Russian state media is reporting that Turkey is shelling Syrian and Kurdish positions inside Syria.
Last week, the Russian Prime Minister warned that if Turkey did that, they would set off a ‘World War’.
As I write, in 8 hours time, a millennium of history is about to be reversed.
For the first time since the Great Schism in 1054, the Pope is about to meet with the Russian Orthodox Patriarch. (Click here to see the latest)
‘So what?’ you say.
I’m glad you asked, because we are now witnessing the beginning of an incredible fulfilment of prophecy – something that everyone should know about.
To understand why it is so important, we need to go back to Nebuchadnezzar image in Daniel chapter 2.
The image of Daniel 2 (seen in the centre of the image above) represents the successive kingdoms of men that existed synonymously with the nation of Israel.
The legs of Iron represented the Roman Empire which eventually had an Eastern and Western component seen in the two legs. Daniel 2:42 describes the latter day component of the image, the feet, which also contain Iron and therefore the Roman element.
Revelation also draws on Daniel to give us more detail about this latter day entity – this is explained briefly here. Both prophecies require that the Roman Empire be re-formed in the latter days, around the time that Israel is re-established as a nation in their own land.
Bro. Thomas goes on to explain a little more about how his might begin to come to pass:
“The time is not far off, when the Latin Bishop (The Pope) may have to seek again to the Constantinopolitan Imperial Autocracy (Russia in Constantinople) for protection.”
While Russia is not yet in Constantinople (currently under the control of Turkey) it increasingly looks as though Russia and Turkey are about to have an armed conflict which could well see Russia taking the ancient city.
However it seems tht Constantinople or not, the Pope has already started to seek out the security that only Putin can offer, see the following article: Pope Francis Sees Putin as ‘Only Man’ to Defend Christians Around the World
Interestingly, a number of sources suggest that todays meeting was initiated by Putin himself. If this is true, it seems to be timed well with the Russian-Turkish crisis.
Today’s meeting will set the tone for further unification between East and West, between the two feet that will form the latter day representation of the Kingdom of Men.
Putin is on the verge of fulfilling the ancient Russian dream of reviving the ancient Roman/Byzantine empire in Constantinople and completing the image.
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Daniel 2:44
As Turkey and Saudi Arabia edge closer to sending ground forces into Syria at the behest of the United States, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has warned that an escalation of the conflict could lead to ‘World War’.
During an interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt, Medvedev warned of dire consequences if the United States and its allies abandon Syrian peace talks in favor of deploying ground forces.
“The Americans must consider — both the US president and our Arab partners — whether or not they want a permanent war.”
All sides should instead focus on implementing peace talks.
“We must make everyone sit down to the negotiating table, and we can do it by using, among other things, the harsh measures that are being implemented by Russia, the Americans, and even, with all reservations, the Turks, rather than start yet another war in the world.”
“We may differ in our opinions of certain political leaders but it is not a good enough reason to begin intervention or to stir up unrest from within.”
Moscow has long-stressed the need to support the legitimate government of President Bashar al-Assad in the fight against terrorism. Working alongside the Syrian Army, Russian airstrikes have had a severe impact on Daesh, also known as IS/Islamic State.
“…We must sit down at the same table, but our partners avoid this,” Medvedev said. “That is, there have been some occasional meetings, telephone conversations and contacts between our militaries. But in this situation we should create a full-scale alliance to fight this evil.”
“Some of these people — and it’s not just a few strange individuals or utter scoundrels, but hundreds and possibly thousands — are entering Europe as potential time bombs, and they will fulfill their missions as robots when they are told to,” he said.
“We are not trying to rule the world or impose our regulations on it, though we are accused regularly of having such ambitions” he added. “That is not so — we are a pragmatic people who realise that no one can shoulder responsibility for the whole world, not even the United States of America.”
Article by Sputnik: http://sputniknews.com/russia/20160212/1034614648/medvedev-syrian-permanent-war.html#ixzz3zuSgodpO
Large-scale military drills across south-west Russia intended to test the troops’ readiness amid continuing tensions with the West
President Vladimir Putin has scrambled thousands of troops and hundreds of warplanes across southwestern Russia for large-scale military drills intended to test the troops’ readiness amid continuing tensions with the West.
Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that military units were put on combat alert early on Monday, marking the launch of the exercise that involves troops of the Southern Military District.
The district includes troops stationed in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, as well as forces in the North Caucasus and southwestern regions near the border with Ukraine.
Shoigu said the manoeuvres will also engage airborne troops and military transport aviation, as well as the navy. He noted that the drills are intended to check the troops’ ability to respond to extremist threats and other challenges.
According to Shoigu, who spoke at a meeting with the top military brass, the war games would include redeployment of air force units to advance air bases and bombing runs at shooting ranges. The manoeuvres will test the troops’ mobility, with some being deployed to areas up to 3,000 kilometres (1,860 miles) away, the military said.
Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov said in a statement that up to 8,500 troops, 900 ground weapons, 200 warplanes and about 50 warships will be involved in the drills.
The exercises are the latest in a series of major drills intended to strengthen the military’s readiness. They have continued despite the nation’s economic downturn.
Even though a drop in global oil prices has drained the government’s coffers and helped drive the economy into recessions, the Kremlin has continued to spend big on the military, funding the purchase of hundreds of new aircraft, tanks and missiles.
Article posted by the Telegraph
ROME – The European Union faces “critical times” and all its members should set aside selfish interests to tackle problems such as immigration and terrorism, the bloc’s six founding nations said on Tuesday.
A week after the EU accepted that some members may never go further in sharing sovereignty, as part of the price for keeping Britain in the club, Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg pledged to pursue “ever closer union” at a meeting in Rome, where they founded the bloc in 1957.
The meeting was held against the backdrop of deep division in the 28-nation bloc over how to handle the flows of hundreds of thousands of migrants arriving in Europe fleeing war and failing states in the Middle East and North Africa.
It also came a week after Brussels agreed a draft deal with Britain Prime Minister David Cameron that, among other things, reaffirmed the limitations of a treaty commitment to pursue the “ever closer union” of the peoples of Europe, part of a package to help Cameron campaign before a referendum that the EU’s second biggest economy should continue its 43-year membership.
While acknowledging that the Union “allows for different paths of integration”, the original signatories of the Treaty of Rome declared: “We remain resolved to continue the process of creating an ever closer union among the people of Europe.”
Meeting in Italy, which has been in the frontline of a wave of migration to Europe across the Mediterranean, the ministers also stressed the need to overcome divisions on the EU response.
Hungary and Austria this week called for fences on the Macedonian and Bulgarian borders with Greece and between Austria and Slovenia, and several states have called into question the Schengen accord on free circulation inside the EU.
The statement called for better management of the Union’s external borders in order to make them more secure while preserving Schengen and not hampering freedom of movement.
It contained no concrete policy proposals, but said Europe “is successful when we overcome narrow self-interest in the spirit of solidarity”.
Article posted by REUTERS
The Russian Ministry of Defence warned Turkey against launching a military incursion into Syria last week, announcing on Thursday that it had seen “growing signs” that Turkish forces were preparing to intervene to bolster rebel forces battling pro-regime troops in the north.
Some experts say, however, that Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be trying to bait Turkey into entering the Syrian battlefield in order to retaliate for Ankara’s decision to down a Russian warplane in November.
“Russia is trying to draw Turkey into a fight to avenge the downing of its jet. Putin is confident he can win,” retired Brig. Gen. Naim Baburoglu, an adviser to the Ankara-based National Security and Foreign Policy Research Center, told al-Monitor last week.
“He also needs this to counter domestic difficulties. Downing one or two Turkish F-16s will make him a hero at home,” Baburoglu added. “It will also be a serious embarrassment to Turkey and the Turkish air force.”
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan initially denied reports that Turkish forces were preparing to cross the border. But on Sunday, Erdogan signalled that Turkey would be prepared to intervene in Syria if asked by its coalition partners.
“We don’t want to fall into the same mistake in Syria as in Iraq,” Erdogan told reporters on Sunday, according to the Turkish daily newspaper Hurriyet. “If … Turkey was present in Iraq, the country would have never have fallen into its current situation.”
He added: “It’s important to see the horizon. What’s going on in Syria can only go on for so long. At some point it has to change.”
Erdogan, a staunch opponent of the Russian-backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was at least partly referring to the Syrian Kurds’ sustained expansion westward along the Turkish-Syrian border. That push has largely been facilitated by Russian airstrikes targeting Syrian rebel groups backed by Turkey, the US, and Saudi Arabia.
Signs of growing coordination between Moscow and the Kurds came to a head last week when Syria’s main Kurdish militia, the YPG, helped Russia and the Syrian army isolate Azaz — a strategically important city long used by Turkey to funnel aid and supplies to rebels in the city of Aleppo.
“I don’t think there is any doubt that the YPG and Russia are coordinating in the Azaz corridor,” Aaron Stein, an expert on Turkish affairs and Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, told Business Insider on Monday.
He added: “The YPG have taken advantage of the airstrikes to advance in areas south of Azaz, in what looks like a strategy to connect the Efrin canton with Kobane and Jazira. The PYD have consistently made clear, both in private and in public, that they can reach a common understanding with local groups in the area, and install a governing council inside the city.”
As Turkish-Russian relations continue to deteriorate, Russia’s military and political ties to the Kurds are getting stronger. Russia is reportedly looking to open a second air field in the Kurdish-held Syrian city of Qamishli, and the Kurds have said they will open their first “representation office” in Moscow later this week.
“The PYD’s office in Moscow has been months in the making,” Stein said. “The PYD — and by extension, the PKK — are eager to escape from international isolation. Any country willing to de-facto recognise them as a legitimate political group, and not a foreign terrorist organisation, is a net positive for the group.”
Fabrice Balanche, a leading expert on Syria and visiting fellow at the Washington Institute, broached the limits of the US’ political support for the Kurds in an analysis last week.
“Unlike the United States, Russia does not want to antagonize the Kurds by prohibiting their deeply held goal of territorial unification,” he wrote.
“Vladimir Putin wants to put pressure on Turkey’s entire frontier with Syria,” Balanche added. Indeed, “it is one of the main regional goals of the Russian intervention.”
That the Kurds are now closer than ever to linking their territories east of the Euphrates with the Kurdish-controlled city of Efrin in the west — a move that would cross Turkey’s “red line” and allow the Kurds to consolidate their de-facto state of Rojava along Turkey’s southern border — may be enough to draw Turkey into the war.
“The Turkish army is very conservative and risk averse,” Jeff White, a defence analyst focusing on the security fairs of the Levant at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told Business Insider in an email.
“So while willing to protect its borders, I doubt we will see any large scale operations in Syria — with one possible exception: unification of the Kurdish enclaves/Rojava.”
If the Kurds were to unify their cantons, Turkey might be compelled to intervene to prevent them from forming a statelet along the Turkish border, White noted. And that would be a game-changer.
“The Turkish army could defeat any opponents in its chosen areas of operation,” White said. “Direct Turkish intervention, if on a substantial scale, could dramatically change the situation.”
Incidentally, rumours of a Turkish military intervention began circulating days after Saudi Arabia declared that it would be prepared to send ground troops to Syria to fight the Islamic State “if asked” by its allies.
As such, “Turkey is no longer acting alone,” Middle East analyst Elijah Magnier noted on Twitter last week. Though it remains “highly unlikely” that Turkey will invade Syria, Magnier said that if it did, “Russia would celebrate.”
Article posted by the Business Insider
This overview of the Hill Country Christadelphians scarcely does justice to the impact these early pioneers had on the Truth in North America.
The Oatmans and the Bantas and others baptized many, many converts in the Hill Country during the 1850s, ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. Other prominent names from the early days are still much in evidence around Texas — Greer, Tanner, and Wolfe. Where I grew up, you have to realize, the plural of “Wolfe” was not “wolves”, but “Wolfes”!
The Hill Country was such a demanding place to live, however. It was a land that chewed men up and spit them out. The pendulum swings between rainy years and dry years were large and frequent. And many early settlers lost much, or all, they had in the droughts, Indian raids, and other hardships. So, after years of hard times, and lured by promises of other lands to the west, many Christadelphian families packed up their belongings and embarked upon further migrations.
The first Christadelphians of New Mexico were three families who left the Hill Country together, in about 1890, with their wagons and herds of cattle, and set out for Oregon. But difficulties of travel, and problems with border patrols, held them up, so that when they heard of free land to be had in the mountains of New Mexico, they changed their plans and stopped there. And their descendants remain there still.
Other early Texas Christadelphians migrated as far as California in the last part of the 19th century. One whole ecclesia, of 60 or 70 members, uprooted itself and moved practically en masse to the west coast. And so it is that, to this very day, many of the names of California Christadelphians like Wolfe and Banta bear evidence of their Texas roots.
Other Texas Christadelphians, or their children, made it as far as Oregon in later years.
And so, out of the struggles, trials, and heartaches of the early Christadelphians in the Texas Hill Country, there were spread abroad, across the whole of western America, migrating bands of believers who planted the seeds of the Truth in the furthest reaches of the United States.
It may be said, then, that the Oatmans, the Bantas, and the Johnsons have never lacked men and women to stand before the Lord, from that day to this. And we pray, and trust, that their lines will continue until the Kingdom of God comes.
To be continued.
This post is part of a series authored by brother George Booker. Click here to see all previous posts in the series.
Bible Prophecy & Current Events 