THE HARBINGER - 27 By Luke
Russia Prepares and Guards its Confederacy (An excerpt of a Post by Jonathan Bowen) Jan 7, 2012 Russia Moves Warships to Syrian Port to Protect its Interests
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20120109/170675862.html
Ezekiel 38v7 warns of Russia preparing itself and its company and guarding them at the time of the end prior to the invasion of the Middle East As we continue to monitor the growing tensions in the Middle East our eyes are directed towards the words of Ezekiel 38:7:
Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
Be Thou Prepared Russia has been increasing its military spending and is busy re-arming itself while the US has begun cuts to its military spending. The Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch reported on January 7: “Obama and the Pentagon are hoping to starve off sharp cuts for defense spending. Last year, a congressional joint select committee on deficit reduction failed to find some $1.2 trillion in budget cuts, triggering across-the-board cuts that include reducing the military budget by $600 billion over 10 years, starting in 2013.” Meanwhile, the Defense Management Journal reported on the increase in Russia’s military spending in December of last year: “Between now and 2020, around $650bn of spending, including the purchase of eight nuclear submarines, 600 jets and 1,000 helicopters, has been planned. Defence spending increases will also allow for the purchase of around 100 warships and four helicopter carriers – including two Mistral carriers from France. In 2012 alone, the country is set to take delivery of dozens of new fighters, bombers, transport aircraft and helicopters. This change in direction for both countries is in keeping with the picture painted by Ezekiel where Russia and its company, (termed Rosh the prince of Gog and Magog long with its confederacy), form the aggressors and the US and its trading partners, (the Merchants of Tarshish and all the young lions thereof), unite in passive protest. The situation in the Middle East is moving in this direction.
Be Thou a Guard unto Them The other element of Ezekiel 38:7 is the “guarding� that Rosh is outlined to perform. With this in mind, consider the announcement of the visit of Russian warships to the port of Tartus in Syria. Reuters reported:
The destroyer Admiral Chabanenko and the frigate Yaroslav Mudry are scheduled to put in at Russia's naval maintenance and supply facility in the Syrian port of Tartus, Itar-Tass cited an unnamed representative of the navy's general staff as saying. The official said the vessels, part of a group of Russian ships currently in the Mediterranean, were expected to spend several days at the Tartus facility, one of the Russian navy's few outposts abroad. The reason for such a show of force? The article continued: Amid global pressure on Assad, analysts say Russia's stance is rooted in resentment over Libya, reluctance to lose one of its few footholds in the
Middle East and a desire to project a firm image in relations with the West in an election season. So Russia is not going to allow Syria to become the next Libya, and is prepared to block any outside military intervention in these turbulent waters. Not only this, but the article continued to point out the connection between Syria and Russian arm sales: Syria has been a major recipient of Russian weapons, accounting for 7 percent of Russia's total of $10 billion in arms deliveries abroad in 2010, according to the Moscow think- tank CAST. Russia has been involved in “preparing” itself and its company. The word “prepare” carries the meaning to “secure,” to “stand upright,” to “establish” or to be a “restorer”. We have been witnessing Russia restoring its role on the world stage, and re-arming itself on the revenues of its oil wealth. We now see it preparing its company, securing both Syria and Iran from Western hegemony. It is “being a guard” to Syria, “hedging them about” with its war ships to prevent an intervention similar to the NATO backed Libyan campaign. It is preparing them with arms sales and no doubt we will see it involved in the rebuilding of Libya in the very near future. So we continue to watch with interest as the Navy and military power of Russia is “restored” and prepared in order for it to fulfill its role as the aggressor of Ezekiel 38 and the “King of the North” of Daniel 11:40 who “will come against him him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall entere into the countries and shall overflow and pass over”
Middle East Update: Sit back and relax…. or Prepare for WWIII Now? (An Excerpt of a Post by lamarzulli) January 9, 2012 Russian, French warships off Syria, Iran, US drones over Iranian coast http://www.debka.com/article/21633/ I believe that there is a perfect storm that is fast approaching. We see the signs all around us – as the world continues to experience unprecedented weather „events.‟ I believe that these are the birth pains that Yashua/Jesus warns us will preceded the Tribulation period. What we see happening in the Middle East is a series of moves and counter moves. The elephant in the room is Russia as they are backing the Iranians and the Syrians. This may be a warm up to the “hook in the jaw” that the prophet Ezekiel spoke of 2600 years ago. Only time will tell us what we are looking at as the future unfolds. If Russia throws her weight militarily behind Iran and Syria then the ante is raised. Last summer the Russians moved the S300 anti-missile system into Georgia, which acted as a deterrent, blocking the Israelis‟ from attacking Iran from the North and bombing Iran‟s reactors. Now with Russian ships off the coast of Syria, it seems plain that the Russians are in the game for keeps. This latest move is a wake up call for the United States, as this is not going to be another Shock and Awe lopsided war that we fought with Iraq. The stakes are clearly much higher, as the former super power is throwing her weight on the side of Iran and Syria. Waiting in the wings is Pakistan, which has nukes, as well as China, and India. I have never seen the situation so tenuous as it is now. If you don‟t have food and water it would be a good time to begin to stash some of these essential items now in preparation for what may be coming. We can choose to sit back and relax as we watch the Sunday game and believe that all is well, and it‟s business as usual, or we can understand the signs of the times that are screaming at us and like the wise virgins have oil in our lamps. Prepare now!
THE WAR ON IRAN: The Deployment of Thousands of US Troops to Israel, The Integration of US-Israeli Command Structures www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=28503 Jan 4, 2012 (An Excerpt of a Post by Michel Chossudovsky) The Islamic Republic of Iran has been threatened with military action by the US and its allies for the last eight years. Iran has been involved in war games in the Persian Gulf. The US Navy is deployed. Iran's naval exercises which commenced on December 24th were conducted in an area which is patrolled by the US Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain. Meanwhile, a new round of economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran has been unleashed, largely targeting Iran's Central Bank, leading to a dramatic plunge of Iran's currency. Reacting to US threats, Iran declared that it would consider blocking the shipment of oil through the Strait of Hormuz: "Roughly 40 percent of the world's oil tanker shipments transit the strait daily, carrying 15.5 million barrels of Saudi, Iraqi, Iranian, Kuwaiti, Bahraini, Qatari and United Arab Emirates crude oil, leading the United States Energy Information Administration to label the Strait of Hormuz "the world's most important oil chokepoint." (John C.K. Daly, War Imminent in Strait of Hormuz? $200 a Barrel Oil? Global Research, January 3, 2012)
Thousands of Troops to Israel Advanced war preparations are ongoing. Barely mentioned by the Western media, although confirmed by Israeli press reports, the Pentagon is preparing to send several thousand US troops to Israel.
In the context of ongoing war preparations, these troops are slated to participate in joint US-Israeli military maneuvers in Spring 2012, described by theJerusalem Post as "the largest-ever missile defense exercise in [Israel's] history." (emphasis added) Last week [11-18 December], Lt.-Gen. Frank Gorenc, commander of the US‟s Third Air Force based in Germany, visited Israel to finalize plans for the upcoming drill, expected to see the deployment of several thousand American soldiers in Israel. (US commander visits Israel to finalize missile... Jerusalem Post December 21, 2011 emphasis added) These war games involve the testing of Israel's air defense system, which is now fully integrated into the US global missile detection system, following the installation (December 2008) of a new sophisticated X-band early warning radar system. (See www.defense.gov/news/, December 30, 2011, .See also Sen. Joseph Azzolina, Protecting Israel from Iran's missiles, Bayshore News, December 26, 2008). The US global missile detection system includes satellites, Aegis ships in the Mediterranean, Persian Gulf and Red Sea as well as land-based Patriot radars and interceptors. In the context of planning the US-Israel Spring war games: "The US will also bring its THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) and shipbased Aegis ballistic missile defense systems to Israel to simulate the interception of missile salvos against Israel. The American systems will work in conjunction with Israel‟s missile defense systems – the Arrow, Patriot and Iron Dome. Gorenc came to Israel for talks with Brig.-Gen. Doron Gavish, commander of the Air Force‟s Air Defense Division. He toured one of the Iron Dome batteries in the South and the Israel Test Bed lab in Holon where the IAF holds its interception simulation exercises. The IAF is planning to deploy a fourth battery of the Iron Dome counter-rocket system in the coming months and is mulling the possibility of stationing it in Haifa to protect oil refineries located there.
The Defense Ministry has allocated a budget to manufacture an additional three Iron Dome batteries by the end of 2012. IAF operational requirements call for the deployment of about a dozen batteries along Israel‟s northern and southern borders. The IAF is also moving forward with plans to deploy Rafael‟s David‟s Sling missile defense system, which is designed to defend against medium-range rockets and cruise missiles. Rafael recently completed a series of successful navigation and flight tests of the David‟s Sling‟s interceptor and plans to hold the first interception test by mid-2012. US commander visits Israel to finalize missile... Jerusalem Post December 21, 2011)
Integrated US-NATO-Israel Command Structures Pursuant to these joint US-Israel games, there are indications that the US is also planning to increase the number of American troops stationed in Israel. Moreover, these military exercises planned for next Spring are accompanied by a fundamental shift in US-NATO-Israel command structures. What is now unfolding at Washington's behest is an integration of USIsrael military command structures. Washington is not a reluctant partner, as some observers have suggested, "with the Obama administration attempting to distance itself" from an Israeli sponsored war on Iran. Quite the opposite! Given the integration of Israel's air defense system into that of the US, Israel cannot, under any circumstances, wage a war on Iran without the US. Moreover, since mid-2005, following the signing of a protacol between NATO and Tel Aviv, Israel has beocme a de facto member of the Atlantic Alliance. The Pentagon calls the shots. The planned deployment of US troops in Israel is part and parcel of a US sponsored war. In the context of the Spring 2012 military drills, the United States military will establish Command Posts in Israel. In turn, Israel's IDF will establish Command Posts at United States European Command
headquarters (EUCOM), in Stuttgart, Germany. (Ibid). The ultimate objective of these command posts is to establish "joint [US-Israeli] task forces in the event of a large-scale conflict in the Middle East", (Ibid). In other words, these task forces will be involved in planning the deployment of troops and weapons systems directed against Iran, with Israel playing an important role as a launchpad for military action. What these developments suggest is that the war on Iran --which has been on the drawing board of the Pentagon since 2003-- will involve the direct participation of Israel under a unified US military command. The people of Israel are the unspoken victims of America's global military agenda as well their own government's war plans directed against Iran. They are led to believe that Iran possesses nuclear weapons when in fact Israel possesses an advanced nuclear arsenal, which is directed against Iran. The people of Israel as well as Western public opinion, more generally, are also led to believe that Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants "to Wipe Israel off the Map", when in fact this statement was concocted by the Western media, as a means of demonizing the Iranian head of state as well as presenting Iran as a threat to the security of Israel: "Across the world, a dangerous rumor has spread that could have catastrophic implications. According to legend, Iran's President has threatened to destroy Israel, or, to quote the misquote, "Israel must be wiped off the map". Contrary to popular belief, this statement was never made" (See Arash Norouzi, Israel: "Wiped off The Map". The Rumor of the Century, Fabricated by the US Media to Justify An All out War on Iran, Global Research, January 20, 2007) Who wants to "wipe Israel off the Map"? Tehran or Washington? Ahmadinejad or Obama? In actual fact, the Obama administration as well as the Netanyahu government indelibly constitute a threat to the people of Israel.
Tehran has since 2005 warned that it will retaliate if attacked, in the form of ballistic missile strikes directed against Israel as well as against US military facilities in the Persian Gulf, which would immediately lead us into a scenario of military escalation. This war would engulf a region extending from the Mediterranean to the heartland of Central Asia. It would have devastating consequences, resulting in a massive loss of life. It would precipitate humanity into a World War III scenario. The Harbinger - A Prophetic Week in Review, below are just a few of the News Reports not commonly covered in the "main stream" media over the past week - Jan 1st - Jan 9th. "A Harbinger - anything that foreshadows a future event; omen; or sign, a forerunner, that heralds a presage or portent, an indication of things to come." The links below are "active" so pick and choose the ones you care to read. "Audio Activated - Audio Conectate" has started posting the "The Harbinger Week in Review" and other prophetic current events here: http://english.audioconectate.net/luke-harbingers-blog/ --- For additional news, commentaries, editorials and indepth coverage related to Bible prophecy and end-time events, please visit the following websites: "End Time Info", http://endtimeinfo.com/ and "People of the Keys" http://peopleofthekeys.com/ for two very reliable alternative media outlets.
1/9/2012 Russian, French warships off Syria, Iran, US drones over Iranian coast Iran Issues New Threat to Close Strait of Hormuz U.S. Top Officer: Closing Hormuz would be Red Line Iran Has Ability to Block Strait of Hormuz, U.S. General Dempsey Tells CBS Gulf states brace for unwanted US-Iran war
Khamenei says Iran will not yield to Western sanctions Syria hails visit of Russian warships to Tartus Middle East in 2012: What lies ahead for Israel? Hamas PM: We will never give up our arms, territory, or claims on Jerusalem Hamas PM: Israel to face 'difficult days' Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Wins Big in Final Round Germany's Merkel in eurozone crisis talks with Sarkozy Strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake strikes off the Santa Cruz Islands, no damage
1/8/2012 Iran crosses another nuclear red line. Fordo soon on stream Iran Guard says will close strait if oil blocked US will respond if Iran blocks Strait: Panetta IEA ‘Prepared’ to React to Any Oil Supply Disruption, No Steps Planned Now Report: Russian naval force arrives at Syria port in 'show of solidarity' Slaughter of Innocents Continues in Syria Arab League to discuss Syria mission amid fresh violence near border with Turkey Arabs may invite UN to help in Syria mission US to sell Israel 2,500 Hummers, trucks 2011 was the driest year on record in Texas Oddly mild winter leaves much of U.S. on thin ice
1/7/2012 Iran holds military exercise near Afghan border West readies oil plan in case of Iran crisis Iran's Ahmadinejad to seek Latin American support 'UK sends most powerful vessel to Gulf' Iran's Ahmadinejad to seek Latin American support Iran atomic chief says new uranium enrichment facility to soon become operational 'Islamist success in Egypt puts Israel in peril'
Brotherhood: We did not promise to honor Israel peace treaty 'Syrian military official defects with soldiers' China warns US on Asia military strategy Palestinians to continue pursuing UN membership 5.6 Earthquake Rattles Indonesia Over 20 churchgoers, mourners gunned down in Nigeria
1/6/2012 Iran to hold another naval drill near Strait of Hormuz next month U.S. and Israel Preparing for 'Biggest Defense Drill Ever' Thousands of US troops land in Israel. Aircraft carrier coming soon US commander visits Israel to finalize missile drill Turkey: We won't allow Iran strike Israel Demands Egypt Step Up Border Patrols Syria reports deadly 'terrorist' explosion in capital Damascus Syria Interior Ministry: We will respond with 'iron fist' to 'terrorist escalation' EU governments consider delay on any Iran oil ban More power for EU commission in new draft of fiscal treaty Euro plunges on fears of banking crisis Hungary faces crisis as traders fear bond debt default Obama unveils new strategy for 'leaner' US military Analysis: Iran could close Hormuz -- but not for long Seven Indonesean Volcanoes in Level III Alert Status 6,757 aftershocks felt in Japan from March 11 until Dec 31
1/5/2012 Saudis, Gulf states on war alert for early US-Iran clash Surprise Navy Drill at Haifa Port as Iran Ends War Games UK warns Iran: Close Hormuz at your own peril Turkey Warns of Sunni-Shiite War Report: Israel could take out Iran’s nuclear infrastructure ‘in two days’ EU reaches agreement to ban imports of Iranian oil Greek prime minister warns of March default The Federal Reserve's Covert Bailout of Europe Dubai Gym Uses Auschwitz to Recruit New Members 20 tons of herring wash up on Norway coast Facial recognition technology poses privacy concerns Swine flu virus may be spreading between people
Violent storms cause major disruption across Britain Drought shrinks China's largest freshwater lake 5.3 quake hits Dominican Republic, no reported damage
1/4/2012 Ahmadinejad: Israel's attempts to 'Judaize' Jerusalem will bring about its end Pentagon: US Navy will remain in Gulf Israeli drone over Turkish-Syrian border. Battles in SyrianJordanian-Israeli border triangle As if the Arab Spring Doesn t Have the Middle East Hot Enough, Now Iranians Threaten War over Oil Syrian Uprising Raises The Specter Of Sectarian War China opposes 'unilateral' US sanctions on Iran Palestinians warn of 'new measures' against Israel if talks fail Palestinians pessimistic about negotiation prospects Hormuz oil spike could spark global recession EU countries preparing to impose oil ban on Iran Israel projects significantly expanded Mediterranean gas reserves White House: When Congress Won’t Cooperate, Obama Will Take ‘Small, Medium and Large’ Executive Actions Greeks, Italians burying cash as crisis fears grow Magma Causing Uplift in Oregon There's a New Volcano to Worry About, and This Time It's in the USA Franklin Graham: 2012 to Be One of the Most Significant in US History
1/3/2012 Iran provokes showdown, warns US carrier not to return to Persian Gulf U.S. says will continue to deploy warships in Persian Gulf despite Iranian threats Iran Test Fires Second Missile In 24 Hours As Posturing Escalates IDF: 8,000 rockets, missiles could hit Israel if war erupts IDF predicts missile attacks on J'lem in future war NATO forces to attend drill in Israel Syria says 'terrorists' strike gas pipeline, state media reports Egypt’s Islamists plan formal re-examination of Camp David treaty Russia's Putin dreams of sweeping Eurasian Union Gun sales break records before Christmas, as FBI reports gun dealers ordered 1.5M background checks in December
Eurozone is closer to break-up, warns Standard Chartered's Peter Sands Is a super-volcano just 390 miles from London about to erupt? First sign of an apocalyptic year to come? Thousands of blackbirds fall to their death in Arkansas town for second New Year's Eve in a row
1/2/2012 Abbas: ‘All Options on Table’ If Israel Does not Concede Hamas Calls on PA to Abandon Talks with Israel Palestinians: Peace talks require halt to Israeli settlement construction Iran wants negotiations with West Iran test-fires more missiles in Gulf exercises Assad will fight from new mountain fortress if civil war engulfs Syria North Korea calls for "human shields" to protect new leader S. Korea president warns N. Korea against provocations France's future hangs in balance in 2012: Sarkozy Australia warning over Murray Valley encephalitis Tri-Faith Project to construct multi-million dollar interfaith complex in America's heartland
1/1/2012 US sanctions on Iran's central bank. Tehran has called this an act of war Iran says produces first nuclear fuel rod for Tehran research reactor Muslim Brotherhood Plans to Cancel Peace Pact with Israel Arab League advisory body urges end to Syria monitoring mission Europe leaders warn of difficult 2012 Nigeria enters 2012 under state of emergency 7.0 Sea Quake Shakes Tokyo, but Causes No Damage 4.0 Earthquake Strikes in Northeast Ohio The geopolitical events of 2011 seem to indicate prewritten history found in the Bible could well be fulfilled in 20