Monitor The Strategic Trends

Introduction:

Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I [am] against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel. And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that [is] with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and [to] the beasts of the field to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upon the open field to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken [it], saith the Lord God. And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I [am] the LORD. Ezekiel 39:1-6

The ancient people called Magog are commonly believed to have been the ancestors of the Russian nation. The prophet Ezekiel spoke of an invasion of Israel by Russia, which has not yet been fulfilled. What could cause Russia to come against the tiny nation of Israel -- which has no oil and no real strategic value? This question has puzzled Bible scholars for centuries. However, recent developments in the Middle East have for the first time in history lent credence to this long-awaited prophecy.

Israel has signed a defense pact with Turkey, making Turkey its only ally in the Middle East. Turkey straddles the Bosphorus Strait, the passage way between The Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The Black Sea is Russia's only warm water port, which is guaranteed to be open year round. It is also the heart of Russia's oil and gas exports, which in a desperate economic situation is one of the few exportable commodities other than military weapons.

Turkey and Russia have argued for years over the proper way to administer the fair usage of the Bosphorus Strait. Turkey wants to maintain total control shipping through the strait, while Russia is demanding an international commission to govern the waterway.

Turkey and Russia have also threatened war over the delivery of S-300 missiles to the island of Cyprus, and over the Russian support of Syrian-backed terrorists. The rhetoric between the two nations has been fierce at times and now tiny, non-strategic Israel has agreed to the mutual defense of Turkey. Russia is also aligning herself with Iran.

Other events in Russia, such as the changes in government leaning back toward a communist-style government, should give Israel and her western allies cause for concern. The Magog prophecy appears to be more likely when the current events in Russian are examined in detail.

NEW! The Damascus High Wire: Russia's Ties to Syria January 31, 2012

Up And Down, Russia's Glory and Pain July 12, 2011

Two-Faced Russia April 12, 2011

Part 2 of a Series: Who Are the Edomites? by Chuck Missler

A Surprise in Psalm 83? The Magog Invasion: An Alternative View by Chuck Missler

Strategic Trends Update: The Treacherous Trio of Ezekiel 38 Part 3: Russia by Mary Miller, Koinonia Institute

Strategic Trends Update: The Treacherous Trio of Ezekiel 38 Part 2: Iran by Mary Miller, Koinonia Institute

Strategic Trends Update: The Treacherous Trio of Ezekiel 38 by Mary Miller, Koinonia Institute

Magog Update: Russian-Syrian-Iranian Axis by Hal Lindsey

Updated Briefing: Magog Revisited by Chuck Missler

The Roots of War, Part 2: The Magog Identity by Chuck Missler

Gog and the Kings of the East China & Russia: The Best of Friends? by Chuck Missler

From Our Private Modem: Tensions in the Land of Magog by Chuck Missler

Cold War Over? Magog Arming by Chuck Missler

Magog Positioning: False START? by Chuck Missler

News Sources

Russia Defends Syria at UN - Russia, which sells weapons to Syria and maintains a naval base there, is poised to veto today a United Nations resolution threatening "targeted measures" against the regime headed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. European nations have been seeking UN action since April to stop a crackdown that has killed more than 3,500 since protests began in mid-March. The proposed resolution is "unacceptable" to Russia because it still contains the prospect of sanctions and amounts to interference in the internal affairs of a state.

Iran Wants to Expand Nuclear Cooperation With Russia - The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Fereidoon Abbasi announced that the country is willing to further develop its cooperation with Russia in building more nuclear power plants. Tehran has offered a proposal to Moscow on the building of new nuclear plants using Iranian-made nuclear fuel. Referring to the 'step by step' proposal of Russia to settle the standoff between Iran and the West, he said any nuclear proposal either step by step or all at once must guarantee Iran's nuclear rights.

Should Russia Let the North Caucasus Secede? - Over the past 15 years, Russia's North Caucasus has become a byword for war, destruction, human rights abuses, extrajudicial killings, corruption, economic collapse, and Islamic terrorism. Last year, 754 people were killed in ongoing low-level hostilities - two a day on average. The specter of terrorism already deters most investors from financing projects even in those republics where the insurgency has made only minimal inroads to date. Moreover, the maladies afflicting the region are immune to a "quick fix," even if large-scale investment could provide one. Russian nationalists increasingly advocate allowing the North Caucasus to secede. But that would play into the hands of the Islamic militants fighting to transform the virtual Caucasus Emirate into a functioning state.

Russia Working On Gaddafi Exit - Russia has stepped up its efforts to negotiate a resolution to the war in Libya, with Moscow officials receiving the Secretary-General of NATO and the South African President, Jacob Zuma, who has offered his services as a mediator. To date, with Colonel Gaddafi refusing the Libyan rebels' demands that he leave the country, none of Moscow's forays have borne fruit.

Former Russian Intelligence Officer Charged With Treason - After a group of Russian sleeper agents were arrested in the United States last summer, an angry Vladimir V. Putin, Russia's prime minister, promised to punish the person who betrayed them. Now, a former Russian intelligence officer suspected of blowing the agents' cover (to the benefit of America) has been officially charged, and could, if he is ever caught, face up to 20 years in prison in Russia. The officer, Aleksandr Poteyev, was charged in absentia with treason and desertion a spokesman from Russia's Federal Security Service said on Tuesday. Apparently, relations between the US and Russia are not quite as warm and transparent as we'd all like.

Congress Needs To Know New START Details - New START, a bilateral arms control agreement with the Russian Federation, entered into force on February 5. This treaty is profoundly biased in favor of Russia. It allows Moscow to build up its warheads and delivery vehicles, including intercontinental-range ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and bombers. All cuts in delivery systems will be made by the United States, because the Russian Federation was in compliance with the treaty limits even before the treaty entered into force.