Middle East Turmoil
Arabs Against Jews
Where will it lead?
Conflict in the Middle East continues to boil. It’s now been eighteen months since we first heard the term “Arab Spring”. However, most of us still don’t know what the Arab Spring really means.
Is the Arab Spring an outcry from the Arab world yearning for freedom from dictatorships?
Or is it a well-orchestrated plan by the West to gain control over the world’s richest oil fields?
Could it be an effort by the World Community to bring the Arab world into the emerging system of global governance?
Or is it a battle for dominance between Sunni Muslims and Shiite Muslims?
Perhaps it is really Al-Qaeda attempting to advance its goal of an Islamic world government.
Or could it even be all of the above?
The most important question of all is: Where will the turmoil engulfing this vital region of the world lead? Only the prophecies of the Bible can supply the answer to that question.
The Present Situation
At the present time, two dangerous conflicts in the Middle East captivate the attention of the world.
Syria
In Syria, Bashar Assad clings to power while the Western forces call repeatedly for his removal. Russia, Syria’s longtime friend and ally, continues to give support to Assad, arguing that no outside forces should interfere in Syria’s internal conflict.
The fact that Russia has troops inside Syria in support of the Assad regime while Western powers also have troops in Syria providing support for the anti-Assad rebels has created a situation that could pull Russia (and China) into a direct confrontation with the United States and the powers of NATO.
President Obama and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have stated in no uncertain terms that Bashar Assad must go. But what are Assad’s choices?
If he surrenders power, he is certain to be dragged by the world community before the International Criminal Court to be tried. Because of the estimated 18,000 that have been killed in the uprising, Assad is sure to be found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in prison.
If he decides to stand and fight to the finish, he hopes that Russia will continue to use its UN veto to prevent military intervention by the International Community. If he makes this choice, Assad and his regime could either defeat the rebels or, at worst, ultimately go down to defeat in a blaze of glory.
Another possibility is much more ominous. Assad could make common cause with Iran, plunging the entire region into a war that many believe would escalate into World War III.
Iran
Iran claims its nuclear program is for domestic and medical use only. However, the United States, Israel and the West don’t believe it. They believe Iran is attempting to produce nuclear weapons. Several levels of economic sanctions have been placed against Iran in an attempt to force the suspension of Iran’s nuclear program. High-level talks have been conducted between the P5+1 powers and Iran in an effort to convince Iran to halt uranium enrichment. Those talks, to this point, have accomplished absolutely nothing.
Israel regards the possession of nuclear weapons by Iran as an existential threat to the nation of Israel since Iranian leaders have repeatedly said that Israel will be “wiped off the map.” Israel has stated that it will take military action against Iran’s nuclear production facilities if diplomacy does not bring its nuclear program to a halt.
Israel contends that time is almost up for a military strike to be effective since Iran is in the process of moving its nuclear production facilities underground where they will become immune to bombing strikes. Israel believes waiting beyond this fall to bring Iran’s nuclear program to a halt would be too late. Some people are reporting that an attack against Iran will be launched this October. Others believe President Obama is pressuring Israel to wait until after the US presidential elections in November.
Since the last round of talks failed, tensions in the Persian Gulf region have escalated sharply. The European Union has cut off the purchase of Iranian oil, reducing Iran’s oil sales by one-third.
War is Prophesied For the Area
Revelation 9:13-15 explicitly prophesies war for the Euphrates River area. Here’s the prophecy:
Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.
This prophecy states that a war will emanate from the Euphrates River area and result in the killing of one-third of mankind.
There are four nations that house the Euphrates River: Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. All four of these nations are involved in the present conflicts, either directly of indirectly.
Will the Syrian conflict ignite the prophesied war? We don’t know for sure. Will Israel attack Iran, triggering the prophesied war of Revelation 9:13-16? We don’t know this for sure either.
What Do We Know For Sure?
The prophecies never fail. They always come to pass. So, we know for certain that a war will begin from the Euphrates River area. We know that this war will spread, ultimately resulting in over 2.3 billion deaths (one-third of mankind).
We also know that we are now in the approximate time frame for the fulfillment of the Euphrates River war prophecy. And we know that the present conflicts in Syria and Iran appear to be perfectly suited to ignite the foretold war.
Will the present conflicts ultimately trigger World War III described in Revelation 9:13-16? It seems very likely, but we don’t know for sure at this time. If World War III doesn’t happen now, then another crisis will develop that will cause the war. The war is coming. The only question is when and who will be involved.
The Most Dangerous Time in the History of the World?
I would be guilty of criminal negligence if I did not warn in the strongest of terms that we are now in an unprecedented danger zone. Though I cannot say with absolute certainty that the time for the world’s worst conflict ever has arrived, yet it certainly looks like this is the case.
So What Should Each Person Do?
None of us are exempt from the possibility of being killed in the coming global holocaust. The most critical thing for all of us is to know that we have the assurance of eternal life.
Jesus Christ came to this earth to provide the assurance of eternal life to all who will believe upon Him. Jesus taught us that the assurance of eternal life comes through a spiritual experience called being born again.
To understand God’s plan for eternal life, send for Endtime’s free brochure “What do you mean…Born Again?” Simply call 1-800-ENDTIME (1-800-363-8463) or go to www.endtime.com and click on the “Urgent Question”—What do you mean…Born Again?