The volcanic ash from Iceland's Eyjafjoll (Island's Mountain) has cast a shadow over Europe, but not Russia. At the same time, if people chose to see a great nation has risen, that like a mountain casts a shadow over other nations. Jeremiah speaks of Babylon a destroying mountain.
Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, says the LORD, which destroys all the earth; and I will stretch out My hand upon you, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain. (Jeremiah 51:25)
A great empire is a great mountain and Daniels says the kingdom is to be a stone cut without hands that becomes a mountain that destroys the feet, or the inheritor, of the empire Babylon began. Isaiah speaks of nations as mountains and islands
Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and His praise from the end of the earth; ye that go down to the sea.. the isles, and the inhabitants thereof...and declare His praise in the islands.
The LORD will go forth as a mighty man, He will stir up jealousy like a man of war; He will cry, yea, He will shout aloud, He will prove Himself mighty against His enemies.
I have long time held My peace, I have been still, and refrained Myself; now will I cry like a travailing woman... I will make waste mountains and hills...and I will make the rivers islands, and will dry up the pools. And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not...; I will make darkness light before them, and rugged places plain. These things will I do...Hear, ye deaf, and look, ye blind, that ye may see. (Isaiah 42:9-18)
For a long time Yahweh as been silent. He last worked openly and visibly with Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar. Then from Ezra and Nehemiah there was silence. Then Yeshua spoke and said among other things,
from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. (Matthew 11:12)
Rome had taken it by force, And Rome was the iron of Daniel's image. But who is the great mountain emerging in the smoke in the modern world, the inheritor of Rome's empire?
More Smoke
There was more smoke in Europe. Nationalistic opposition parliamentarians let off smoke bombs and threw eggs in Ukraine's Parliament. The smoke action and egg throwing was a protest at the inevitable, and to alert the world, if they are watching. The vote for the Russian lease of Sevastopol for their Black Sea Fleet was a vote for Russian hegemony over Ukraine.
The significance can't be underestimated. Sevastopol is from Byzantine Greek (The Eastern Half of the Roman Empire) Sevastoupolis and means 'venerable (or Roman='august') city'. It was established as a Russian naval base when Russia seized the Crimea in 1783. It was famously under siege in the Crimean war from 1854-1855 when the British Empire, French Empire, Ottoman Empire, Kingdom of Sardinia, and the Duchy of Nassau, fought the Russians over “the Eastern Question.”
What was this eastern question so contested? Actually it was over who ruled the Holy Land. France had forced the Ottomans to give it control of the holy places previously ruled by the Orthodox Church. Russia stepped in to rebuke the Ottomans and to control the Orthodox church in the Ottoman Empire. Russia followed this up by invading Moldavia and Wallachia, Orthodox parts of the Ottoman Empire in 1853. Immediately Britain and France, allied with the Ottomans sent their fleets through the Dardanelles. When diplomacy failed they attacked Sevastopol, to prevent Russia from attacking the Ottomans and gaining access to the Mediterranean.
Sevastopol, the venerable city, is therefore a key to control of the Black Sea and Russia's role in the Mediterranean.
The land of Ukraine is between Russia and Sevastopol, but with a pro-Russian regime and a new treaty exchanging lower gas prices for control of the naval base. It is to be noted that both possession of the military base and gas is a means of Russian control of Ukraine. The gas can be turned off at any time, deal or no deal. There is now no chance Ukraine will be part of NATO. Russia used gas to control Ukraine's foreign policy, to control access to the Mediterranean. There is only Turkey and Istanbul (Constantinople) in the way, if they sought to control the Orthodox holy places in the Holy Land. Why is Sevastopol now important to Russia? It only makes sense if they desire control of the stepping stone to the Mediterranean, if they have their eyes on the South.
Why should this be incredible? Constantinople was the Byzantine capital, the eastern Greek speaking half of the Roman Empire (one of the legs of Daniel's image), and the historic seat of the leader of the Orthodox Church. This church is the one Russia inherited, which was suppressed under the Soviets and which has emerged as a powerful force in Russia.
The prophet Ezekiel speaks of a demagogue (Gog) in the North, seeking control of Israel.
And you shall come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you, and many peoples with you, all of them riding chariots, a great company and a mighty army; and you shall come up against My people Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the end of days, and I will bring you against My land, that the nations may know Me, when I shall be sanctified through you, O Gog, before their eyes. (Ezekiel 38:15-16)
Russia is the furthest North from Israel. And Gog is called ruler of, in Hebrew, Rosh. Ros or Russia is very close to Rosh and in any case the location to the head and also the border, or edge, of the North is specific.
Russia has emerged as having a regime seeking regional hegemony. They are a smoke to Ukraine and a shadow over them. Hegemony is where one nation dominates its neighbours, not by conquest. Hebrew has a word for this where one sets a watch, observes, guards over another. It is used of what Gog is to do to those nations he leads.
"Be ready and keep ready, you and all your hosts that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them. (Ezekiel 38:7)
Now Russia's leaders, without conquering Ukraine, have set a watch over them and guards them. But this is not so much the concern as why they set a watch over them. What's now important to Russia to their South?
Fog
The plane crash in fog killing so many influential leaders of Poland
near Katyn with all dead signals another event. Poland has fallen to
Russia. Fallen again at Katyn.
Anyone who has studied modern
history knows of the pact that allowed Hitler to focus on his western
front and how both USSR and Germany removed Poland's
leadership in an attempt to destroy the nation of Poland.
We
cannot deceive ourselves that leaders have no impact in determining
the direction of a nation. The leader President Lech Kaczynski
certainly determined Poland's direction. Even his twin cannot replace
him.
If Russia's leaders had organised the crash, it could
not have turned out better for them. But the mist, the thick fog, is
the hallmark of the hand of a mightier Power.
In any
case Russia's Prime Minister Putin did not invite President Lech
Kaczynski. The Polish President was not meant to be on that plane.
Kaczynski took on corruption in post-Communist Poland, the Catholic Church and the EU Constitutional Treaty, but most of all, he clashed with Russian Premier Vladimir Putin. Kaczynski supported American action in Iraq, sent Polish troops to Afghanistan and sided with Georgia.
It was no surprise, therefore, that Putin didn’t want Kaczynski at the memorial to the Soviet-perpetrated Katyn massacre and pointedly invited only Kaczynski’s rival, Polish Premier Donald Tusk. Kaczynski was thus flying to Katyn uninvited, making his death en route especially poignant, indeed almost symbolic. www.jpost.com/Opinion/Editorials/Article.aspx
If symbolic, it is a symbol of the elevation of the pro-Russian Tusk at the expense of the pro-Polish Kaczynski (the type of leader the Russian Soviets killed at Katyn). The loss of a friend of Israel, in such a situation is similar to the loss of Josiah, the King of Judah, who was warned not to go out to confront the leader of the nation power of his day, by that leader.
After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of Egypt went up to fight against Carchemish by the Euphrates; and Josiah went out against him.
But he (Neco) sent ambassadors to him, saying: 'What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war; and God has given command to speed me; forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that He destroy thee not.'
Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Neco, from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo. (2Chronicles 35:20-22)
Josiah died that day and was mourned by the prophet Jeremiah, as only
a faithful king who had the best interests of God's people at heart,
is mourned. If Kaczynski had not gone a way too hard he would have
lived to see the future. It seems he would not have remained in power
in any case.
But the implications of the warning not to go,
is that to go meant death. The plane was doomed, the fog was sent.
The leadership of Poland was to be removed to allow a new pro-Russian
order.
In addition, whereas the Russian leader was very
evident at the funeral in Poland, with quite a few photo
opportunities, and seen by all the Polish people, the Western leaders
were absent. At an important time critical for American interests,
the wind blew a cloud of volcanic ash over Europe, and prevented only
Western leaders from attending the all important funeral.
In
Hebrew the word for wind is the same as that used for the Spirit of
God. It's not the first time a wind has changed the future of
nations.
Is God then for Russia? It is more complex than that.
Events might seem to favour someone but lead later to other events
that are not good at all. Russia has been given two events, a fog and
a wind that seem to favour them, and as their leaders rely on fate,
they follow the direction.
I will turn you about, and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you forth, and all your army (Ezekiel 38:4)
But the end will be an arrogance, and being caught in the hooks
that Yahweh has set, that leads to downfall.
The Rise of Russia as a Mountain since 2008
Russia gained a
victory in Georgia (as no-one helped Georgia) in 2008. They are
steadily pushing the USA out of Eastern Europe using US president
Obama's anti-nuclear aspirations to negotiate out USA missiles in
adjacent states, they are successfully delaying on military action on
Iran,
while building a
new strategic bomber, they have used gas in winter to show
their power over Ukraine and now use a deal on gas to control
Ukraine's foreign policy which will block
Ukraine's move to NATO and recently they either organised or
helped Kyrgyzstan
to install a pro-Russian regime, a crucial area of control in
Asia Minor. Events are are falling out in such a way as to give
Russia levers for greater hegemony.
Russia is the inheritor of
the Byzantine half of the Roman Empire. Western Europe has inherited
the other half. Now they seek stronger ties and speak of 'the Common
Economic Space' an integrated market between the
European Union and Russia
Truly Russia is emerging as smoke over Europe and a mountain of a nation over the islands (coasts), the smaller nations of Europe.
For more Prophecy strengthens faith
Over all of history the servants of God have known the signs of the times: their times. They have seen the direction of events toward the Kingdom of God on earth replacing the kingdoms, republics and democracies of humans.
We were asked what early documents establish that Rosh of Ezekiel 38 is Russia. The answer is in 2 parts, as we explain the trajectory from fulfilled prophecy in history to prophecy yet to be fulfilled.
The Revelation 12 Sign
There is much written about the sun, moon and planets aligning on in September 2017. We have many reasons for suspecting that 2017 will be a prophetically significant year, and the time of the Jewish feast of Sukkot could be more significant than any other time, but we need to understand the scripture before we consider the stars.
An article prompted by National DNA day April 25 celebrating the understanding of DNA.
