

The final portion of Jeremiah 4 is also something to consider when evaluating Jeremiah 4:5 onwards’s potential relevance to the End Times. Jeremiah 4:23-28 describes how desolated the land becomes.

Jer 4:23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
Jer 4:24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
Jer 4:25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
Jer 4:26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.
Jer 4:27 For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.
Jer 4:28 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.

Jeremiah 4:23-24 are particularly noteworthy because these verses parallel some of what is found in Isaiah 24, a chapter that I believe relates to the End Times.

Jer 4:23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

Jer 4:24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.

Isa 24:1 Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.

…

Isa 24:3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word.

Isa 24:4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.

…

Isa 24:19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.

Isa 24:20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.

In addition, the wide-scale desolation described in Jeremiah 4:23-28 parallels the impact that the army described in Joel will have.

Jer 4:26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.

Jer 4:27 For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.

Jer 4:28 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.

Joe 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;

Joe 2:2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.

Joe 2:3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.

…

Joe 2:10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:

Like with the other chapters I’ve written about recently, Jeremiah 4:5 onwards may serve as additional piece to understanding an End Times siege of Jerusalem mentioned in Zechariah 12:1-2 and Zechariah 14:1-2. For example, Jeremiah 4:16-17 mentions that the watchers (a word that can also be translated to mean “besiegers” in Hebrew) will lay siege against Jerusalem and the cities of Judah.

Jer 4:16 Make ye mention to the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah.

Jer 4:17 As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she hath been rebellious against me, saith the LORD.

Zec 12:1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.

Zec 12:2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.

In addition, Jeremiah 4:13 and Isaiah 5:26-30 describe the incoming military force similarly (I’ve also include verse 4:28 in the table below to show another parallel between Isaiah 5 and Jeremiah 4).

Jer 4:13 Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.

…

Jer 4:28 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.

Isa 5:26 And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:

Isa 5:27 None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:

Isa 5:28 Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses' hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:

Isa 5:29 Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.

Isa 5:30 And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.

In sum, here again are the reasons why Jeremiah 4:5 onwards may have potential End Times implications:

The leader of the military force besieging Judah and Jerusalem is known as the “destroyer of the Gentiles”

The phrase “at that day” appears in Jeremiah 4:9.

The political and religious elite of Jerusalem are completely caught off guard by the events transpiring; something that is described elsewhere in Bible prophecy.

The final portion of Jeremiah 4 parallels certain parts of Isaiah 24 and Joel 2.

If you have any thoughts about this or any other topic feel free to share in the comments section.

Examining Isaiah 3 for Potential End Times Relevance

2012-01-27T11:31:00.000-08:00

The prophet Isaiah utilized the term “in that day” in several of his prophecies. The following table lists the verses where the term “in that day” appears in the Book of Isaiah.

Verses Mentioning “In That Day” in the Book of Isaiah
Isaiah 2:11, 17, 20	Isaiah 3:7, 18	Isaiah 4:1-2	Isaiah 5:30
Isaiah 7:18, 21, 23	Isaiah 10:20, 27	Isaiah 11:10-11	Isaiah 12:1, 4
Isaiah 17:4, 9	Isaiah 19:16, 18-19, 21, 23-24	Isaiah 20:6	Isaiah 22:8, 12, 20, 25
Isaiah 23:15	Isaiah 24:21	Isaiah 25:9	Isaiah 26:1
Isaiah 27:1-2, 12-13	Isaiah 28:5	Isaiah 29:18	Isaiah 30:23
Isaiah 31:7	Isaiah 52:6

The term “in that day” in the Book of Isaiah almost always refers to the End Times. For instance, the term “in that day” refers to the Day of the Lord in Isaiah 2:11-12.

Isa 2:11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
Isa 2:12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:

The term “in that day” appears twice in Isaiah 3. The two verses where the term “in that day” appears are shown below:

Isa 3:7 In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.

Isa 3:18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,

Although these verses include the term “in that day”, the Bible commentaries I’ve read about Isaiah 3 assume that the chapter primarily concerns the past. Given the appearance of the term “in that day” in Isaiah 3, I decided to spend some time examining the chapter to see whether it is safe to assume that Isaiah 3 primarily concerns the past.

I’ll share today why I currently think that Isaiah 3 may have potential End Times implications.

Isaiah 2 is a chapter that I strongly believe concerns the End Times because it references the last days, the Day of the Lord, includes the term “in that day”, and parallels verses like Revelation 6:15-16. These features are displayed in the following table:

Isa 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

…

Isa 2:10 Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty.

Isa 2:11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.

Isa 2:12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:

…

Isa 2:19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

Rev 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

Rev 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

The reason I mention Isaiah 2 in an article about Isaiah 3 is that many Bible commentators believe that the beginning of Isaiah 3 is a continuation of Isaiah 2.

The division of the Bible into verses and chapters was done by man to make it easier to find and reference Scripture quickly, so the end of a chapter does not necessarily mean that the telling of a prophecy has ended. For more on the division of the Bible into verses and chapters, you can access the following article from Got Questions: Link

One idea conveyed in the latter part of Isaiah 2, particularly in verse 22, is that people should not put their complete trust in man as man is nothing compared to the Lord. Isaiah 3 provides a specific example of why people should not put their complete trust in man. Isaiah 3 mentions that the warriors, political elite, and the religious elite of Jerusalem and Judah will lose their positions when the Lord judges them.

Isa 2:19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
Isa 2:20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;
Isa 2:21 To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
Isa 2:22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?
Isa 3:1 For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,
Isa 3:2 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,
Isa 3:3 The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.
Isa 3:4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

The connection between Isaiah 2 and Isaiah 3 is a reason to view Isaiah 3 as a chapter that has potential End Times relevance beyond the fact that the term “in that day” appears twice in the chapter.

Another thing to consider is that there are some significant parallels between Isaiah 3 and Ezekiel 7, a chapter that I think may have significant End Times implications. The first significant parallel is both chapters mention that the Lord will judge and punish His people.

Isa 3:11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

Isa 3:12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

Isa 3:13 The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.

Isa 3:14 The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.

Isa 3:15 What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

Eze 7:3 Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine abominations.

Eze 7:4 And mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity: but I will recompense thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

…

Eze 7:8 Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish mine anger upon thee: and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all thine abominations.

The second significant parallel is both chapters mention that the religious elite and political elite will be targeted with punishment:

Isa 3:1 For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,

Isa 3:2 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,

Isa 3:3 The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.

Isa 3:4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.

Isa 3:5 And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.

Isa 3:6 When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand:

Eze 7:26 Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumour shall be upon rumour; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients.

The third parallel is both chapters allude to the downfall of the people via a military attack:

Isa 3:8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory.

…

Isa 3:25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.

Isa 3:26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.

Eze 7:11 Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness: none of them shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of any of theirs: neither shall there be wailing for them.

…

Eze 7:23 Make a chain: for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence.

…

Eze 7:25 Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none.

A final item to consider is that the end of Isaiah 3 appears to not be the end of the focus on the women of Jerusalem (the daughters of Zion) “in that day”. Isaiah 4:1 continues the focus on the women while using the term “in that day”. This is noteworthy because the term “in that day” has future connotations in Isaiah 4.

Isa 3:16 Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:
Isa 3:17 Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts.
Isa 3:18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,
Isa 3:19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,
Isa 3:20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,
Isa 3:21 The rings, and nose jewels,
Isa 3:22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,
Isa 3:23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.
Isa 3:24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.
Isa 3:25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.
Isa 3:26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.
Isa 4:1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.
Isa 4:2 In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.
Isa 4:3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:

The potential for Isaiah 3 to have End Times implications is important because the chapter may serve as an additional piece to understanding the End Times siege of Jerusalem mentioned in passages like Zechariah 12:1-2 and Isaiah 51:17 onwards. In addition, the chapter may shed some light into why Jerusalem is referred to as “the great city, which is spiritually is called Sodom” in Revelation 11:8. The sin of Jerusalem’s people is compared to the sin of Sodom in Isaiah 3:9.

Isa 3:8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory.

Isa 3:9 The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

I hope today’s article was useful in any way. If you have any thoughts about this or any other topic feel free to share in the comments section.

Examining Isaiah 1:24-31 for Potential End Times Relevance

2012-01-25T12:56:00.000-08:00

The Book of Isaiah is one of the most prophecy-filled books in the entire Bible. Isaiah 1 is a chapter that I think merits its own article because it is the first chapter of this prophecy-filled book.

Today I’ll provide my current thoughts on Isaiah 1 with a particular focus on verses 24-31, which I think may have potential relevance to the End Times.

I presently view the first 23 verses of Isaiah 1 as mainly relevant to the past. The main reason I view the first 23 verses as primarily being relevant to the past is that there are a lot of references to sacrifice in these verses (Isaiah 1:11-14).

I think the references to sacrifice in Isaiah 1 unlikely relate to the future. Although there will be temple sacrifice during the End Times, it won’t last long as the Antichrist will put a halt to it at the midway point of the seventieth week of Daniel (Daniel 9:27). In contrast, the Lord mentioned that He had grown tired of the many sacrifices in Isaiah 1:11 and Isaiah 1:13-14; implying that the sacrifices had gone on for an extended period of time.

Isaiah 1:21-23 is interesting because Jerusalem is referred to as a “harlot”, something that proponents of Jerusalem = Babylon the Great will point out, and there is such a strong condemnation of the leadership.

Isa 1:21 Oh how the faithful city has become a harlot! She was full of justice; righteousness lodged in it. But now, murderers!
Isa 1:22 Your silver has become dross; your wine is diluted with water.
Isa 1:23 Your princes are rebellious and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe, and is pursuing rewards. They do not judge the orphan, nor does the cause of the widow come to them,

I presently view Isaiah 1:21-23 as mainly relevant to the past because of the appearance of the word “now” in verse 21, which would fit what Isaiah 1:4 says about the spiritual condition of Israel at that time: “Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD…”

I won’t rule out dual fulfillment here (past fulfillment and future fulfillment), but I mainly see this passage primarily pertaining to the past.

Isaiah 1:24 begins a passage where the Lord discusses how He will deal with the sinners & transgressors and will restore Jerusalem to a faithful city.

Isa 1:24 Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies:

Many Bible commentators believe that “adversaries” and “enemies” in Isaiah 1:24 concerns the corrupted officials mentioned in the previous verses of the chapter.

I think there is a strong possibility that “adversaries” and “enemies” in Isaiah 1:24 concerns corrupted officials of the past, but I would not rule out a dual fulfillment of this verse because the End Times will be a period when the Lord will avenge His enemies. For instance, Zephaniah 1:7-12 suggests that the Lord will punish corrupt leaders during the Day of the Lord.

Zep 1:7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.
Zep 1:8 And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD'S sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.
Zep 1:9 In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit.
Zep 1:10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills.
Zep 1:11 Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off.
Zep 1:12 And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.

In addition, the following Bible prophecy verses and passages displayed in the table below mention the Lord avenging His foes.

Isa 59:17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.

Isa 59:18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.

Isa 59:19 So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

Isa 59:20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.

Joe 3:4 Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head;

…

Joe 3:7 Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:

Isa 66:6 A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompence to his enemies.

Isa 65:6 Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,

Isa 65:7 Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the LORD, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.

Isaiah 1:25 mentions that a purging process will take place. I think that the wicked will be purged.

Isa 1:25 And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:

One potential fulfillment of Isaiah 1:25 could be the besiegement of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, which is characterized as a refining process in Ezekiel 22:19-22.

Isa 1:21 Oh how the faithful city has become a harlot! She was full of justice; righteousness lodged in it. But now, murderers!

Isa 1:22 Your silver has become dross; your wine is diluted with water.

…

Isa 1:25 And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:

Eze 22:19 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.

Eze 22:20 As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you.

Eze 22:21 Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof.

Eze 22:22 As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the LORD have poured out my fury upon you.

Another potential fulfillment of Isaiah 1:25 could be during the End Times when a refinement and purging of the people of Israel will take place (Ezekiel 20:38). For instance, Malachi 3:2-4 concerns the refinement of the tribe of Levi:

Mal 3:2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
Mal 3:3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
Mal 3:4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.

Isaiah 1:26 mentions that Jerusalem will afterwards be called “the city of righteousness” and “the faithful city”:

Isa 1:26 And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.

This is a verse that looks like it potentially could have some relevance to the future because it appears Jerusalem will be a city of righteousness when the Lord will reside there.

Zec 8:3 Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain.

Isa 62:1 For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.

Isa 62:2 And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.

Isa 62:3 Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.

Isaiah 1:27 also looks like it could have some relevance to the future with the mention that “Zion shall be redeemed with judgment”. Isaiah 4:4, a verse which is part of a passage that I believe definitely has future relevance, suggests that Jerusalem will have undergone a “spirit of judgment”.

Isa 1:27 Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.

Isa 4:2 In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.

Isa 4:3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:

Isa 4:4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.

The attention shifts to the transgressors and the sinners in verse 28:

Isa 1:28 And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.

Verse 28 may have End Times relevance as Isaiah 66:24, a verse that I believe relates to the future, mentions that the wicked shall be consumed (with fire).

Isa 66:24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

Verse 1:29-31 continues the focus on the transgressors and the sinners. The passage notes that the transgressors and sinners will be ashamed of their creations & they and their creations will both be burned.

Isa 1:29 For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.
Isa 1:30 For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water.
Isa 1:31 And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.

The passage may be related to two other Bible prophecy passages. The similarities between Isaiah 1:29 and these other passages are shown in the following table:

Isa 1:29 For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen. Isa 1:30 For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water. Isa 1:31 And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.	Isa 65:2 I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts; Isa 65:3 A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;
Isa 66:16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many. Isa 66:17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.

I think Isaiah 1:24-31 merits further study as a passage that has potential relevance to the End Times. If Isaiah 1:24-31 sees its ultimate fulfillment during the End Times it may be connected to the siege covered in chapters/passages like Joel 2, Ezekiel 7, Zechariah 12, Zephaniah 1, Isaiah 51:17-23, and perhaps Isaiah 5:26-30.

Revelation 17:5...What’s the “Mystery” About Babylon the Great?

2012-01-23T11:07:00.000-08:00

An important step to finding the identity of Babylon the Great is to have some understanding of what “mystery” means in a biblical context. The word “mystery” is important to account for because the word is found in Revelation 17:5, which is the verse where John described the name of the harlot that he saw:

Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

There is debate about what the importance of the term “mystery” is in Revelation 17:5. Some people believe that the word “mystery” is an important part of the harlot’s title while others believe that the word “mystery” should not be a part of the harlot’s title.

Today I’ll give you an idea of where I currently lean in this debate

The Greek word for “mystery” in Revelation 17:5 is “mustērion”. Easton’s Bible Dictionary defines a “mystery” as “a truth undiscoverable except by revelation, long hid, now made manifest”.[1] Meanwhile, Thayer’s Greek Definitions provides several definitions for the word mystery/mustērion, including the following definition:

1c1b) a hidden purpose or counsel of God: the secret counsels which govern God in dealing with the righteous, which are hidden from ungodly and wicked men but plain to the godly.[2]

The reason I’ve shared these definitions of the word “mustērion” is that these definitions are not usually what I think of when I think of the word “mystery”. I tend to think of a mystery as an enigma that is difficult to solve (i.e. a crime mystery). However, the definitions provided above seem to be closer to how the word “mystery” is used in several New Testament passages.

For example, Christ told His disciples that they have been given the aptitude to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven while others would not understand even though they hear the same words.

Mat 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

Mar 4:10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.

Mar 4:11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

Mar 4:12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

Luk 8:9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?

Luk 8:10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

The idea that mysteries/hidden truths are made known to certain people is also reflected in 1 Corinthians 2:7-10:

1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
1Co 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1Co 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

The idea that mysteries are truths that are revealed to people is also found in the passages displayed in the table below:

Rom 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

Rom 16:26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
Rom 16:27 To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen. Written to the Romans from Corinthus, and sent by Phebe servant of the church at Cenchrea.

Col 1:25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;

Col 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Col 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

Also consider Revelation 1:20. The word “mystery” appears in connection with the seven stars and seven candlesticks in the first half of the verse. In the second half of the verse, Christ revealed the meaning of the seven stars and seven candlesticks.

Rev 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

Thus, a “mystery” can be viewed as a hidden truth that is revealed to those receptive to God’s words.

Another thing to consider when assessing the importance of the word “mystery” in Revelation 17:5 is the fact that the harlot is not referred to as “Mystery Babylon the Great” anywhere else in the Book of Revelation besides Revelation 17:5. In contrast, the terms “Babylon the Great”, “great Babylon”, "Babylon", and “Babylon the great city” are found.

You’d think the word “mystery” would be included in other references to Babylon the Great if the word "mystery" was an important part of the harlot’s title.

Some argue that the appearance of the word “mystery” does not necessarily mean that the harlot’s title can be interpreted symbolically/spiritually as they claim it is unrelated to the Greek word used to denote “spiritually” in Revelation 11:8: pneumatikōs

Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

I am not an expert on the Greek language so I could not tell you definitively whether “mystery” can be viewed symbolically or not. I’ll leave it up to someone who is knowledgeable about the Greek language to make this determination.

Finally, some argue that the word “mystery” (Greek: mustērion) is in apposition to the word “name” (Greek: onoma). Admittedly, I was not familiar with what an apposition is before this study, so I’ll share the following definition of what an apposition is from A Biography of the English Language:

Apposition is a grammatical construction in which two elements, normally noun phrases, are placed side by side, with one element serving to define or modify the other. When this device is used, the two elements are said to be in apposition. For example, in the phrase "my friend Alice", the name "Alice" is in apposition to "my friend".[3]

If the word "mystery" is in apposition to the word "name", it would mean that "mystery" is not a part of Babylon the Great's title.

Once again, I’ll leave it up to someone who is knowledgeable about the Greek language to make this determination. However, it may be difficult to make a determination at all as A.T. Robertson, an expert on the Greek language, was unable to make a determination in his comments concerning the word “mystery” in Revelation 17:5. Robertson wrote: “Mystery (mustērion). Either in apposition with onoma or as part of the inscription on her forehead…” [4]

Given all of this, I currently lean towards the view that the word “mystery” is not an important element of the harlot’s name, but is a word that signifies that information about the harlot will be revealed.

What is the "Mystery" of the Woman?
The angel accompanying John told him that the mystery concerning the beast that carries the woman and the woman will indeed be revealed.

Rev 17:7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

The mystery of the beast that rides the harlot is described in Revelation 17:8-14. Meanwhile, the mystery aspect of Babylon the Great is discussed in Revelation 17:15-18.

Rev 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
Rev 17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
Rev 17:17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
Rev 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

The “mystery” is no longer a mystery after the angel’s words. The woman is revealed to represent a great city that has a very prominent place among nations, multitudes, peoples, and tongues & rules over the kings of the earth.

Final Thoughts
I don’t think that this interpretation of the mystery concerning Babylon the Great automatically means that Babylon, Iraq is the top choice to be “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH”. Babylon the Great City will be the economic center of the world during the End Times; something that Babylon, Iraq is not close to being at this present time.

As you can tell, I’m still studying the topic of who is Babylon the Great City.

If you have any thoughts about this or any other topic feel free to share in the comments section.

References

[1] Easton, M.G. “Mystery”. Easton’s Bible Dictionary. Thomas Nelson: 1897
[2] G3466 Thayer’s Greek Definitions
[3] Millward, C.M. and Mary Hayes. A Biography of the English Language. Boston: Wadsworth Publishing, 2012. Pg. 118
[4] Robertson, A.G. Robertson’s Word Pictures of the New Testament. Broadman Press. Revelation 17:5

Examining Isaiah 5:26-30 for Potential End Times Relevance

2012-01-20T10:32:00.000-08:00

Isaiah 5 is a chapter that many assume has been completely fulfilled. Consequently, you don’t see many articles connecting Isaiah 5 with the End Times. I’ve been examining Isaiah 5 in search of any verses that may have relevance to the End Times recently. After examining the chapter for the past couple of days I think Isaiah 5:26-30 potentially may have End Times implications.

Today I’ll share why I see potential in Isaiah 5:26-30 to have End Times implications.

I currently view the first 24 verses of Isaiah 5 as mainly relevant to the past and related to the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah (both are mentioned in verse 5:7). I think Isaiah 5:25 relates to a past judgment of the people of Israel, but is particularly noteworthy here because the verse mentions that the Lord’s (His) “hand is stretched out still”.

Isa 5:25 Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

The phrase “His hand is stretched out still” is noteworthy because it means that there is an additional judgment beyond the one mentioned in verse 25 ordained. Isaiah 5:26-30 highlights this additional judgment:

Isa 5:26 And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:
Isa 5:27 None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:
Isa 5:28 Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses' hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:
Isa 5:29 Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.
Isa 5:30 And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.

One possible fulfillment of Isaiah 5:26-30 is the attack by the Babylonians and their allies. A fulfillment of Isaiah 5:26-30 by the hand of the Babylonians and their allies is a possibility since Babylon appears to have been “far” enough away to be described as “far” in the Bible. For example, Hezekiah lumps Babylon together with a “far country” in Isaiah 39:3.

Isa 39:2 And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.
Isa 39:3 Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon.

Another possible fulfillment of Isaiah 5:26-30 is the attack by the Romans and their allies. Deuteronomy 28:48-68 mentions a nation that will come “from the end of the earth” to attack the people of Israel. Bible commentators like Albert Barnes and John Gill believe this refers to the Romans. Here are some verses from the passage:

Deu 28:48 Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
Deu 28:49 The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;
Deu 28:50 A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:
Deu 28:51 And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.
Deu 28:52 And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.
Deu 28:53 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:

…

Deu 28:63 And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.
Deu 28:64 And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.

I’ve read Bible commentators who concluded that the judgment of Isaiah 5:26-30 was fulfilled by the Babylonians or by the Romans. However, I would not rule out the possibility that Isaiah 5:26-30 sees its ultimate fulfillment during the End Times.

One reason why I would not rule out the possibility that Isaiah 5:26-30 sees its ultimate fulfillment during the End Times is that the passage mirrors Joel 2:3-10, which is definitely a passage which will see its fulfillment in the End Times (the Day of the Lord is mentioned in Joel 2:1).

The parallels between the passages are highlighted in the table below.

Isa 5:26 And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:

Isa 5:27 None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:

Isa 5:28 Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses' hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:

Isa 5:29 Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.

Isa 5:30 And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.

Joe 2:3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.

Joe 2:4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.

Joe 2:5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.

Joe 2:6 Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.

Joe 2:7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:

Joe 2:8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.

Joe 2:9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.

Joe 2:10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:

Another reason why I would not rule out the possibility that Isaiah 5:26-30 sees its ultimate fulfillment during the End Times is that verse 5:30 includes the words “in that day”, which is a phrase that often alludes to the Day of the Lord.

Isa 5:30 And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.

A third reason why I would not rule out the possibility that Isaiah 5:26-30 sees its ultimate fulfillment during the End Times is that Isaiah 5:26-30’s details about the attackers brought by the Lord are similar to the details concerning the Lord’s army in Isaiah 13. Isaiah 13 mentions an army brought by the Lord, which He too lifts up a banner (the Hebrew for "banner" in Isaiah 13:2 is the same word used to denote “ensign” in Isaiah 5:26), He too summons, and brings from the end of heaven.

The parallels between Isaiah 5:26-30 and Isaiah 13 are highlighted in the table below.

Isa 5:26 And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:

Isa 13:1 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.

Isa 13:2 Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.

Isa 13:3 I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.

Isa 13:4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.

Isa 13:5 They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.

Isa 13:6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.

The difference between the two passages is that the attackers in Isaiah 5:26-30 are attacking the land of Israel while the army in Isaiah 13 is attacking Babylon. However, I would not yet rule out the possibility that the army in Isaiah 13 and the attackers in Isaiah 5:26-30 represent the same military force.

An idea I’m currently considering is the possibility that the Lord will utilize an army to attack multiple locations during the End Times. The land of Israel and Babylon would be two potential places that this military force could attack. For more on this idea, you can access the following article: Link

If Isaiah 5:26-30 sees its ultimate fulfillment during the End Times, it may relate to a siege described in Ezekiel 7 and Zechariah 12:2. For more on Ezekiel 7 and Zechariah 12:2, you can access the following article: Link

If you have any thoughts about this or any other topic feel free to share in the comments section.

Insightful Video on the Current Situation Concerning the U.S. and Iran

2012-01-18T10:08:00.000-08:00

Iran has been in the news a lot already in 2012. As you probably know, Iran recently completed 10 days of naval drills and weapons testing nearby the Strait of Hormuz. In addition, Iran recently started up uranium enrichment at an underground facility nearby the city of Qom. Meanwhile, the U.S. is trying to ratchet up pressure on Iran by pressing several countries to agree to sanctions against Iranian oil.

In light of recent events, I thought it would be a good idea to share a video provided by Stratfor on the situation between the U.S. and Iran. I think the analysis provided by Stratfor in this video is quite insightful.

The commentators in the video talk about recent events concerning Iran, including Iran’s growing influence in the Mideast, Iran's recent naval exercises, and the growing U.S. naval presence in the Middle East. The commentators also briefly discuss what it might take to actually affect the Iranian regime, which sounds a lot like war to me.

The part of the video that stands out to me the most is near the end where George Friedman, the head of Stratfor, said that “we are entering the heart of the crisis” between Iran and the U.S. over the balance of power in the Middle East. Friedman’s comment stands out to me because the same thought has crossed my mind recently when I’ve reflected on how much tensions between Iran and the West have escalated in recent weeks.

The video is posted below (if you cannot see the video below you can find it at the following link).

My Thoughts on Ezekiel 32:17-32: The Demise of Pharaoh

2012-01-16T11:36:00.000-08:00

Ezekiel 32:17-32 is an interesting passage because it mentions some of the nations that are expected to have a role during the End Times. For instance, Ezekiel 32:26-28 references Meshech and Tubal, who are mentioned in Ezekiel 38 and Ezekiel 39.

Eze 32:26 There is Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, though they caused their terror in the land of the living.
Eze 32:27 And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.
Eze 32:28 Yea, thou shalt be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and shalt lie with them that are slain with the sword.

Ezekiel 32:17-32 is not often discussed by Bible prophecy commentators, and because of this I feel the need to address it. Today I provide my thoughts on this interesting passage.

Ezekiel is instructed to wail for Egypt because Egypt and its military have fallen to the sword:

Eze 32:17 It came to pass also in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 32:18 Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her, and the daughters of the famous nations, unto the nether parts of the earth, with them that go down into the pit.
Eze 32:19 Whom dost thou pass in beauty? go down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised.
Eze 32:20 They shall fall in the midst of them that are slain by the sword: she is delivered to the sword: draw her and all her multitudes.

Verse 21 focuses on “him”, who shall be greeted when he enters hell (Hebrew “Sheol”) by an array of nations, leaders, and warriors [possibly giants depending how you interpret “mighty” (Hebrew: gibbor) in verse 21]. The “him” referenced in verse 21 is revealed to be Pharaoh in Ezekiel 32:31.

Eze 32:21 The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword.

Eze 32:31 Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army slain by the sword, saith the Lord GOD.

Eze 32:32 For I have caused my terror in the land of the living: and he shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that are slain with the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD.

Many of those mentioned by Ezekiel share a commonality: they caused terror in the land of the living, which is a term meaning the living world. The following nations, leaders, and warriors will greet Pharaoh upon his arrival:

Assyria

Eze 32:22 Asshur is there and all her company: his graves are about him: all of them slain, fallen by the sword:
Eze 32:23 Whose graves are set in the sides of the pit, and her company is round about her grave: all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which caused terror in the land of the living.

Elam

Eze 32:24 There is Elam and all her multitude round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, which caused their terror in the land of the living; yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit.
Eze 32:25 They have set her a bed in the midst of the slain with all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword: though their terror was caused in the land of the living, yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit: he is put in the midst of them that be slain.

Meshech & Tubal

Eze 32:26 There is Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, though they caused their terror in the land of the living.
Eze 32:27 And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.
Eze 32:28 Yea, thou shalt be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and shalt lie with them that are slain with the sword.

Edom

Eze 32:29 There is Edom, her kings, and all her princes, which with their might are laid by them that were slain by the sword: they shall lie with the uncircumcised, and with them that go down to the pit.

Princes of the North & the Zidonians

Eze 32:30 There be the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Zidonians, which are gone down with the slain; with their terror they are ashamed of their might; and they lie uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that go down to the pit.

Fulfillment When?
Although Ezekiel 32:17 onwards mentions nations like Meshech and Tubal, I presently think the passage’s fulfillment is in the past. The main reason I presently think Ezekiel 32:17 onwards has been fulfilled is that the passage suggests that the demise of Pharaoh will come after the demise of the nations listed.

Recall that the nations will greet Pharaoh when he arrives in Sheol, including Meshech and Tubal.

I do not see Egypt surviving longer than nations like Meshech and Tubal during the End Times because Egypt will be one of the primary targets of the Antichrist, who will devastate the country:

Dan 11:42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
Dan 11:43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.

Another reason why I presently think Ezekiel 32:17-32 has been fulfilled is the context surrounding the prophecy. Ezekiel chapter 29 through chapter 32 focuses on the downfall of Pharaoh: from promise to bring down Pharaoh to Pharaoh’s demise.

Ezekiel 29:19-20 contains God’s promise that He will give Nebuchadnezzar the land of Egypt.

Ezekiel 30:10-26 predicts the defeat of Pharaoh and his forces by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

Ezekiel 31 compares the fall of Pharaoh to the fall of the Assyrian.

Ezekiel 32 describes the fall of Pharaoh, Egypt, and the Pharaoh’s arrival in Sheol.

I presently view Ezekiel 32:17-32 as the ending portion of a narrative describing the fall of Pharaoh by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. I presently think this viewpoint makes more sense than to view the passage as something pertaining to the future because this viewpoint fits the context surrounding the prophecy.

A third reason why I presently think Ezekiel 32:17-32 has been fulfilled is that Ezekiel 32:18-19 asks Egypt: “Whom dost thou pass in beauty”?

Eze 32:18 Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her, and the daughters of the famous nations, unto the nether parts of the earth, with them that go down into the pit.
Eze 32:19 Whom dost thou pass in beauty? go down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised.

The question implies that Egypt was a glorious country prior to its downfall.

I do not presently see Egypt being a glorious country prior to its fall during the End Times. However, Ezekiel 31 compares Pharaoh to the Assyrian at the height of his power, so we can deduce that Pharaoh's Egypt was a glorious country prior to its downfall to Nebuchadnezzar.

Another Thing to Consider
I don’t think at this present time that the description of the nations in Sheol necessarily means that the prophecy has to take place following an End Times slaughter of nations. The reason is that there is an instance in Jeremiah 49 where the Lord discussed how He’d defeat a nation that would be in a position to greet Pharaoh upon his arrival in Sheol and then how He'd restore that nation at a future time period. More specifically, the Lord mentioned in Jeremiah 49:39 that He will “bring again the captivity” of Elam in the “latter days” after discussing how He would defeat Elam in Jeremiah 49:35-38:

Jer 49:35 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might.
Jer 49:36 And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.
Jer 49:37 For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger, saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:
Jer 49:38 And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the LORD.
Jer 49:39 But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD.

The case of Edom opens up the possibility that some of the nations that greeted Pharaoh could recover after their defeat by Nebuchadnezzar.

These are my current thoughts on Ezekiel 32:17-32. The passage is not an easy one to analyze because there are no definitive details that you can use to precisely pinpoint the fulfillment of the passage.

My viewpoint on Ezekiel 32:17-32 is formed on the assumption that Egypt will fall before Meshech and Tubal during the End Times, the assumption that Egypt will not be a glorious country during the End Times, and on the belief that Ezekiel 29 to Ezekiel 32 is a narrative about the fall of Pharaoh.

Feel free to comment if you think my viewpoint on Ezekiel 32:17-32 is incorrect and/or if you think the prophecy will be fulfilled in the future.

My Thoughts on Tyre as a Possible Babylon the Great City Candidate

2012-01-13T12:04:00.000-08:00

I've shared with you my thoughts on whether New York City, Jerusalem, and Babylon, Iraq are potential candidates to be Babylon the Great City mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Today I share my thoughts on the potential for Tyre to be Babylon the Great City mentioned in the Book of Revelation.

I’ll explain why I’ve written an article about Tyre before I begin.

I’ve seen Tyre as a potential candidate to be Babylon the Great during these past several years. In fact, I strongly considered Tyre as a candidate to be Babylon the Great a few years ago after I read Ezekiel’s chapters concerning Tyre.

Another reason why I’ve written an article about Tyre is that some people like Frank Caw considered Tyre to be a strong candidate to be Babylon the Great City.

The Debate about the Prophecies Concerning Tyre
There is debate about whether the prophecies concerning Tyre have been fulfilled yet. Many believe the prophecies have been fulfilled while others think some prophecies remain unfulfilled.

While examining some information in preparation for this article, I encountered two articles that make a compelling case that Ezekiel’s prophecies concerning Tyre may have been fulfilled despite there being a city named Tyre in Lebanon today. One of the articles cites an 12th century traveler known as Benjamin of Tudela, who recorded what he saw when he visited Tyre. Benjamin of Tudela wrote:

From Sidon it is half a day’s journey to Sarepta (Sarfend), which belongs to Sidon. Thence it is a half-day to New Tyre (Sur), which is a very fine city, with a harbour in its midst.... There is no harbour like this in the whole world. Tyre is a beautiful city.... In the vicinity is found sugar of a high class, for men plant it here, and people come from all lands to buy it. A man can ascend the walls of New Tyre and see ancient Tyre, which the sea has now covered, lying at a stone’s throw from the new city. And should one care to go forth by boat, one can see the castles, market-places, streets, and palaces in the bed of the sea.

A common argument found in both articles I read is that the modern day city of Tyre is not located at the same site as ancient Tyre. The articles I read can be found at the following links in case you are interested in reading them:

I won’t dispute the belief that Ezekiel’s prophecies concerning ancient Tyre have been fulfilled. However, I would not completely dismiss the possibility that there may be some prophecies concerning an End Times Tyre that remain to be fulfilled for the following reasons:

Isaiah 23:9 is part of a chapter that focuses a lot on a devastating attack of Tyre. Verse 9 of the chapter suggests that the attack on Tyre is part of an effort to “stain the pride of all the glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth”. This detail is significant because it is a characteristic describing the Day of the Lord.

The following table includes references to the Lord bringing down the pride of people, including two verses (Isaiah 2:11 and Isaiah 13:11) that definitely relate to the Day of the Lord.

Isa 23:9 The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.	Isa 10:33 Behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled.
Isa 2:11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.	Isa 13:11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

Another reason why I would not completely dismiss the possibility that there may be some prophecies concerning an End Times Tyre is that Tyre’s name appears in Joel 3:4, which is part of a chapter that many people view as relevant to the End Times.

Joe 3:1 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
Joe 3:2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
Joe 3:3 And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.
Joe 3:4 Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head;

A third reason why I would not completely dismiss the possibility that there may be some prophecies concerning an End Times Tyre is that the “inhabitants of Tyre" are mention in Psalm 83, which is a chapter that many people believe is very relevant to the End Times

Psa 83:5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
Psa 83:6 The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
Psa 83:7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;

Finally, "the kings of Tyrus" are mentioned in Jeremiah 25:15-38, a passage which I believe is relevant to the End Times.

Jer 25:15 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.
Jer 25:16 And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.
Jer 25:17 Then took I the cup at the LORD'S hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me:

…

Jer 25:22 And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea,

This article is written for those who think that there are some prophecies relating to an End Times Tyre. If you believe that every prophecy concerning Tyre has been fulfilled, then just skim over the rest of this article since you probably will have already ruled out Tyre as a Babylon the Great City candidate.

Proponents of Tyre = Babylon the Great City view some of the verses concerning Tyre in the Book of Ezekiel as having relevance to a future Tyre. Although I won’t dispute the belief that Ezekiel's prophecies concerning ancient Tyre have been fulfilled, I will cite verses from the Book of Ezekiel to critique the argument of those who argue that Tyre = Babylon the Great City.

Pros
The Renowned City/The Crowning City
One reason that one might think that Tyre could be Babylon the Great City is that the two are described similarly. Babylon the Great is given the title: the “great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth” in Revelation 17:18. Meanwhile, Tyre is described in Ezekiel 26:17 as the “renowned city”.

Eze 26:17 And they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and say to thee, How art thou destroyed, that wast inhabited of seafaring men, the renowned city, which wast strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, which cause their terror to be on all that haunt it!

Similarly, Isaiah 23:8 refers to Tyre as the "crowning city".

Isa 23:8 Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth?

Enriches the Kings of the Earth:
Another reason why one might think that Tyre = Babylon the Great City is that Tyre is described as a city that "enriched the kings of the earth", which is a characteristic of Babylon the Great City.

The following table illustrates the strong parallel between Tyre and Babylon the Great City with respect to this detail and illustrates the parallel between the sadness people feel following the destruction of Tyre & the sadness people feel following the destruction of Babylon the Great City.

Rev 18:9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

…

Rev 18:18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

Rev 18:19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

Eze 27:30 And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes:

Eze 27:31 And they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart and bitter wailing.

Eze 27:32 And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, saying, What city is like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea?

Eze 27:33 When thy wares went forth out of the seas, thou filledst many people; thou didst enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandise.

Downfall
A third reason why one might think that Tyre = Babylon the Great City is that the description of each city’s downfall is similar. The similarities are highlighted in the following table:

Eze 26:19 For thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall make thee a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep upon thee, and great waters shall cover thee;

Eze 26:20 When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the living;

Eze 26:21 I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord GOD.

Rev 18:21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

Rev 18:22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;

Other Items to Consider
Tyre and Babylon the Great City are both described as centers of commerce (compare Ezekiel 27 and Revelation 18) and both view themselves in a high regard.

Eze 27:3 And say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which art a merchant of the people for many isles, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty.

Rev 18:7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

Cons
No Calls to Flee from Tyre
The Lord urges His people to flee from Babylon the Great City just prior to its destruction.

Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

The call to flee is noteworthy because Jeremiah 50, which some people believe relates to End Times Babylon, includes a call to flee from Babylon

Jer 50:8 Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks.
Jer 50:9 For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain.

The call to flee is also noteworthy because the Lord does not tell His people to flee from Tyre in the passages concerning Tyre.

The lack of a call to flee from Tyre could be cited as evidence that Tyre does not = Babylon the Great City.

A Difference in the Amount of Mourning
The destruction of Babylon the Great City will be followed by a period of mourning by the kings of the earth, the merchants of the earth, and the sailors who profited from the city's commerce.

Rev 18:9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

…

Rev 18:11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

…

Rev 18:17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,

In contrast, the destruction of Tyre will be followed by a period of mourning by the princes/kings of the isles, the inhabitants of the isles, and the sea merchants who profited from Tyre’s commerce.

Eze 26:16 Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay away their robes, and put off their broidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble at every moment, and be astonished at thee.

Eze 26:17 And they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and say to thee, How art thou destroyed, that wast inhabited of seafaring men, the renowned city, which wast strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, which cause their terror to be on all that haunt it!

Eze 27:26 Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas.

Eze 27:28 The suburbs shall shake at the sound of the cry of thy pilots.

Eze 27:29 And all that handle the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their ships, they shall stand upon the land;

Eze 27:30 And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes:

…

Eze 27:35 All the inhabitants of the isles shall be astonished at thee, and their kings shall be sore afraid, they shall be troubled in their countenance.

The difference is that the mourning of Tyre is confined to the region around Tyre (the isles) instead of entire world like the mourning of Babylon the Great City will be.

Tyre: A Millennium Trading Center?
Revelation 18 mentions that Babylon the Great City will be “found no more at all” after it is destroyed.

Rev 18:21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

Meanwhile, Isaiah 23:15-18 mentions that Tyre shall return to prominence after seventy years and that its merchandise will be “for them that dwell before the LORD”.

Isa 23:15 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.
Isa 23:16 Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
Isa 23:17 And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.
Isa 23:18 And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the LORD: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the LORD, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing.

Proponents of Tyre = Babylon the Great City will have to address the fulfillment of this passage: whether it was fulfilled in the past or will it be fulfilled in the future, and if in the future, how can it be reconciled with Revelation 18:21?

I think there is a possibility that Isaiah 23:15-18 may describe the nature of Tyre during the Millennium. Psalms 45 is a chapter that concerns the Millennium, and mentions “the daughter of Tyre” presenting the Lord a gift in verse 12.

Psa 45:6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.
Psa 45:7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Psa 45:8 All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.
Psa 45:9 Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.
Psa 45:10 Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house;
Psa 45:11 So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.
Psa 45:12 And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour.

A final issue to consider is whether Tyre will ever experience the rapid buildup that is necessary to make it a global economic center. Right now Tyre is a tourist destination, but it’s not a place that you would think of as a major global economic center.

Conclusion Based on the Pros and Cons
Although the close parallel between Tyre’s ability to enrich people and Babylon the Great City’s ability to enrich people as centers of commerce are noteworthy, I do not view Tyre as premiere candidate to be Babylon the Great City because the entire world will not mourn following the destruction of Tyre and the Lord does not call for His people to flee from Tyre just prior to its destruction like He calls His people to flee from Babylon the Great City.

Of course, the speculation is moot if Ezekiel’s prophecies concerning ancient Tyre are fulfilled because the Tyre = Babylon the Great City argument depends a lot Ezekiel 26 and Ezekiel 27 having some future application. Once again, I won’t dispute the belief that Ezekiel’s prophecies concerning ancient Tyre have been fulfilled.

Regardless of whether all the prophecies concerning Tyre are fulfilled or not, the prophecies concerning Tyre may shed light on the sheer wealth that Babylon the Great City (wherever it may be) will possess and on the type of role that Babylon the Great City will play in the future economic system of the world.

Joel Osteen’s “I AM…” Teaching Seems to Parallel a New Age Spiritual Practice

2012-01-11T13:00:00.000-08:00

This past weekend the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) had a one hour special interview with Joel Osteen, the leader of the largest mega-church in the United States, Lakewood Church. I thought about sharing my thoughts and impressions about the Osteen interview this week, but I thought it would be useful to first watch a recent Lakewood Church service.

Last night I watched one of Osteen’s recent services on one of the religious television channels. I found out while watching that Osteen is promoting a new audio devotional called “I AM…” The broadcast showed Osteen and his wife provide a brief explanation of what the audio devotional was about. The brief explanation of “I AM…” provided by the Osteens set off alarm bells with me because it seemed reminiscent of a spiritual practice connected with the New Age Movement called “I AM Presence” or “I AM Activity”.

I assume that most people have not heard of the I AM Presence Movement. For those unaware, David Barrett, author of Sects, 'Cults', and Alternative Religions: A World Survey and Sourcebook, describes the movement’s teachings in the following passage:

The movement teaches that the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent creator God ('I AM' – Exodus 3:14) is in all of us as a spark from the Divine Flame, and that we can experience this presence, love, power and light – the power of the Violet Consuming Flame of Divine Love – through quiet contemplation and by repeating 'affirmations' and 'decrees'. By 'affirming' something one desires, one can cause it to happen.[1]

Ron Rhodes, the author of Find it Quick Handbook on Cults and New Religions, also describes one of the main tenets of the I AM Presence Movement in the following passage:

The "I AM Presence" is said to be in each person and represents a point of contact with divine reality. The I AM Presence is “the Christ”. One can attune to the I AM Presence (or “the Christ”) by chanting I AM decrees. Such chanting reportedly brings about dramatic results in the life of the one chanting.[2]

As Barrett mentioned, the words that followers chant are known as “decrees”. The following video features a I AM Presence teacher explaining the role of decrees:

Note, the speaker mentions a “Saint Germain”. “Saint Germain” is the name of an Ascended Master, a spiritual being referred to as the “spiritual wickedness in high places” in Ephesians 6:12, who purportedly was connected to the founders of the movement (Guy and Edna Ballard).

This video contains a lot of unbiblical content, so feel free to skip the video if you want to spare your eyes and ears from seeing/listening to it.

I found a list of decrees for followers of the I AM Presence Movement to chant. The main theme of the list concerns opulence and supply. Before the list of decrees begins there is a message from Guy and Edna Ballard and their son (Donald). In one part of the message, the Ballards urged followers to call “for an ocean of supply of all good things-including money, to flood you and your world and all who are constructive forever!”[3] Here are a couple of the decrees listed that followers can chant (note, these are some of the least blasphemous ones that I could find):

“I AM” the visible opulence I desire”.

“I AM” the Active Presence, bringing this money into my hand and use instantly”.

I searched for more information concerning Osteen’s new audio devotional after hearing about it. I found that Osteen recently gave a talk about his “I AM…” teaching in a video called “The Power of I AM” (yes the "AM" portion is capitalized in the official title of the talk). The video of Osteen’s talk is shown below (if you cannot see the video below, it can be accessed at the following link).

Note: Out of fairness to Osteen, I will not capitalize “am” when quoting him because I’m unsure whether he intended the “am” portion to be capitalized or not. The title of Osteen’s audio devotional and the title of his video suggests that “AM” was intended to be capitalized, but I do not know for sure whether that was a decision by him or his staff to capitalize it.

According to Osteen in the video, “The I ams that are coming out of your month will bring either success or failure” and “what follows the ‘I am’ will always come looking for you”. Here are six of the examples (three negative and three positive) that Osteen gave to explain what he means:

“I am so clumsy, clumsiness comes looking for you”

“I am so old, wrinkles come looking for you”

“I am so overweight, calories come looking for you”

“I am blessed, blessings come looking for you”

“I am talented, talent comes looking for you”.

“I am healthy, health starts heading your way”

Osteen promises that “when you have the right ‘I ams’ you are inviting the goodness of God. Some of you, if you would just change the ‘I am’-you would go to a new level. Words have creative power. With your words you can bless your future or you can curse your future” Osteen provided several other examples of things people can say including:

“I am anointed”

“I am wise”

“I am a masterpiece”

Osteen gave his followers a suggestion of how to put his I AM… teaching into daily practice:

“It would do us all good to make a list-a dozen or two-of these ‘I ams’. Read over them all through the day. Get them down in your spirit. Meditate on them. They may not all be true right now, but you have to call the things that are not as if they already were. ‘I am blessed’. ‘I am prosperous’. ‘I am free’. ‘I am talented’. ‘I am young’. ‘I am beautiful’. ‘I am attractive’. Remember, what follows the ‘I am’ is going to come looking for you. If you’ll invite the right things into your life, the Creator of the Universe will breathe in your direction”.

Osteen attempts to frame his I AM… teaching around God and tries to cite a few biblical accounts to give his audience the impression that the teaching possesses some degree of scriptural backing.[4] I’ll let you decide whether you buy into Osteen’s teaching or not…

I just can’t help but notice how Osteen urges people to say “I am…(insert whatever word(s) a person chooses)” to get what they want and how the Ballards urged people to say certain I AM decrees to bring about a flood of supply and money. There seems to be parallel between the two ideas to me…

As an aside, Osteen mentions at 8:16 in the video: “When you say. ‘I am beautiful’ not only does beauty, youth, freshness, starts coming your way, but on the inside, your spirit-person comes alive”. I’m not sure what Osteen means by “spirit-person”, but I thought it was worth mentioning...

I anticipate that some loyal followers of Osteen will read this article and will become enraged to the point where they may attack me in defense of Osteen. Let me say before anyone attacks me that I do not have an ax to grind with Osteen. In addition,

I’m not jealous of Osteen’s popularity or his success.

I’m not accusing Osteen or his wife of being followers of the I AM Presence Movement or insinuating that they are (only God knows what the Osteens truly believe).

I understand that the Osteens have helped a lot of people who had tough times in their life, but that should not exonerate them or anyone from being critiqued.

I cannot stop anyone from following or not following anyone, including Osteen, so people are free to continue following Osteen if they desire to.

The intent of this article was to voice an observation about Osteen’s I AM… teaching. Perhaps I’m overreacting to the new audio devotional that the Osteens are promoting. I just think I need to say something because it seems to be some degree of parallel between Osteen’s I AM… teaching and one of the main tenets of the I AM Presence Movement, that is, saying “I AM” followed by some word or phrase will bring you what you say.

Note & References

[1] Barrett, David. Sects, 'Cults', and Alternative Religions: A World Survey and Sourcebook. London: Blandford, 1996.
[2] Rhodes, Ron. Find it Quick Handbook on Cults and New Religions. Eugene: Harvest House Publishers, 2005. Pg. 95
[3] “I AM Decrees” For Ascended Master Supply of All Good Things-Including Money”. 24 Apr. 2010. Last Accessed 11 Jan. 2012. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/35704129/%E2%80%9CI-AM%E2%80%9D-DECREES
[4] Osteen mentions at one point that scripture says “Let the weak say 'I am strong'”. Osteen appears to be referencing the Joel 3:10, which is part of a passage that says

Joe 3:9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
Joe 3:10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
Joe 3:11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.

I think this is a case of Osteen completely misquoting scripture. The “let the weak say they are strong” in Joel 3:10 is a reference to the arrogance of the Gentiles who gather for battle instead of a call for everyone who is feeling down to say that they are strong.

An Update on the Efforts to Preserve and Rebuild Babylon & Petra

2012-01-09T09:35:00.000-08:00

I was recently asked if I had any updates on the rebuilding of Babylon, Iraq. For newer readers, I wrote an article several months ago detailing the ongoing efforts to preserve and rebuild Babylon at the following link:

http://prophecyproof.blogspot.com/2011/06/detailing-ongoing-efforts-to-preserve.html

I have a couple of recent news items concerning the preservation and restoration of Babylon that I’ll share today in case there is anyone else that is interested with what is going in Babylon. I’ll also share some information that I have on the U.S. government’s funding of preservation and restoration efforts in Petra, Jordan.

The first item is a video by the World Monument Fund. The organization discusses their recent activities preserving Babylon for the future:

Here is a link to the video if you cannot see it below: Link

The second item is an article by Construction Week Online from October 2011 about how the local government set aside $8.5 million to improve the infrastructure surrounding Babylon. The article quotes Mohammed Massoudi, the governor of Babil province, who explained what the funds will specifically be used for:

"The amount will cover the restoration work in some recreational aesthetic places, potable water systems, electricity networks and building of recreational facilities on the banks of the Euphrates River, passing through the historical city".

This update on the effort to preserve and rebuild Babylon does not contain earth-shattering information. That should be expected at this point because more work needs to be done to preserve the site and Iraq does not yet have a lot of money to focus on a rapid buildup of the area.

Petra
As an aside, I wonder how many people know that the U.S. State Department has recently contributed money towards the preservation and restoration of Petra in Jordan.

In 2010, the U.S. awarded $83,700 "to rebuild the ancient Nabatean dam in the Wadi al-Jarra area of Petra"
In September 2011, the U.S. awarded $600,000 “to stabilize, repair and increase accessibility to the Temple of the Winged Lions in Petra”.

The work to preserve and restore Petra may have some importance in the future as Petra is a place where some think the people of Israel will seek refuge from the Antichrist during the End Times. The main passage cited by proponents of this idea is Isaiah 16:1-4 where “Sela” in verse 16:1 is equated with Petra:

Isa 16:1 Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land from Sela to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion.
Isa 16:2 For it shall be, that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon.
Isa 16:3 Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth.
Isa 16:4 Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land.

I hope people found today’s article informative.

Revisiting My Idea on Moab, Ammon, and Edom

2012-01-06T09:24:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article mentioning that I was thinking of the possibility that Moab, Edom, and Ammon, which comprise modern day Jordan, could be attacked during the End Times by a Gentile military force unaffiliated with the Antichrist. After spending a significant amount of time contemplating this possibility, I share my thoughts on how I view this possibility now.

Moab
At this time I do not think that Moab will be subject to an attack by a Gentile force in the future. Although Bible commentators generally view the fulfillment of Isaiah 16 during the time of the Assyrians, they note a parallel between Isaiah 16 and Jeremiah 48.[1] The following table shows one important example where Isaiah 16 and Jeremiah 48 parallel:

Isa 16:8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea.

Jer 48:8 And the spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape: the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD hath spoken.

…

Jer 48:32 O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping of Jazer: thy plants are gone over the sea, they reach even to the sea of Jazer: the spoiler is fallen upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage.

Jer 48:33 And joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab; and I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses: none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall be no shouting.

The parallel between these two chapters does not necessarily mean that they describe the same event, but it can mean that each event can happen in a similar manner. The importance of this will be seen next:

Jeremiah 48
Jeremiah 48 was one of the chapters I was examining to see whether Moab could be attacked by a Gentile military force during the End Times. After spending a lot of time reviewing the chapter, I currently think the chapter has already been fulfilled.

The first reason why I think Jeremiah 48 has been fulfilled is that the parallel between Isaiah 16:8 and Jeremiah 48:8, 32-33 suggests that the spoiler mentioned in verse 48:32 and elsewhere in the chapter (like verse 48:8, 48:15, and 48:20) is likely a Gentile force.

Jer 48:8 And the spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape: the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD hath spoken.

…

In contrast, the remnant people of Israel are the ones who are supposed to spoil Moab in the future according to Isaiah 11:14 and Zephaniah 2:9.

Isa 11:14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.

Zep 2:9 Therefore as I live, saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them.

The second reason why I think Jeremiah 48 applies to the past instead of the future is that the attackers will put a halt to those in Moab who worship gods. This suggests past fulfillment instead of future fulfillment since the main religious system during the End Times will be centered on Antichrist worship instead of polytheism.

Jer 48:35 Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, saith the LORD, him that offereth in the high places, and him that burneth incense to his gods.
Jer 48:36 Therefore mine heart shall sound for Moab like pipes, and mine heart shall sound like pipes for the men of Kirheres: because the riches that he hath gotten are perished.

The Attack of Ammon in Jeremiah 49:
I think the passage concerning Ammon in Jeremiah 49 (Jeremiah 49:1-6) likely has End Times implications, but I do not think at this time that the attacker mentioned is a Gentile force. The main reason is Jeremiah 49:2. The verse mentions that Israel will “be heir unto them that were his heirs”; suggesting that Israel may be the attacker.

Jer 49:1 Concerning the Ammonites, thus saith the LORD; Hath Israel no sons? hath he no heir? why then doth their king inherit Gad, and his people dwell in his cities?
Jer 49:2 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs, saith the LORD.
Jer 49:3 Howl, O Heshbon, for Ai is spoiled: cry, ye daughters of Rabbah, gird you with sackcloth; lament, and run to and fro by the hedges; for their king shall go into captivity, and his priests and his princes together.
Jer 49:4 Wherefore gloriest thou in the valleys, thy flowing valley, O backsliding daughter? that trusted in her treasures, saying, Who shall come unto me?
Jer 49:5 Behold, I will bring a fear upon thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts, from all those that be about thee; and ye shall be driven out every man right forth; and none shall gather up him that wandereth.
Jer 49:6 And afterward I will bring again the captivity of the children of Ammon, saith the LORD.

Jeremiah 49:2 was unlikely fulfilled during the days of Nebuchadnezzar because the people of Israel were subjected to the Babylonian captivity. In addition, the detail that Israel would be heir to those who were his heirs appears in several End Times Bible prophecy passages, which are displayed in the table below:

Jer 49:2 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs, saith the LORD.	Isa 11:14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.	Amo 9:11 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: Amo 9:12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.
Eze 39:10 So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD.	Zep 2:9 Therefore as I live, saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them. Zep 2:10 This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the LORD of hosts.	Isa 14:1 For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. Isa 14:2 And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

Therefore, I think the remnant of Israel is Ammon’s attacker in Jeremiah 49:1-6 instead of a Gentile force.

Edom: Might Be Attacked Twice In the Future?
I still do not rule out that the possibility that Edom will be attacked by a Gentile force due to the:

The close parallel between the sections concerning Edom in Jeremiah 49 and Obadiah 1:1-8, which both mention a heathen attack on Edom.
The close parallel between Jeremiah 49:12 and Jeremiah 25:28, which is part of a passage (Jeremiah 25:15-38) that mentions Edom as a recipient of punishment and is a passage that I believe is very relevant to the End Times.
The parallel between Jeremiah 49:13, 17-18 and Isaiah 34 with regards to the destruction of Bozrah.

If you want to read more about these three points, please refer to the article I wrote at the following link

Israel Will Attack Edom
Regardless of whether Edom gets attacked by a Gentile force or not during the End Times, I believe that Edom will be attacked by the remnant of Israel someday. Numbers 24:16-20, Ezekiel 25:14, and Obadiah 1:18 tell us that the people of Israel will participate in a judgment of the remnant of Edom.

Num 24:16 He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:

Num 24:17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

Num 24:18 And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly.

Num 24:19 Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.

Num 24:20 And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever.

Eze 25:12 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them;

Eze 25:13 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword.

Eze 25:14 And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord GOD.

Oba 1:18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it.

I’ll have more on this topic when I publish the series of articles on Ezekiel 38 and Ezekiel 39 that I'm still working on. The reason why I’ve been thinking about this topic is that I am evaluating the possibility for a major End Times war where the Antichrist is opposed by a Gentile military force. The idea I was contemplating was for the Gentile military force to attack Moab, Edom, and Ammon on their way to attack the Antichrist.

If you have any thoughts about this or any other topic feel free to share in the comments section.

Note

[1] Isaiah 15, Isaiah 16, and Jeremiah 48 parallel each other closely. However, I view Isaiah 16:1-4 as having End Times application as a message to Moab to allow some Israelites to seek refuge from the Antichrist.

My 2012 Forecast

2012-01-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

At the start of last year I provided my thoughts on what events and trends I thought we could see in 2011. Today I share my thoughts on what events and trends I think could happen in 2012.

Before I begin I want to state emphatically again that I am not a prophet. I don’t pretend to be one or ever want to suggest that I am. My 2011 forecast demonstrates that I am totally fallible.

As I mentioned at the start of the 2011 forecast, I believe understanding the spiritual/religious context in which events are taking place is important to anticipating what might happen in any year, including 2012. As I’ve said before, events take place in context of an ongoing spiritual war between the forces of good (God and His heavenly host) and the spiritual forces of evil (Satan and his minions). Therefore, I believe it is a mistake to assume that events take place randomly; without any force guiding them. In addition, I believe it is a mistake to ignore the ongoing spiritual war because by ignoring it you’ll miss out on the driving force behind many events.

The Overall Nature of the Year 2012
I expect 2012 will be a very tumultuous year around the world. The main reason why I expect 2012 will be a tumultuous year is related to the December 21, 2012 phenomenon. Although I do not believe December 21, 2012 will not bring the Apocalypse like some fear, I think it is something that cannot be ignored when trying to anticipate what will happen this year.

I believe the December 21, 2012 phenomenon is inspired by the spiritual forces of evil. The phenomenon is an attempt (at the minimum) to get people interested in New Age spiritual practices and other non-traditional religious views and practices. Given my view that December 21, 2012 phenomenon is inspired by the spiritual forces of evil, I suspect that the spiritual forces of evil want people’s interest in the date and the phenomenon surrounding the date to be as high as possible.

I think more people will be interested in December 21, 2012 if global conditions this year are bad and volatile than if global conditions are good and peaceful because a lot of people hear about how December 21, 2012 is supposed to be the end of the world or a time of "transformation" from the media (people would wonder if the December 21, 2012 phenomenon accounts for the chaos going on in the world). Consequently, if evil spiritual entities have any influence on what events transpire in the world, I think it is reasonable to assume that they will do what they can to make this year tumultuous as they can.

How far evil spiritual entities can go to stir up chaos in the world will ultimately be subject to God because God has the power to limit them as He is in control of everything.

As I mentioned in the 2011 forecast, the Bible suggests that we will see increased famine, pestilence, wars and rumors of war, commotion (i.e. political instability), earthquakes, etc. as we approach Christ’s Second Coming (Matthew 24, Luke 21, and Mark 13). Once again, I anticipate that these “birth pang” signs will become more prevalent or pronounced this year as we are another year closer to the time of Christ’s Second Coming. We could see, among other things, in 2012:

More Social and Political Instability

More Wars and Rumors of War

More Large Magnitude Earthquake Activity

More food shortages in some parts of the world, higher food prices, and/or poor harvests

I expect the following events or trends to take place in 2012:

The Crises in Europe Worsens: I expect the ongoing crises in Europe to escalate in 2012 because the economic situation throughout much of Europe is deteriorating and many people in heavily-indebted countries like Greece and Spain have grown tired of the austerity measures that their governments are trying to implement.

A recession in Europe would likely exasperate the ongoing debt crisis because governments would likely receive less tax revenue to make debt payments and to balance their budgets.

The growing opposition to austerity will make it more politically challenging for the governments of heavily-indebted countries to implement reforms that are needed to combat the ongoing crises.

Barack Obama Wins the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election: Full disclosure, I am a registered Republican (although I am much more of an independent conservative than a party loyalist). With that said, I actually expect Obama to win reelection in 2012 because I don’t think the Republican Party will have a strong candidate to challenge him.

Obama is vulnerable to losing to a strong candidate given the poor condition that the U.S. is in and the dissatisfaction that Americans have with elected officials, but each potential challenger remaining has at least one fatal flaw that Obama and the mainstream media can exploit.

Despite what a lot of people say, of all the Republican candidates, I think Ron Paul has the best chance to defeat Obama as the nominee with his ability to appeal to independent voters (who often decide who wins in a U.S. presidential election). However, Paul’s foreign policy stance may turnoff a lot of voters and I think the political and the media establishment would work very hard to make sure Paul doesn’t win if he is somehow the nominee.

The Fed Launches a 3rd Round of Quantitative Easing (QE3): The Federal Reserve is supposed to be apolitical, but Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke knows that he will lose his job if any of the Republican candidates win the 2012 presidential election. I expect Bernanke to push the Fed into launching QE 3.0 partly as an effort to stimulate the U.S. economy enough to allow Obama to defeat his Republican opponent. Another reason that the Fed may engage in QE3 is that they may feel the U.S. economy needs help in overcoming the effects of what is going on in Europe.

Putin Wins Russia's Presidential Election and Clamps Down on Opposition: I mentioned in a recent article that I thought that the protests in Russia would give Vladimir Putin an excuse to justify a clampdown on political opposition in Russia. I expect Putin to follow through with an effort to clampdown on political opposition after he wins March’s Russia presidential election.

Little to Nothing Gets Done in Congress Before November 2012: The same dynamics that brought the U.S. a dysfunctional Congress in 2011 remain in 2012. There might even be less done this year legislatively because congressional lawmakers will be focused on trying to win reelection in the latter part of the year.

China’s Economic Health Finally Becomes A Concern: I mentioned in my review of my 2011 forecast that some have grown concerned in recent weeks about the health of China’s economy and the health of China’s financial system. I expect 2012 will be the year that we hear a lot more concern about China’s problems.

I would also not be surprised if the following events or trends took place in 2012.

Foreign Military Intervention in Syria: It would not be inappropriate to describe the situation in Syria as a civil war. The anti-Assad opposition in Syria is strong enough that it has its own military force (the Free Syrian Army) to combat against Assad's security forces. A diplomatic resolution to this conflict is unlikely as demonstrated by the recent failures of the Arab League to broker a lasting peace in Syria.

I would not be surprised if the situation in Syria became so dire that some countries eventually intervene in an effort to stop the killing of civilians. Turkey is possible candidate to lead the effort as it already has contingency plans to impose a no-fly zone in Syria. There is a remote possibility that the United States gets involved too as it is developing its Syria options right now, including a military intervention option.

The Occupy Movement in the U.S. Grows: Benjamin Creme (the official spokesmen of Maitreya, the leader of the Ascended Masters-a group of spiritual beings referred to as the “spiritual wickedness in high places” in Ephesians 6:12) claims that Maitreya is influencing the Occupy Wall Street Movement. If that is the case, then the occupy movement is unlikely going away anytime soon. Regardless of what Creme claims, I would not be surprised if the occupy movement grows as more people become dissatisfied with the status quo.

Apparently, there is an Occupy Congress protest scheduled for January 17. I would not be surprised if the occupiers gained some supporters by focusing on Congress because Congress is extremely unpopular in the U.S.

Israel vs. Iran Finally Happens: I would not be surprised if Israel engaged in a preemptive strike against Iran's nuclear program at some point in 2012 because Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak mentioned in the latter part of last year that there is less than a year left to stop Iran before its nuclear weapon development program reaches a point where it cannot be stopped from producing a nuclear weapon.

If Barak and other Israeli officials believe that time is running out, you’d think that they will act before time has run out.

Note of Caution: The events and trends I discussed in this article may or may not actually happen in 2012. If not, there's the potential for these events to still happen later... Ultimately, God is in control so He decides when events do and do not take place. We must acknowledge Him and understand there is probably a good reason if something expected or unexpected does or does not happen this year.

The Effort to Bring a New World Order: Jan 2012 Share Intl Review

2012-01-02T11:44:00.000-08:00

Pre-Article Disclaimer for Newer Readers: If you are reading this blog for the first time or are not totally familiar with my work, I am a 100% Christian writer who analyzes things from a Christian point of view. I sometimes research into what the spiritual forces of evil are up to in hopes of gleaning information to help us Christians figure out what is going on or to figure out what Satan has planned. You can read more about why I dare consider these unbiblical sources at the following link Now on to the article...

I devoted an article last month to the comments that Benjamin Creme (the official spokesmen of Maitreya, the leader of the Ascended Masters-a group of spiritual beings referred to as the “spiritual wickedness in high places” in Ephesians 6:12) made concerning the Occupy Wall Street Movement. To summarize for new readers, Creme claimed that Occupy Wall Street was being influenced by Maitreya and that Occupy Wall Street represented the beginning of the “transformation” of the United States.

Today I share some of my thoughts on what is found in the December 2011 issue of Creme’s magazine because the magazine once again covers the occupy protests that have been seen in the U.S. and elsewhere around the world.

As usual, the magazine begins with an article by the Ascended Master who advises Creme (transcribed by Creme). The article’s central message is that the present time of turmoil in the world will eventually give way to a New Age. The article makes a few claims about the role Maitreya and the Ascended Masters are allegedly playing in the present turmoil in the world.

The article claims that Maitreya is “inspiring” a generation of activists that are working for new structures in the world.

The article claims that there are Ascended Masters working with groups of people around the world to bring change to the world in a manner that seeks to minimize turmoil.

The claims imply that there may be something going on behind the scenes spiritually to bring on a New World Order. This idea that there are activists working under spiritual guidance to bring a New World Order reminds me of a video interview that I watched last night (posted by Christian author Constance Cumbey on her blog) from a New Age media outlet featuring a man who claims that there are high-level people working behind-the-scenes to bring a new global economic system and a new global currency

The interviewer suggested near the 20 minute mark of the video that the spiritual entities she contacted (most likely fallen angels or demons) told her that we will see a New World Order and a one-world currency come to pass.

The video is posted below. If you cannot see it, you can find it at the following link

Every month Creme's magazine features a question and answer section where Creme tries to provide answers to reader questions (or at least that is how it’s presented in the magazine). Creme made the following claims in the question and answer section. My thoughts on Creme’s claims are in parenthesis.

Iran’s intention is to develop a peaceful nuclear program, but they also want a nuclear weapon to retaliate against attacks on the country (My personal opinion is that Iran primarily wants a nuclear weapon).

The “freeing” of Syria will take longer than what happened in Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia (I would not be surprised if the situation in Syria continued for at least several more weeks-if not months).

The pace that the world will change shall accelerate during the next couple of years (I don’t disagree with this. I expect we’ll see more change in the world).

There will be Ascended Masters who will work in the field of politics in the future. (I wonder if that means evil spiritual entities will play a role in advising world leaders to follow the Antichrist’s orders).

The magazine had two articles about Occupy Wall Street and the occupy protests taking place throughout the world. As expected, both articles gave positive coverage of the protesters’ actions. Interestingly, the magazine decided to use the subtitle: “The New Progressive Age has begun” in its article about Occupy Wall Street, which was also a phrase found in a New York Times op-ed article by Jeffery Sachs.

I can only speculate, but I suspect the decision of Creme’s magazine to use the phrase “The New Progressive Age has begun” as a subtitle to an article about Occupy Wall Street reflects the opinion of the magazine staff and Creme that the occupy protests will contribute to bringing on a New World Order/New Age.

These are some of my thoughts relating to the latest issue of Creme’s magazine. I hope you found this article useful.

Revisiting My 2011 Forecast

2011-12-30T11:28:00.000-08:00

At the start of the year I provided a forecast of what I expected to see take place in the year 2011. Now that it is the end of the year I thought I would revisit my 2011 forecast to show you how I faired attempting to anticipate what happened this year.

The following items in bold are the events/trends that I thought would take place in 2011. I provide my thoughts on what actually happened after each item mentioned.

More Larger-Magnitude Earthquakes: 2011 already has begun with a couple of strong earthquakes. On New Year’s Day Argentina experienced a magnitude 7.0 earthquake while central Chile experienced a magnitude 7.1 earthquake on Sunday.

This statement was focused on the number of large-magnitude earthquakes that we would see instead of the intensity of the large-magnitude earthquakes that we would see. As I mentioned in the previous article, 2011 saw a slight decline in the number of magnitude 7.0 and greater earthquakes versus 2010 levels. However, 2011 featured one of the strongest earthquakes in recorded history: the magnitude 9.0 March 11 Japan earthquake.

More Wars and Rumors of Wars: A report issued the International Crisis Group suggests that there are currently at least sixteen politically unstable areas around the world that could potentially escalate this year to become the world’s next conflicts.

This year did see a significant rise in the amount of armed conflict in the world, particularly in the Middle East. For more on armed conflict in 2011, you can access the following article

Greater Political and Social Instability: I expect there to be far more unrest in Europe this year than in 2010. The latter part of 2010 saw a noticeable pickup in instability throughout Europe with violent protests in places like Rome and Britain. One reason why unrest is likely going to pick up further in Europe is that heavily-indebted countries like Spain and Portugal are likely going to need a bailout to the dismay of other Europeans whose taxpayer dollars may have to be used to bailout them. Another reason why unrest is likely going to pick up further in Europe is that European governments are likely going to attempt to implement reforms and benefit cuts that are unpopular with their citizens. These factors and probably more are likely going to make massive demonstrations and probably some violent demonstrations more common in Europe in 2011 than in 2010.

I thought that we would see the bulk of the social unrest in the world take place in Europe when I wrote the statement above. Although there was increased social unrest in Italy, Britain, Greece, and Spain (as people protested against austerity measures), the main focus of unrest this year was concentrated in North Africa and the Middle East. The change that took place in the Middle East and North Africa this year has been remarkable because so much has changed in a short amount of time.

I mentioned in my forecast article that I would also not be surprised if the following events or trends took place in 2011:

Europe Achieves Greater Union: Many experts believe that European leaders ultimately face a tough choice: end the Euro or have Europe become more unified (i.e. accept fiscal union). I believe it is more likely that European leaders will work to bring more unity to Europe than to end the Euro this year.

It’s hard to quantify how much more unified Europe became this year, but it seems Europe is moving towards further integration. The ongoing crises in Europe have compelled key European leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy to push for more fiscal integration and even fiscal union. In fact, European leaders (except for Britain’s David Cameron) have agreed to work on ratifying a new European Treaty that is intended to strengthen fiscal discipline by giving the EU the ability to impose sanctions on countries that have a Debt/GDP level above 3% (ironically, many European countries already violate this threshold and would qualify for sanctions).

The Federal Reserve Engages in Quantitative Easing 3.0 (QE3): The Federal Reserve hopes that the widely unpopular Quantitative Easing 2.0 (QE2) is enough to prevent a major downturn in the U.S. economy. However, not long after QE2 was announced the Federal Reserve already began to publicly hint that QE3 could take place if needed. I expect the Federal Reserve to pursue QE3 at some point in 2011.

The Federal Reserve has resisted the urge to engage in QE3 so far. However, some believe the Federal Reserve has engaged in QE 2.5 through “Operation Twist”, which is a program where the Fed sells short-term debt and reinvests the proceeds in long-term debt. This action is intended to suppress long-term interest rates, which the Fed hopes will spur companies' willingness to borrow and to spend.

Prices of Essential, Everyday Items Rise: Countries across the globe are competing in a global currency war. The objective for these countries is to devalue their currencies so they can gain an export trade advantage. A consequence of currency devaluation is that paper money is able to buy less. I expect this global currency war to continue in 2011, so the paper money people have will buy less of the everyday items they need, or in other words, the price of everyday items in terms of paper money will go up.

I’m not sure what it is like elsewhere in the world, but gasoline prices, food prices, and the prices of other important items are higher where I live than they were a year ago.

Nothing Substantial Gets Done in the U.S. Congress: To get things done in the U.S., Congress (the House of Representatives and Senate) and the President have to work together. Right now only the Senate and the President are aligned. The House of Representatives are full of Republicans who are likely going to pursue an agenda that is opposed to the President and the Senate’s agenda. As a result, it should be very difficult for any major laws to get passed in the U.S. in 2011.

The U.S. Congress managed to pass bills like the controversial NDAA and managed to approve the increase of the debt ceiling in 2011, but Congress is so dysfunctional right now that it seems that U.S. lawmakers can't pass any important pieces of legislation without facing a deadline or resorting to brinkmanship. The inability of the congressional super committee to meet a November deadline to agree to deficit reduction measures is an example of how dysfunctional Congress is.

The Growing American Tea Party: If little gets done in Congress there could be an even greater level of dissatisfaction with the status quo and with political elites in office. You could see a significant rise in Tea Party membership as more Americans join to voice their displeasure.

I expected the U.S. Congress to be extremely unpopular in 2011, but I thought the American Tea Party would be the primary beneficiaries of the extreme dissatisfaction with Congress. Instead, we saw some of the dissatisfaction with the status quo help fuel the rise of Occupy Wall Street Movement.

The Chinese Economy Becomes A Concern: Some pundits for years have forecasted a slowdown in the Chinese economy without a slowdown actually taking place. Currently, the risk of a slowdown in the Chinese economy is higher than ever because Chinese policymakers are purposely attempting to slow it down to stop a terrible inflation problem that could destabilize Chinese society if it is not stopped. If a major slowdown in the Chinese economy takes place it could be a new source of global and economic instability.

There is some growing concern about the health of China's economy. For instance, Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, the Daily Telegraph’s International Business Editor, wrote an article a couple of weeks ago discussing some significant warning signs concerning China’s economy and financial system. However, the concern about the health of China’s economy is not a story that is making daily headlines. It seems the weakening of China’s economy is going to be more of a 2012 story than a 2011 story.

I’ll let you judge how well or how poorly I faired attempting to anticipate what happened this year. The results definitely show that I am not a prophet (nor do I claim to be one) because there were things that I got wrong or failed to anticipate. I plan to share a 2012 forecast in the coming days. In the meantime, I like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and thank you for reading!