Signs of the Times or Time of the Signs?

“Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; “and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.”   Matthew 16:1-3  NKJV

As most of us know, the fundamental belief of Christianity is that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of God, sent to the earth to save mankind from their sin. Many people are surprised though to find that other religions have their messiah figures as well. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all share a belief in a messiah type individual as part of their eschatology, or beliefs concerning the end of the world. It also goes without saying, that one thing in common with each of these three religions is that each is watching and waiting for the appearance of this messiah in the very near future.

There is, however, a very large difference in what Christianity believes about its Messiah, and what Judaism and Islam believe about theirs. You see, we as Christians believe in the deity of Jesus; He was the Son of God. Judaism and Islam share the same idea that their coming leader will simply be a man. In Judaism, they believe their coming messiah is a human descended from the line of King David, and he will be annointed King of Israel to rule much the same as the ancient kings of Israel did. He will be a righteous king, be a strong political and military leader, and he will cause the temple to be rebuilt. But most of all he will be human, not a divine or god-like individual.

In Islam, many of the faithful are looking for the appearance of a person they call the Mahdi, or Guided One. Depending on their interpretation of prophecy, he will appear on earth for a period of 7 years before the advent of what they call the Day of Resurrection. There is a lot of disagreement within Islam concerning the particulars surrounding this individual, but it is safe to say they believe he is going to appear on the scene very soon. The president of Iran has been very vocal in his belief that he feels it is his duty to prepare the way for the appearing of the Mahdi, and there are other leaders in that part of the world who share that belief.

Several news sites have reported this past week on the establishment by Iran of a base of operations just miles from the Golan Heights in Syria.   Some are boldly stating that their presence in Syria is an effort on their part to accelerate and hasten the appearance of the Mahdi. https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/98132/iran-trying-bring-islamic-end-days-syria/#/ also http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=1802  If this is the case, it follows that there is mischief in the near future which could in all probability threaten Israel to such an extent that the fulfillment of the Isaiah 17 and Ezekiel 38-39 prophecies could occur.  The following is an attempt to explain just how this scenario might play out.

“The relationship between Iran and Syria is complicated, but the one thing that remains clear is that Iran has invested a lot of money, materiel, and personnel to develop and upgrade Syria’s military capabilities. Much of Syria’s missile technology and armament has been provided by Iran, and at present it is reported as fact by many intelligence sources that members of the Iranian Republican Guard are in Syria helping develop and train Syrian troops. So the question must be asked, just what does Iran want from Syria in exchange for all of this help?

There is no question that Syria now finds itself indebted to Iran in a very big way, so it's logical to wonder to what extent Syria might go in order to repay the debt, or, for that matter, how much would Iran require as a payback for its investment? Iran has made known their desire for the total annihilation of Israel, and even gone so far as to brag about how many missiles could be launched in the event of a conflict, however most intelligence organizations agree their boast exceeds their capabilities. This fact leads many to wonder if Iran has agreements with other Arab countries for help in any attack on Israel. If so, this would easily explain the extent to which they have gone to arm Syria with weapons and technology they have not previously possessed. It may well, in fact, explain one of the most disturbing reports to come out of that region in the recent past which is the Jane's Defense Weekly report about the WMD accident in Syria. If Syria indeed has the capability to launch a WMD into Israel, is it possible that Isaiah is trying to tell us this is exactly what is going to happen?

Let's look a little closer at the prophecy in Isaiah and examine exactly what it says. In the Isaiah oracle it says;

The cities of Aroer [are] forsaken; They will be for flocks Which lie down, and no one will make [them] afraid.      Isaiah 17:2 NKJV

The word "forsaken" in the Hebrew is "azab" which means "to depart, abandon, loose, relinquish, leave." The first thing that crossed my mind when I read this was not what it does say, but what it doesn't say. It doesn't say that Aroer is destroyed; only abandoned. It also says “cities” which gives the impression of a very large area being affected. I believe this may be our clue to understanding the entire scenario Isaiah presents here. If we look at this with the understanding of what technology Syria now possesses, it seems extremely possible that Isaiah is describing an attack on Israel with a weapon of mass destruction, such as a chemical, biological, or possibly a nuclear "dirty bomb" warhead. This would perfectly explain why this area is "abandoned" but not destroyed.

Isaiah even goes so far as to say that only animals will wander this area. Why would that be? If an attack of this type occurs, after the evacuation, the contaminated area would be quarantined and posted with warning signs in order to keep the public out. Unfortunately for animals, they can't read, and although I’m sure there would be patrols to keep people from entering the area, they aren’t going to be too concerned with policing the wild animals that want to wander. This area in Israel is well within range of Syria's Scud missiles, and we know they are placing chemical warheads on them. The area known as Aroer is now home to Israel’s nuclear research facility named Dimona. That would, in effect, make it a logical place to attack, and a very worthy target, but the real question is obviously why?

Again, I believe the most logical reason returns us to the question of Iran. Iran is at present considered to be the most dangerous, if not unsettling country in the Middle East. Their pursuit of nuclear capabilities has the attention of the entire world, and most fear what they intend to do when they achieve their goal. A military response by the west has been in the forefront of the news for more than a year now, and speculation on the possibility of a strike to cripple their facilities makes the news almost weekly. Iran has made it very clear what they intend to do if attacked by the west, and as you might expect, they include an attack on Israel as part of that response. The trouble is, while they boast about just how many missiles they would launch against the west if attacked, we know they do not possess near the number they promise to launch in response. If their threat is to be taken seriously and not as just bluster and exaggeration, the only answer to the question of how they would accomplish this is if they intend to enlist the help of another country or countries. What exactly would happen if Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Syria all began to fire their entire arsenals at Israel at the same time? Is it possible Iran is not bluffing? Does Iran have the leverage over these organizations to the point they could compel them to join in a response against Israel?

The world waits to see what Israel or the United States will do about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and the news is full of speculation about existing plans to strike Iran militarily. Could an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities provoke a response against Israel's nuclear reactor at Dimona? If so, the most important question we can ask at this point is just what kind of response could the world expect from Israel if they were attacked by all these organizations at the same time, especially if the attack included WMD's? The answer to that question might have already been written in something known as the Sampson Option.”

Would it be a stretch to think Iran knows it needs supernatural help in any conflict with the nation of Israel?  If they truly believe they can bring their messiah by starting a war with Israel do you think they would do it?  The more you know about what the Bible says about the times we are living in, the more you can see that the actions occurring in that part of the world are lining up for the conclusion we have all been watching for. God in His infinite wisdom has given us a very detailed picture of what the situation on this earth will be as we approach the time of the end. Let's not forget the big picture as we watch for the signs. Remember that in Matthew 16:3 Jesus rebukes the religious leaders for not recognizing "signs of the times". If we look, it would appear the world is even now looking for that one individual who will not only solve the problems that exist, but will somehow be acceptable and followed by all.

The signs of Jesus’ return, the labor pains He told us would occur, are happening all around us and He could call us home to be with Him at any time.  If you have never made the decision to accept this free gift of salvation, or are in any way unsure of your eternal destiny, I encourage you to pray this prayer and accept God’s promise to save you.

Jesus I know I am a sinner in need of salvation. I believe you sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sin, and I ask you now to forgive me of my sins. I want to receive your gift of salvation so please come into my heart and help me to live for you from now on. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Keep watching.

https://www.debka.com/netanyahu-warns-assad-thru-3rd-party-dont-accept-iranian-bases/