CHAPTER 12
SYRIA * LEBANON * PALESTINE.
. . . “He shall gain
control over the hidden treasures” (Daniel 11:43)
By Doug Krieger
Pergamos Ministries
The Tribulation Network
www.the-tribulation-network.com
Bashar
Assad has just cut his little deal with the Russians for a miserly write-off of
$10B in Syrian debt to Russia and the promise of missile contracts ready for
signing and delivery (Russian Iskander-E tactical
missile systems and Igla shoulder-held anti-aircraft
missiles) to Syria.
I mean, what’s $20M between old friends
who, for now, can say they’ve “temporarily put the deal on hold” but things have
always been a bit “sneaky” between the Soviets/Russians and the Syrians (so,
surmise what you will). What is certain is the bear coming back into the Middle
East as a player—much to the dismay and chagrin of Israel and the USA.
Meanwhile, Hamas (under Syria’s covering) is
letting the newly elected Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, that if you want us
to stop our war against Israel . . . you better play ball with us (i.e.,
We just won a landslide election in Gaza, so look
out!). Plus, the news just gets better: Nine Palestinian terrorist groups,
including Fatah and Hamas, threaten to revive
violent attacks unless Israel halts all military activity.
Coupled with that bit of refreshment, here’s
another:
Hezbollah leader Nasrallah and Hamas chief Mashal just announced that their
cooperation in their war against the Jewish state and resumption of joint terror
attacks inside Israel is going full blast.
In the mean time, when they are not sending
their Defense Minister, along with 500+ officers and 2,000 soldiers to aide and
abet their Hezbollah surrogates in Lebanon/Syria, (please see our articles:
THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS) Iran fully realizes “she’s next” and, as one of the
main triumvirates of the Axis of Evil (Iraq, North Korea and she), there’s
little wiggle room left, aside from making a bomb real fast and faking like
we’re just using enriched plutonium for peaceful purposes only—e.g., energy.
So, a little update on this is needed and here
goes . . . remember, the Word of God is NOT silent about these goings on, and we
carefully are challenged by Scripture to observe the “signs of the times” . . .
so, it starts with a letter from one of our subscribers from Oklahoma . . . .
who precipitated this blog, so Craig, here’s your answer . . . first Craig’s
letter before we “explore” when and how the figure in Daniel
11:40-45
“gains control over the hidden treasures.”
*************************************************************
Good morning guys:
I have re-read the
DEBKAfile link you provided on Doug's January 27 (2005) Blog entry. I was
trying to get a feel on possible upcoming events (in the coming weeks) in the
Middle East now that President Bush has
been sworn in and the Iraqi "elections" have come and gone.
It seems, according to the DEBKAfile article,
that military action against Syria could be on the very near horizon by the US
and Iraq (sic. Israel).
I was wondering if you could comment on the very last paragraph of the DEBKAfile:
“1. It (Syria’s demise) will not take place
before President Bush is sworn in for his second term on January 20 
or
Iraq’s general election ten days later.
2. The Americans will not start out with a
large-scale, orderly military offensive, but rather short in-and-out forays;
small US and Iraqi Special Forces units will cross
the border and raid bases housing Iraqi guerrillas or buses carrying them to the
border. If these brief raids are ineffective, the Americans will upscale the
action.
3. The Allawi
government will formally request the United States to consign joint Iraqi-US
forces for action against Syrian targets, so placing the US operation under the
Baghdad government’s aegis. In other words, Iraq will be at war with Syria
without issuing a formal declaration.
4. It is fully appreciated in Washington,
Baghdad
and Jerusalem that intense American military warfare against Syria could provoke
a Hezbollah backlash against Israel.
Damascus may well activate the Lebanese
Shiite group to open a second front on Israel’s northern border. The Syrian
ruler is expected will tolerate a certain level of American low-intensity,
low-profile action. But, because of his reluctance to strike back directly at
American or Iraqi targets, he will field the Hezbollah – and not just for
cross-border attacks but to galvanize the terrorist cells it controls and funds
in the West Bank and Gaza Strip into a
stepped-up offensive against Israeli targets. These Palestinian cells have
proliferated over the years, particularly in the Fatah
and its branches, encouraged by Yasser Arafat’s
cooperative pact with the Hezbollah which remains in force after his death.
Therefore, the key Middle East happening in the
coming weeks will be US military strikes against Syria. The election of Mahmoud
Abbas as Palestinian Authority chairman, his invitation to the White House, the
formation of the Sharon-Peres government coalition - albeit on very shaky legs,
and the talk of imminent Israel-Palestinian peace negotiations, will prove
to be no more than sideshows of the main event.”
THE “DOMINO EFFECT” (Our
Response) . . .
Craig . . .the Israeli DEBKAfile is exceedingly
helpful in many ways . . . I think what we must keep in mind, Biblically, the
initial demise of Syria (Zechariah
9,
Isaiah 17)—insofar as the "domino effect" leading up to Gog/Magog is
concerned—appears inevitable, and VERY SOON! Part of that domino effect (i.e.,
growing “Western influence” in the Middle East)
has taken place (with periodic setbacks) for decades. Most of the West’s
activities (the Brits and French, in particular) have
now been subsumed by the USA. The USA has
upwards of five military (mostly air) bases in the Negev Desert of Israel AS WE
SPEAK (fully operational and clandestine as much as possible . . . just in case
the Saudis “default” and/or things in Iraq fall apart . . . which they won't)
(See: The Sorrows of Empire, by Chalmers Johnson, 2004).
LOOSE TORPEDOES
Mahmoud Abbas (Palestinian Authority President) continues to meet with Hamas
leaders in Lebanon/Syria (January, 2005) but to no avail. Trying to revive the
“roadmap to peace” seems more and more elusive. But this will NOT be so
simple. Hamas has just won a landslide election in
Gaza . . . giving them “bargaining rights” with Abbas; and as you read in
Zechariah 9 and the unfolding of the "Messianic
Scenario" . . . Tyre (Lebanon) and Gaza (the PLO/Authority) will be utterly
destroyed, as well as their leadership PRIOR to Gog/Magog, wherein the “King of
the North” (led by Turkey/Iran) will “collide” with the prepositioned forces of
Antichrist (Daniel
11:40-45;
Isaiah 17 and 18 as well, select verses) and the “King of the South” (led by
Egypt, along with Sudan and Libya) will “come up 
against
him.”
WATCH CONDI or “CONDI WATCH”
With regards to the escapades of one, Bashar
Assad of Syria, such tampering does not set well with either Israel or the USA.
It is exceedingly clear that Assad "must be stopped" and that stopping has as
much to do with the FACT that if Iranian nuclear facilities are attacked, he (Assad)
will have to launch attacks against Israel and US bases in Iraq (if that is even
possible) because of the Syrian-Iranian Defense Pact signed about a year ago.
So, isn’t it interesting, just when the Russians come into the picture, BEHOLD:
The Condi?
Condoleezza’s expertise is in “Soviet Affairs.”
So, having the Russians forgive $10B as the price to play in the Middle East
(via Syria) does NOT bode well for them. Listen to what Condi says about
Syria
and, of course, Iran (January 31, 2005):
“Asked in an interview with CNN television about
Syria's role in Iraq, Rice said: ‘The Syrians have not been as helpful as they
should be, and we've made that very clear.
“‘We believe that there are insurgents and
insurgent support networks that have operated out of Syria,’ she said, ‘and we
asked them to do a number of things to stop that, and we'll be continuing to
pressure the Syrians to do exactly that.’
“Asked
what type of pressure could be applied to Damascus, Rice said: ‘We have
tools. Obviously, the president ordered some sanctions under the Syrian
Accountability Act a couple of months ago.’
“‘The Syrians do not want to get on a track
where they are in a long-term bad relationship with the United States, and so I
would hope that they would be more responsive.’”
Now, behold Condi’s rattling of the Iranian
Mullahs’ cage:
“‘We certainly are concerned by the role that
Iran has tried to play in Iraq,’ Rice said in an interview with the ABC
television program This Week.
“‘The Iranians need to understand that the
Iraqis are going to build their own future, that it
is going to be a future that is very different than the Iranian regime.
“‘I do believe that the Iranians have not been
particularly a force for stability and for good,’ said Rice, who was confirmed
as secretary of state last week, replacing Colin Powell.”
Naturally, the numerous forts being built by the
USA along the Syrian/Iraqi border make for a lovely exchange and, of course,
much cause for further "creative possibilities" between the USA and Syria—I’m
sure Dr. Rice’s “input” with the President as the new Secretary of State will
play well in Damascus and Teheran!
BUSH AS MESSIAH—THAT’S WHAT THE
SYRIAN SAYS
The
Washington Post quotes
Sadiq Azm, a Syrian writer, as saying that Bush’s Inaugural address was
Churchillian, “but at a time without an
adversary as serious as the Nazi regime.”
“People will see in this the old civilizing mission, the old colonialism,” said
the Syrian reformist. “He has adopted the reformers' agenda, but in such
a messianic way that even we are not ready to go that far.”
Of course, isn’t it interesting how the Syrian
views the support that such a messianic message has? Listen to the Syrian
explain to his audience the “messianic imperative” of the Bush Administration:
“Several US experts and analysts have attributed
Bush’s re-election to massive support by conservative Christian groups and a
notable showing among regular churchgoing Catholics and mainline Protestants.
The born-again Methodist Bush frequently uses religious imagery in his speeches
and repeatedly drew his anti-terror campaign as a battle of good against evil.
On the US markets, video tapes and DVDs tell the story of how Bush abandoned
alcohol at the age of 40 and rediscovered his Christian faith.”
Timing in all of this is fast upon us in that
Iran, along with the Iranian defense minister, continues to fuel Hezbollah with
tons of munitions, officers (some 500+) and over 2,000 troops (that we know of .
. . and undoubtedly MANY MORE than this). The USA is NOT sitting around letting
this go unnoticed....especially the funding for such nefarious activities—such
as blowing up oil pipelines, etc. . . . therefore, a COORDINATED effort between
the USA (and miscellaneous coalition forces, especially Britain) and Israel will
dispense with "these problems" in relative ease and very shortly. This could be
triggered in a whole variety of ways. The plan, for example, to "eliminate the
Taliban" in Afghanistan was well in place by the summer of 2001 with Russia and
Iran going along with us on the deal (strange bedfellows indeed); and of course,
Pakistan, with India knowing about it but really not needed . . . so when 9/11
came about EVERYTHING WAS ALREADY IN PLACE (ref. Sorrows of Empire) for
the invasion and elimination of the Taliban (an Islamic student organization
which we put in place to begin with!).
“PERSIA . . . I WILL PUT HOOKS
INTO YOUR JAWS, AND I WILL BRING YOU OUT” (Ezekiel 38:4 and 5)
Think
not that Iran does not fear PREEMPTION upon her nuclear facilities and soon . .
. thus, here’s the latest in the preparation of Iran/Persia in the coming
conflagration:
The photo on the right depicts a recent meeting
between Iranian defense officials and Lebanese counterparts . . . but listen how
this is playing out in this January 30, 2005, Iranian article in IRIB:
“Tehran, Jan 30 - Minister of Defense and Armed
Forces Logistics Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani said
here Sunday that the current defense cooperation between Iran and Lebanon is not
against the interests of a third country (Humm.
Israel? USA? Iraq?). Shamkhani made the remarks
on the sidelines of the visit of his Lebanese counterpart
Abdulrahim Murad to Tehran.
“Speaking to reporters, he said the ongoing
negotiations between Iran and Lebanon are aimed at fostering friendly ties
between the two countries. Lebanese Defense Minister
Abdulrahim Murad heading a military
delegation arrived here Sunday at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart.
Referring to his negotiations with his Lebanese counterpart, he said the
Lebanese delegation also underlined the fact that the US seeks to benefit from
the potentials of regional countries to implement its own plan dubbed as "Great
Middle East".
“‘This proves that Tehran and Beirut enjoy common views on existing
threats in the region, he added. A memorandum of understating (MOU)
is to be signed by the two countries to further broaden defense cooperation
and boost trade between Iran and Lebanon,’ he said.” (My emphasis)
TOGAMARAH, MESHECH AND TUBAL—WATCH
TURKEY!
Now
the plot thickens with the Turks exceedingly disturbed regarding the SUCCESSFUL
ELECTIONS of the Kurds and the USA's entanglements with that awful prospect:
KURDISTAN . . . and why not? Turkey’s 20 million Kurds are exceedingly
restless and will look to Iraq’s “progress” with great glee and hope for a
future Kurdistan and the final
dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire!
“Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gül said Turkey has no territorial designs on Iraq but
added that it cannot remain indifferent to the sufferings of the Turkmens should
an altered demographic composition of Kirkuk trigger an ethnic clash. In an
exclusive interview with the TDN, Foreign Minister Gül stressed that Turkey was
not threatening an intervention but that everyone should bear in mind that the
government of any democratic country must take into consideration the sentiments
and sensitivities of its public.”
Turkey’s anxiety over the burgeoning
independence and strengthening of the autonomous state of Kurdistan
in northern Iraq has just about put the
Turks over the top, especially since the Kurds want Kirkuk’s “disposition” to be
included into Kurdistan’s “jurisdiction”
in Northern Iraq!
Today,
as said in our previous articles, the Turks are taking far greater “defensive”
action with both Syria
and 
Iran
(for the Turks are technically an
"Islamic Republic" of sorts and a "sneaky one"
at that . . . for what pundit knows what lurks within the mind of the Turk whose
ancestry springs from centuries of Byzantine politics and intrigue!).
Furthermore, the Turks fully understand why the USA has pre-positioned her
forces throughout the Balkans . . . including upwards of 5 military bases in
Bulgaria, scores in Romania, Georgia, Macedonia and the Serbian province of
Kosovo, as well as Bosnia: It’s that
Caspian oil pipeline WHICH WILL NOT PASS THROUGH TURKEY!
The
oil reserves of the five STANS in Central Asia (Turkmenistan, Tajikistan,
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan) hold such unbelievable amounts of
natural gas and oil that it must, in the immediate, consider itself to be as
rich or MORE SO, than the Persian Gulf (here we could be talking about 200BB and
that “B” as in Billion Barrels); therefore, the USA has for years sought
to protect this "stash" from both the Chinese and, quite frankly, the Russians.
Now that Turkey is “having problems” the USA will simply divert its “pipeline
aspirations” direct from Baku on the Caspian through friendly Azerbaijan and on
through Georgia.
From here it will travel by super tanker across
the international waters of the Black Sea
and into Bulgaria
(where the USA now has five military installations) and into
Kosovo/Macedonia/Albania (all very
friendly with the USA and full of US installations like
Bondsteel). 
Now that Afghanistan is in the bag and the
Pakistan "problem" has been relatively resolved (aside from finding OBL and the
traditional flaps with India), we're able to get that natural gas and some oil
out through Afghanistan to the Indian Ocean. Our Balkan network of military
bases and the military cooperation with the STANS, and Georgia/Azerbaijan, is
the ultimate strategy to control the earth’s resources (Biblically speaking:
HIDDEN TREASURES).
The
Russian government has always understood that this pipeline was part of the
broader US strategy to cut all links with Moscow to the former Soviet states in
the Caucasus, building a new economic infrastructure that would dissuade the
Caucasus group of nations from ever renewing these ties with the former Evil
Empire.
PRE-POSITIONING “HIM” IN THE
MIDDLE EAST
“And at the end time the king of the South will
collide with HIM, and the king of the North will storm against HIM
. . . and HE will enter countries, overflow them, and pass through . . .
HE will also enter the Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall . . .
then HE will stretch out has hand against other countries, and the land
of Egypt will not escape . . . but HE will gain control over the
HIDDEN TREASURES of gold (black gold?) and
silver, and over all the precious things . . . ” (Daniel 11:40-43) (My
emphasis).
Thence,
all the US Troop deployments (prepositioning) throughout the region . . . and I
mean an increasing number of US military bases for land, naval and air (Romania,
Bulgaria, Ukraine (Yes, even Ukraine now that “democracy” has broken out in the
Ukraine!), Cyprus, Poland, Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia, Greece, Iraq,
Georgia, the STANS, the Persian Gulf, ISRAEL, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan,
Afghanistan, Yemen, the Horn of Africa, and on and on—count them: Some 735+ and
growing overseas bases and nearly half the nations of the planet! Shall I say
it again: WHO IS ABLE TO MAKE WAR WITH HIM! Listen, we’re not talking about
minor investment here . . . one-half trillion dollars in one year alone is
pouring into this operation and every single member of the planet (that’s right,
the planet because they’re financing our horrendous deficits) is paying for it!
All this to say that the USA has "had it" with
these terrorists . . . and so has Israel . . . in any event . . . watch Turkey
and especially Egypt (King of the North, King of the South) . . . for it’s
through them that Gog shall arise.
All "Islamic Hell" is about to break lose.
We're calling it just like IT IS! Remember, it was the Ottoman Turks who put
the Sunnis in control of Iraq OVER 500 YEARS AGO . . . now, the "upstart USA"
comes in and turns Turkey’s little theater of operations upside down! And,
worse yet, KURDISTAN and the final demise of the Ottoman Empire has commenced in
earnest. Likewise, don’t forget that Turkey told the Iranians that the “three
of them (Turkey, Iran and Syria) could make war against the Kurds” . . .
AS IF THE USA DIDN’T EXIST (e.g., “over my
dead body you will”).
What's astounding in all of this is the
stupidity of Gog! Yet, there is NOTHING, ABOSOLUTELY NOTHING more galvanizing
than Islamic fundamentalism gone amok . . . and you, my friend are about to see
it very soon—hoards of SUICIDE BOMBERS stomping through minefields in human
waves just to get at this HIM whereof Daniel speaks!
But, remember, the Word of God—though they sneer
at it/us and though they scoff throughout their protestations on how “awful” is
our God to “permit such a thing” to happen; just remember, HE THAT SITS IN THE
HEAVENS SHALL LAUGH, THE LORD SHALL HAVE THEM IN DERISION! We are witnessing
the culmination of Gentile World Power seen by Moses, Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah,
Isaiah, Zechariah, Jesus, Paul, Peter, Jude, James, and most assuredly, John the
apostle. They know not, these nations, that “they have gathered against the
Lord, and against His Messiah!” (Psalms 2).
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