Aliyah, the Mahdi, Nukes, and EU Battle Groups

by Michael G. Mickey

(10-3-06)

Jesus Christ is Lord and He is coming soon! Yes, I tend to say that at some point and in some variation in almost every commentary I write but how can I not in light of the news in the world around us?

Aliyah

Israel National News is reporting that "218 members of the Bnei Menashe community are being allowed to come on Aliyah (immigrate to Israel) to be accepted as Jewish returnees under the Israeli Law of Return."

The article is calling this development a "major historical event" because "these members of a lost tribe of Israel, after 27 centuries of wandering in exile, will at last be coming home."

God's promise to the nation of Israel, which had been scattered abroad until a regathering of the Jewish people began in earnest in 1948 with the nation of Israel's birth, was that He would take them from among the heathen and gather them out of all countries to bring them into their own land (Ezekiel 36:24). After that, we're told in Scripture, the day will come when the children of Israel will be His people and He their God. That day, as the historical event detailed in the Israel National News article reminds us, is on its way to becoming a reality!

In spite of all the inherent dangers that exist for the Jewish people to return to their ancestral homeland at this time when it is surrounded on every side by enemies bent on its destruction is a living testimonial to the accuracy of the prophetic Word of God. How sweet it is! Amen?

The Mahdi

The Times Online is reporting the following, in part:

THE followers of Moqtada al-Sadr believe that the US invaded Iraq to prevent the return to Earth of their sect’s messiah-like figure, the Mahdi, or 12th imam.

Hojatoleslam al-Sadr claims that his militia is preparing for the day when the Mahdi, the last direct descendent of the revered Shia figure Ali, reappears. Shia believe that the Mahdi, who disappeared in 868, will bring justice to Earth.

In Bible prophecy we're told that the Middle East is going to explode into warfare, particularly in the Tribulation Period to come. As we see in the news stories of our world today, from Iran's Ahmadinejad to Osama bin Laden to Moqtada al-Sadr, the practitioners of radical Islam long to plunge the world into an apocalyptic scenario not unlike that which will lead the world to Armageddon.

In the Times Online article, I noticed an interesting sentence, speaking of Americans, that reads as follows (emphasis added mine) : "They have a big file for Imam Mahdi and they just need his picture to complete it."

Does that sentence imply that the proponents of radical Islam know who they believe their Mahdi is to the extent they believe a photo could be taken of him? That seems to be the case from my perspective, which leaves little hope that the war on terrorism is going to succeed in calming radical Islam's desire to destroy western civilization. As Iran tirelessly works toward acquisition of the nuclear bomb, the followers of radical Islam may have someone in mind to be their Mahdi.

Do I need to say anything more?

Nukes

As I just stated, Iran's pursuit of a nuclear weapon is continuing unabated which is of great concern to the safety of America and the western world. Meanwhile another member of the Axis of Evil, North Korea, is planning to test a nuclear weapon, according to The Australian. Stating it feels it must do so due to "US extreme threat of a nuclear war and sanctions and pressure", North Korea, should it decide to detonate a nuclear weapon, will make an already dangerous global environment even more frightening than it already is - a reminder of the lateness of the hour we're presently living in.

2nd Timothy 3:1: This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

EU Battle Groups

As seen in a summary of remarks made by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, the long-awaited EU battle groups will be operational by January 1, 2007, their availability "essential to underpin the EU's ambition and capacity to be a global actor."

In Bible prophecy we're told of a dreadful and terrible beast that will come to exist in the last days - one that will constitute a revival of the former Roman empire of old. This beast, referred to as exceeding dreadful in Daniel 7:19, with its teeth of iron and nails of brass, is going to devour the whole earth, tread it down, and break it in pieces, according to Daniel 7:23. Does the arrival of these EU battle groups, at least in part, give us a glimpse into the revived Roman empire's military might to come?

In May of 2005, I wrote the following, in part, on the topic of EU battle groups:

While the EU is not presently known for its great iron teeth, the EU Observer is reporting EU defense ministers have taken some more steps towards the creation of the bloc's rapid reaction 'battle groups' by deciding to speed up the bloc's notoriously slow decision-making process at the request of the European Union's foreign policy chief, Dr. Javier Solana.

Solana's proposal speeds the process by forcing defense ministers to agree to make a decision to deploy forces to a region within five days then insure the forces are on the ground at the trouble spot within ten short days. In terms of military warfare, that is lightning fast!

The EU Observer's report not only indicates decisions are going to be made quicker, but tells us Germany has signed itself up to support two more battle groups of 1,500 or so troops each, along with with France and Spain as well as Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania and Latvia. The first of these newest battle groups will be ready in the second half of 2008 and the second during the first half of 2010. Additionally, the report states a Nordic group comprised of Estonia, Finland, Sweden and non-EU members Iceland and Norway should have battle groups up and running in 2008. All these forces, according to the report, will be expected to be "worthy representatives of the European Union".

Once the Rapture of the Church takes place and the Antichrist is subsequently revealed to the world by confirming a seven-year covenant of peace "with many" in the Middle East, the exceedingly dreadful beast, the revived Roman empire we today call the European Union, will go on a tear under his wicked leadership. Although it will initially seem invincible, it will meet its end after only 7 short years when Jesus Christ returns with ten thousands of His saints (Jude 1:14) at Armageddon to dismantle the kingdom of Antichrist and subsequently establish the Millennial Kingdom of Christ upon the earth.

Day by day, we are drawing closer to Christ's return for His Church, after which the seven-year Tribulation Period will soon or immediately begin, as well as the countdown to Jesus Christ's visible, physical, bodily return to the earth.

The evidence is all around us that all these things are coming into view on the prophetic horizon! What an exciting time to be alive!

BE READY TO MEET JESUS CHRIST IN THE AIR WHEN HE CALLS!

* Special thanks to Denise Gumprecht and Sheri Flynn for helping me dig up the news for today's commentary. A large part of the information gathered here is brought here by actual readers of the site. Although I may not always acknowledge it, all who contribute to my work here are GREATLY appreciated and loved as I only have two eyes --- and two very slow typing fingers!