WAR OVER?
Or Merely The End
of the Beginning?
With the end of Ramadan came the end of massive attacks in the Tora Bora region of eastern Afghanistan. Also, as many hailed the end of the "war in Afghanistan" came the disappointing and frustrating news — albeit not unexpected — that Bin Laden had not been found. Is the "War in Afghanistan" over? Or is this merely the beginning of a very long, protracted period of war? Will Bin Laden ever be found? And if he is, will it mean the end of terrorist attacks? No way.
Already, the Al-Qaida group has named a new leader to replace Ahmad Atif (also known as Abu-Hafs-al-Masri), who was killed by US bombing raids in Afghanistan. The new man is one Muhammad Ibrahim Makkawi, an Egyptian. His appointment was announced by a London-based Arabic newspaper, which is owned by Saudi Arabians.
Makkawi was reportedly trained as an Egyptian special forces officer. Already, the FBI has offered up to $25 million for his arrest. He is said to be a major participant in the bombing of US embassies in Dar-es-Salaam and Nairobi, and a key suspect in plotting the 9/11 attacks.
Allegedly, he left Egypt in 1988, lived in Saudi Arabia for a time, and is now thought to be either in Afghanistan or Pakistan.
As the EU prepares to send up to 5,000 more soldiers as a "peace-keeping" force into Afghanistan, news comes that the US may be moving major elements of its armed forces in close jumping-off points for a military campaign against Iraq. DEBKA’s military sources claimed that the US Third Army, said to be 70,000 strong, buttressed by the famed 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, are preparing to move to Kuwait, taking with them their many hundreds of Abrams tanks and Bradley armored personnel carriers.
Also, the USS Kitty Hawk, which served as a floating command and control center for US forces in Afghanistan, is said to be heading out of the Arabian Sea, and headed for parts unknown. DEBKA claimed that the US Airborne divisions are to be headquartered near Sharm el-Sheikh, at the tip of the Sinai Peninsula.
News comes that Syria is developing a warhead for its SCUD missiles that can deliver deadly VX nerve gas up to 500 kilometers away, and that such technology is coming from North Korea. It has long been known that Damascus is producing VX, a single drop of which on the back of your hand can kill you. A source in the defense department reportedly said, "What is clear is that this is a priority for Damascus and a breakthrough is expected shortly."
Is Iraq next? Many in government passionately hope so. Others are stridently against any such move. The Russians are said to "vehemently oppose" any US actions against Iraq. Why? Mostly because Russia covets Saddam’s oil money; hopes to see the lifting of sanctions, and Iraq become once again a major exporter of oil. The Voice of Russia broadcast from Moscow said,"For a number of historical, geographical, military, political and economic reasons, Moscow is interested in good relations with Baghdad."
Any US attack on Saddam would obviously fracture the tenuous relationship forged by President Bush with Vladimir Putin, a relationship already strained by Bush’s announcement he intends going ahead with the Missile Defense Initiative, or SDI, formerly called "Star Wars" during the Reagan administration.
Some speculate that the move of more US military forces into the Middle East could mean they intend targeting Hizbollah in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, which is under Syrian control. Some say either Somalia or Sudan could be next. For years, I have spoken and written of "widening war in the Mideast!" Now, we are in the midst of just such a scenario. As Jesus Christ warned us, "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (Luke 21:36). For decades, I have said "Watch the Mideast — Watch Jerusalem!"
I have said so because it is in Jerusalem that the match will be lit which will ignite massive WARS all over the world! The stage is being set for big power intervention in Israel, and for the intervention of a hugely-popular, revered religious figure to ensconce himself there as the "Prince of Peace," as if in a pseudo-Second Coming, to internationalize the old city under the guise of protecting its "holy places" from destruction!
Now, as rocket strikes and exploding bombs reverberate all over Israel, the pope in Rome has called his top Vatican representatives from the Middle East to Rome for consultations; has spoken out against the ongoing death and destruction in the "Holy Land."
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Colin Powell has recalled US envoy Anthony Zinni, a retired Air Force General, as rumors rage that Egypt and Jordan will once again move into areas previously under their control prior to the 1967 6-day war! This time, at the behest of the Israeli army, which wishes to keep its tanks and planes unhampered in the event of a massive attack from Iraq and Syria!
Allegedly, the Egyptian army would reoccupy the Gaza strip, to replace the shattered Palestinian Authority forces, said to be in disarray following Israeli strikes against police stations and PA facilities. Jordan’s king said he had two paratroop brigades ready to reenter the West Bank for the same purposes. For their part, the Israelis were said to concentrate on keeping their main north-south and east-west highways open for speedy movement of mechanized units in the case of a widening war. Currently, Palestinian-held villages in Gaza and the West Bank could impede such movement if the IDF became bogged down in localized fire fights. The suspicion is that the Hizbollah and Hamas would mount additional massive terrorist attacks against the Israeli civilian population as the combined Iraqi-Syrian armies launched an attack.
Should Syria launch VX warheads against Israel, there would be no holding back the IDF from using any weapons in its arsenal to retaliate against Damascus. Remember, virtually NO SCUDS were really destroyed during the Gulf War. It was proved then that Saddam Hussein had chemical weapons capable of being delivered by SCUDS onto Tel Aviv. The SCUDS which did rain down on the city were "conventional." Even so, it was only by dint of last-minute, urgent telephone conversations by G.H.W. Bush, the former President, and father of G. W. Bush, with the Israeli government which kept Israel from using nuclear bombs on Baghdad.
Fearing retaliation by Russia, and a huge nuclear World War III breaking out, the former President promised the immediate shipment of US-made "Patriot" anti-missile batteries to Israel, and a complete shift in the air war over Iraq, changing targets from the Republican Guard to SCUD-hunting in Iraq’s Western desert.
When I saw the first news, live, of SCUDS landing in Tel Aviv, I said to my wife and son, who were watching the same news program in our home, "The Israeli Air force is already on the way to Nuke Baghdad!" It was. Orbiting over Israeli territory were IDF aircraft, only awaiting the final orders which would send them on their way to level Saddam Hussein’s capital city, and kill perhaps more than a million people. The red phone rang just in time. That was then. This is now. Even as Washington did not condemn Israel’s air strikes against Yassir Arafat’s helicopters, police stations and government buildings in retaliation for the mass murder in Jerusalem’s mall, so it is unlikely the US government would be able, this time, to forestall an Israeli nuclear response to any kind of chemical or biological attack from Syria or Iraq.
By 2003, the EU is supposed to have in place a rapid deployment force of at least 60,000 men who would be a separate "European Army, " not under the direct command of NATO, albeit using NATO transportation, communication and logistics. The force is said to be capable of going anywhere in the world, and remaining for 6-months, in order to respond to regional wars. Already, it was announced only a couple of weeks ago, German Special Forces are on the ground in Afghanistan, along with the British and Americans. Therefore, the cadres necessary for training additional young German soldiers are already gaining experience.
If you have not yet read my book on the identity of the United States, Britain and Germany in prophecy, by all means read it here on our web site. You can download it, print it, and read it at your leisure. But, CAUTION! You do not need to know the identify of the US in prophecy to understand that Jerusalem and modern-day Israel are the center of hostilities throughout the world today!
As I recently wrote, we are in a huge, global battle for the possession of MEN’S MINDS! Satan and his false religions are bent on the destruction of the human race! Even if some remain skeptical of the identify of the US and Britain in the pages of their Bibles, they cannot doubt that the modern nation of Israel, with its capital of Jerusalem, remains the very focal point of all the hatreds between and among the three major "monotheistic" religions of the world, Judaism, Islam, and nominal Christianity.
Notice! "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.
"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.
"And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it" (Zechariah 12:1-3).
The centuries-long struggles over possession of the "holy places" of Jerusalem present proof that this most volatile part of the world is the focal point of global conflict! A terrorist web site from which I quoted in my last "speaks out" column featured a map of Afghanistan with a "Christian Cross" superposed over it. This cross also featured a "Star of David" upon it, and was seen to be dripping with blood. Thus, the message was sent that the Islamic fundamentalists view US bombing of Afghanistan as a modern "crusade" of "infidels" against the "true believers" of Mohammed!
Here is what Bible prophecy says will occur in Israel in the years ahead of us: "And at the time of the end shall the king of the south [anciently, the Ptolemys of Egypt, a lesser line of Pharoahs] push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
"He shall enter also into the glorious land [obvious reference to Palestine], and many countries shall be overthrown [If we omit the three which are exempted, this means a large number of countries in the region, probably including Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, and even Pakistan]: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom [Turkey], and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon [the Hashemites, including Jordan, whose capital city is "Amman" named after the Ammonites].
"He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
"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 [Put and Cush] .
"But tidings out of the east and out of the north [from Palestine: reference to Russia and China] shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many [a pre-emptive strike against the massed military forces of Russia and China].
"And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas [In Jerusalem: between the Eastern Mediterranean and the Dead Sea] in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him" (Daniel 11:40-45).
Men divided the scriptures into chapter and verse. The narrative continues, "And at that time [the time of the massive battle featuring millions of soldiers; the time of the end] shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble [the Great Tribulation in all its fury], such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time [Matthew 24:21,22]: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake [This does not occur until the second coming of Christ, following the Tribulation, Heavenly Signs, and the Day of the Lord], some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
"And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness [Those in the WORK of God, of sending out a message of witness and warning; of repentance and forgiveness!] as the stars for ever and ever.
"But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased" (Daniel 12:1-4).
We are in the time of the explosion of knowledge; the breathtaking advances of science and industry; of "high tech" warfare! Millions "run to and fro" all over the world — global communications are now instantaneous; millions fly from country to country! The book of Daniel has been OPENED to our understanding in these last days!
For an understanding of the sequence of events from now on, be sure to read my book "Mideast Strife — Will It Lead To Armageddon?"
Here are the main things for which we should watch:
(1) WATCH to see whether a wider war breaks out in the Mideast.
(2) WATCH to see if the US attacks Somalia, Sudan, or Iraq.
(3) WATCH Jerusalem! Will Europe send a rapid response force into Israel?
(4) WATCH to see if the pope announces he is going to Israel in an attempt to halt massive bloodshed, and prevent the annihilation of the Jews.
(5) WATCH to see if a TEMPLE is begun in Jerusalem, and if the Dome of the Rock, and the Al Aksa Mosques are leveled in retaliation for massive loss of life in Israel due to chemical, biological, or nuclear attacks.
(6) WATCH to see if a major NUCLEAR attack strikes the United States.
(7) WATCH Germany, as this powerful nation continues to dominate the newly-forming Europe, and begins to exert its political and military influence far beyond its borders.
Jesus Christ plainly described the very times in which we live, and the events shaping up ahead of us now! He warned, "...Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
"But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified [this is what the terrorists want!]: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
"Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
"And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
"But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
"And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
"Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
"For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
"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.
"And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
"But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
"In your patience possess ye your souls.
"And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies [See also Matthew 24:15], then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
"Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto" (Luke 21:8-21).
SOME will be chosen of Christ to give a last witness and testimony before the political and religious powers. But only SOME! Most of God’s people can rejoice in His promise that "...there shall not an hair of your head perish!"
Did you realize that many Islamic fundamentalists in the United States accused EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS of plotting and carrying out the attacks on September 11th? As incredibly bizarre as such an outlandish accusation appears, it is BELIEVED by some of them! They have precedents. Fanatics have, in the past, tried to trigger some prophetic event or other by resorting to violence, such as an attempt several decades ago by an evangelical Christian to burn down the Al Aksa mosque.
When Nero himself burnt Rome, he blamed the Christians! Christians were slaughtered because of these false charges!
Even as Jeremiah was accused of treason because of his prophecies, so will some of God’s people, who are among the most fervent patriots of all Americans, be accused of being "anti-American" because they preach against sin and violence, and warn our peoples of impending national calamities! WATCH!