Prophecy Update: Battle for the Mediterranean 1/3/20

Revelation 13:1, “And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names.” The Sea is the Mediterranean Sea and the importance of this sea for the end times cannot be overlooked. I am focusing on the tensions regarding the Mediterranean in this update because 2020 will be a year of reckoning. The many prognostications about this year are all over the map. Here are some from Israel that bear on prophecy:

“The fellows of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS) considered the trends in Israel’s strategic orbit – both sweetheart and nightmare scenarios – and this week published a “forecast” for the year ahead with recommendations for Israeli policy. JISS experts say that Israel must be ready to tackle Iran militarily on its own and fight a pre-emptive war with Hezbollah. JISS experts also assess that Turkey’s basic hostility toward Israel and its nefarious meddling in eastern Jerusalem will continue. Israel should push back by checking the flow of Turkish funds to eastern Jerusalem institutions and by strengthening its ties to Cyprus and Greece – without forcing full-scale confrontation with Turkey.” Good luck with that one—Bible Prophecy says otherwise. There will be a full on military conflict with Turkey and Iran—here are some of the developments.

Two countries that are part of the Gog Magog war have signed a treaty to compete for the riches from the Mediterranean Sea. The two countries are Turkey and Libya. Here is the headline:
Newly Aggressive Turkey Forges Alliance With Libya Erdogan’s latest bid to reshape the Mediterranean provides military support to Tripoli against Russian-backed rebels. DECEMBER 23, 2019, 2:00 PM. “Turkey is meshing together two Mediterranean crises in a desperate bid to reshape the region in its own favor, with potentially nasty implications both for the ongoing civil war in Libya and future energy development in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey sees a constellation of states such as Israel, Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt teaming up to exploit the region’s energy leaving Turkey in the cold.” ‘Turkey is laying claim to a huge chunk of the eastern Mediterranean—an area that includes large reservoirs of natural gas that Egypt, Israel, Cyprus, and even Lebanon are racing to exploit.’ As Turkey threatens Israel over its claims to natural gas, it is trying to prevent Israel from building a pipeline to Greece that will begin shipping gas to Europe. Turkey and Russia see that as a threat, Turkey thinks that the gas is theirs, and they are willing to provoke a fight over the issue.

‘Greece and Cyprus, which have long had maritime and territorial disputes with Turkey, say the accord is void and violates the international law of the sea. They see it as a cynical resource-grab designed to destroy the development of East Mediterranean gas and destabilize rivals. Greece has expelled Libya’s ambassador to Athens and filed a complaint with the United Nations. Cyprus, where the northern part of the island is held by Turkey, has raised its own objections. At a Dec. 12 summit, EU leaders issued a statement “unequivocally” siding with member states Greece and Cyprus.’ As this feud is brewing, the real problem is Israel. Israel is going to ship gas right through the so called zone that Turkey has created out of thin air.

“Turkey has thrown a wrench into the works of efforts by Cyprus, Greece, Israel and Egypt to develop East Mediterranean gas, putting a barrier across a proposed pipeline that would run from Israeli and Greek-Cypriot waters to the Greek island of Crete, on to the Greek mainland and into Europe’s gas network via Italy. The $7-9 billion pipeline would have to cross the planned Turkey-Libya economic zone.”
This is the problem, Turkey, much like China in the South China Sea, has declared international waters as their own and have defied anyone trying to stop them. Israel was smart from the beginning, after they found the gas, they made treaties with Cyprus, Greece, and Italy to ship the gas. One source said this: “The East Med basin is estimated to contain natural gas worth $700 billion, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.”

That is a lot of money and Turkey and Russia have been left out in the cold in these deals. Putin still thinks that he deserves a cut of the profits as they claim the process was unfair to them to help develop the gas fields. Contracts were not given to Russia and Russia is mad about it. Russia also wants to stop Israel from this action because it will cut into their profits selling energy to Europe. Turkey really offers nothing, they just want to steal the profits.

Dore Gold from Israel was interviewed regarding this problem. He pointed out that since 2002 Turkish leadership has been on a mission to undo what happened in World War One. That is when the Ottoman Empire lost most of its land outside of Turkey. They held land from Poland in the north to Saudi Arabia on its southern border. It also held land across northern Africa, including Algeria, Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia. He quoted the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Davutuglo, “Like in the 16th century, which saw the rise of the Ottoman Balkans as the center of world politics, we will make the Balkans, the Caucuses, and the Middle East, together with Turkey, the center of world politics in the future. This is the objective of Turkish Foreign Policy.” The foreign Minister and the current President, Erdogan, have been in power since 2002, their mission is to reclaim the Ottoman Empire and conquer the lands that they once possessed. This would include Israel!

Here is where it gets weird. Turkey signed this agreement with Libya and that nation is in a civil war. When Jesus said there would be wars and rumors of wars, when he said that nation would rise against nation, Libya is proof positive of Jesus statement. The part of Libya that Turkey signed the deal with is at war in its own country against forces led by Russia. Do you see the problem? Israel claimed that the deal signed between Turkey and Libya was illegal. The struggle over Libya is important to the Gog Magog war in the future.

Guess where Prime Minister Netanyahu is today, Jan.2nd 2020? He is in Greece to respond to the Turkish threat. Netanyahu is traveling to Greece to participate in a trilateral meeting of Israeli, Greek, and Cypriot leaders. Today’s headlines say: Netanyahu in Athens to Ink Trilateral Gas Deal Amid Tensions With Turkey “The ambitious project to export Israeli and Cypriot gas to Europe has recently been challenged by the signing of a Turkey-Libya maritime deal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is visiting Athens on Thursday in order to formally move ahead with the construction of the EastMed pipeline that will bring Israeli and Cypriot natural gas to the European market via Greece. The 2,000-kilometer (1,200-mile) pipeline will be able to transfer nine to 12 billion cubic meters a year from offshore gas reserves between Israel and Cyprus to Greece, and then on to Italy and other southeastern European countries.”
As these developments in the Mediterranean grow, the United States continues to support Israel. This strong support only fosters a hatred among the majority of nations. One thing that is completely ignored by these nations is the killing of Christians around the world. The nations hatred of Christianity is at an all-time high and is growing in the United States.

Here is an article from the Christian Post that describes some of the problems we face in the US.
What if America Continues to Ignore the Warning Signs? “While we are concerned with terrorism, and rightly so, there is a greater threat from within. We are witnessing the rapid deterioration of a nation before our eyes. We have become one nation “above” God, rather than under God.” Recently 200 pastors and Christian leaders wrote a response to Christianity Today for its condemnation of Christians who support President Trump. Christianity Today now supports removing Trump from office. I stopped reading Christianity Today over 20 years ago because it began supporting the social gospel and looked down on conservative Christians. The divisions in the church have come about because of our lack of love for the truth. Many believe a lie today—the gospel is equated with love and niceness, serving a God who does not hate evil and lacks holiness. It is with this church that God will begin His judgment!

The article went on to say that: “Roy Moore hits this head on when he wrote, “While truth and law were founded on the God of all creation, man now, through law, denies the truth and calls it ‘separation’. No longer does man see a need for God when he’s in full control, for the only truth self-evident is in the latest poll. But with man as his own master we fail to count the cost, our precious freedoms vanish and our liberty is lost. Children are told they can’t pray in school and they teach them evolution, when will they see the fear of God is the only true solution?” In other words, the USA is full of people in the churches who believe the lies of Satan and not the truth of the Bible. Pastors claim that defending the OT is a waste of time, they say that God as creator does not matter, that the gospel is only about the resurrection and love, not truth, ethics, morals, rules, and favor.

Favor, it is a very important word. I want the favor of God, I pray for Gods favor over our ministry, our church, our nation. Here is an article from a church that does not want Gods favor: PCUSA rationale: Social gospel trumps God’s gospel: “Looking ahead to this year’s 224th General Assembly in June, the Presbyterian Church (USA) will continue to embrace its rationale from last year’s “Big Tent” meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, which focused on forwarding a social gospel – not the gospel based in Scripture. This politically correct and LGBTQ-friendly doctrine is being used by PCUSA as it attempts to replace biblical morality with the term “institutional conventions” in order to justify undermining God’s standard for sexuality that condemns homosexual behavior as sin – something that should be abandoned … and never embraced.”

This problem in the PCUSA is a national problem. God is made to support every evil thing that He opposes in His Word. The liberal church turns truth on its head: instead of preaching against sin, embraces the sin. The Church is mandated by God to make disciples, disciples who deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow Him. Jesus is a King, He does not let the servants dictate to Him what the king should do. The King is all powerful, all knowing, and is working out His plan. If people do not like our King, that is their problem, our King will deal with them and cast them into hell. Jesus said that if your not for Me your against Me, anyone against our King will be dealt with. We must warn the people that the King is coming and when He comes, He is not happy.

It is Thursday night and there is breaking news that the United States has killed the Iranian General over the Al Quds force. US assassinates Qasem Soleimani, Iran’s Khamenei warns of ‘harsh revenge’ Soleimani is the George Patton of the Iranian Generals. What is the Al Quds force? It literally means the Jerusalem force and the military wing of the Iranian army is tasked with taking back Jerusalem from the Jews! “The Quds unit in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) directed to carry out unconventional warfare and intelligence activities. Responsible for extraterritorial operations, the Quds Force supports non-state actors in many countries, including Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, Yemeni Houthis, and Shia militias in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.” President Trump warned Iran earlier this week that if they did not stop the attack on our embassy in Baghdad, there would be harsh consequences. This strike takes out an evil, anti-Semitic, hater of Jesus and all Christians, a hater of America, and a murderer.
“General Soleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more,” the Pentagon claimed, noting that the Iranian leader had orchestrated attacks on coalition bases in Iraq over the last several months, “including the attack on December 27th, cculminating in the death and wounding of additional American and Iraqi personnel.”
This event shows how there is a civil war in America—the response from the democrats was to support Iran. Omar-Dems-Media Side with Iran Against Trump’s War on Terror –“Ah, Those who call evil good And good evil; Who present darkness as light And light as darkness; Who present bitter as sweet And sweet as bitter!” Isaiah 5:20–Critics of President Trump lined up to decry his recent order that eliminated one of the greatest threats to the U.S.; an Iranian general with American and Israeli blood on his hands. The media was no better, choosing to support the Iranians rather than the president. The New York Times, a formerly prominent and reliable news source, posted a tweet describing the rioters that stormed the U.S. Embassy as “Iraqi mourners.”

2020 will bring more civil war in America, more war in the Middle East, and more tension over Israel getting her land back. It is Biblical Prophecy and you have been chosen by God to live in such a great day. Jesus said that this age would close after the gospel has gone to all of the nations of the earth. Are you praying for the gospel to go forth? Are you praying for your lost neighbors? Pray for us, we have a big evangelistic event planned for February 1st love to see God save a lot of people! Maranatha!