Russia’s Plan to Dominate the Middle East
While the main stream media has been obsessed with the possibility of Russian collusion in the 2016 US presidential election, the real story has been the Russian collusion to dominate the Middle East while the attention of America and the West was diverted. In recent years, Russia has dramatically moved into the political and military affairs of several key Middle Eastern countries and has suddenly emerged as a major force in the region. In 2015, Russia set up a naval and air base in Syria and subsequently launched tens of thousands of attacks on the anti-Assad forces, including ISIS. In recent years, Russia has held military maneuvers with Egypt and has moved special forces troops to an Egyptian military base near the boarder with Libya. Russia also began to support one of the factions in Libya vying for power, hoping to be in a prime position to influence the future of Libya. In addition, Russia improved relations with Iran and sent their latest weaponry to the Mullahs, including anti-aircraft missile batteries and ballistic missiles. Russia also supplied Iran with technology for the enrichment of uranium and for the develop nuclear power and weapons technology. In this same time frame, Russia began to improve relations with Turkey after decades of having an adversarial relationship with that NATO country.
All of these moves were done to further Russia’s plan to dominate the Middle East, especially in countries that are anti-Israel and anti-US and which encircle the small Jewish nation. None of this has happened by accident. The Bible precisely predicts the rise of Russia and the political alignment of nations that will occur in the Last Days. Now, with Russia’s recent moves in these Middle Eastern countries, the predicted alignments are coming together today exactly as the prophets warned. The truly dangerous Russian collusion isn’t happening with any political parties in the US; it is happening with some of the most important strategic countries surrounding Israel.
Unless you dig deeply into the news, you’ve likely missed most of these developments. Despite the constant obsession of the mainstream media with a Russian connection to the US election, the real Russian collusion story isn’t occurring with political forces in the US, but with the key battleground states encircling Israel. As we will see, all of this is in preparation for those final battles as prophesied by Ezekiel over 2,500 years ago for the End Times. To better understand how this fits together, let’s look more closely at how this growing Russian collusion got started.
Obama’s Weak Foreign Policy
What made Russia suddenly come to the forefront in the Middle East? One of the most important factors was the pullback of US influence in the region over the eight years of the Obama administration. In the wake of former President Obama’s relatively weak US foreign policy combined with his reckless support for the overthrow of Middle Eastern governments by radical Islamic factions, the chaotic aftermath resulted in revolutionary power shifts throughout the region. These sweeping changes in government control have caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people. The changes have also brought forth new alliances between many countries, with Russia becoming the unexpected and primary benefactor, both politically and militarily. Russia’s plan to dominate the Middle East has not occurred by chance. The extensive Russian collusion with Middle Eastern nations has created new alliances that have begun to form in the precise pattern that was prophesied in the Bible for the Last Days.
In a number of prophecies, the Bible predicts a series of major wars that will occur in the End Times. One of these wars is described in great detail in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. These chapters amazingly predict that that a strong northern power, along with several allied nations in the Middle East, will all join in a sudden military attack upon Israel in the End Times. That prophesied northern power is identified in Ezekiel through the ethnic tribes of people that would make up the country and also by the geographic locations in which these tribes settled thousands of years ago. In the section entitled The Attack of Russia, it is shown that this great northern power is none other than the modern nation of Russia.
Russia’s plan to dominate the Middle East unwittingly sets the stage for the beginning of the major End Times alliances and dramatically presages the final wars, which are prophesied to occur just before Christ returns. The new Russian alliances that are forming will eventually conspire together to coordinate a massive attack upon Israel, which will abruptly precipitate the start of World War III. This war is predicted to begin as another Middle East war between the Arabs and Israelis—particularly, between the old confrontation states of Syria, Egypt, and Israel—but it will quickly spiral out of control and ultimately result in a global conflict leading to a vast nuclear holocaust. These events are clearly predicted in the Bible for the End Times as the start of that terrible period known as the Great Tribulation.
So how did the Russian collusion with these Middle East nations get started, and how will it lead to global war? It arose out of the chaos of the so-called Arab Spring uprisings and revolutions, which swept across the region over the last several years. The Syrian conflict was especially instrumental in leading to Russia’s plan to dominate the Middle East.
Russian Collusion with Syria
In September 2015, a besieged Syrian President Bashar al-Assad asked Russia to intervene in his battle against the Islamic terrorist group ISIS, and also to help him quell an internal rebellion by several other militant groups trying to take control of Syria. ISIS and the anti-Assad rebel forces had taken control of many eastern and northern cities in Syria, and they controlled most of the major highways in the largest region of the country. As a result of the US power vacuum created by Obama’s withdrawal policies, Russia felt enabled and quickly moved into Syria to set up a major military base and to begin launching attacks against ISIS and the anti-Assad forces. This was the beginning of the Russian collusion with Syria.
Since that time, Russia has moved into Syria with an ever-expanding military and political presence. They’ve set up a major new Mediterranean naval port along with airfields and military bases in western Syria, and their military forces operate with impunity throughout the country (although in recent months President Trump has sought to control the extent of Russian action). According to various sources within the Russian military and official news outlets, the campaign against the anti-Assad forces has included nearly 20,000 combat missions and over 71,000 airstrikes against ISIS or rebel held sites within Syria. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, by March 2017 Russian military operations caused the deaths of at least 3,284 members of the terrorist group ISIS, 3,315 anti-Assad rebels, and killed over 5,000 Syrian civilians, at least 1,900 of whom were women and children. Some entire cities have been destroyed in the battles, such as the city of Aleppo in northwestern Syria, which has born the brunt of major civilian casualties. The city is now a wasteland of destruction.
The Russian collusion and presence in Syria is also a danger to the tenuous peace between Israel and the surrounding Arab nations. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have operated in Lebanon for years and recently have begun launching attacks in Syria against the Assad and ISIS forces. The Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missiles that have been moved into Syria in addition to the latest MIG 31 fighters stationed at the Russian airbase there are making Israel’s operations in the region ever more difficult. If a direct conflict between Israel and Russian forces ensues, the battle may quickly spread to a much broader war. This tension is exactly what the Bible envisioned for the days leading up to the final battles.
These tensions were increased considerably in early April 2017 when the Assad forces crossed a moral line and launched a chemical weapons attack in the town of Khan Sheikhun in northwestern Syria. Dozens of civilians were killed, including many children. President Trump called it a “heinous” act that “cannot be ignored”. Unlike President Obama, however, who verbally condemned an even larger chemical attack by Assad in 2013 but did virtually nothing in response, President Trump quickly ordered a cruise missile attack. In the cover of night on April 7, 2017, a US warship in the Mediterranean launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles upon the Shayrat Airbase in the western part of Syria, which is run by the Syrian government air force. According to many intelligence sources, this airbase was the origin of the planes that launched the chemical attack upon Khan Sheikhun. The US cruise missile bombardment sent a loud message that the West would intervene if necessary to stop Russian-supported carnage.
Though Trump has definitely shown his willingness to intervene in the war, it is unlikely that the US will enter Syria with troops or in any permanent fashion. It is also highly unlikely that the Russian influence in the country will disappear, whether Assad survives as the leader of Syria or not. The tense adversarial relationship between Russia and the West in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East is setting up the exact political and military alignments that the Bible says will ultimately lead to World War III. There will come a time when the Antichrist will bring a temporary peace and get all the parties to sign onto it (see The Antichrist); however, the tensions coming to the forefront now will continue until The Time of The End comes upon the world.
Russian Collusion with Egypt and Libya
Another country that is a central focus of the Russian collusion in the Middle East is Egypt. The relationship between Russia and Egypt dates back many centuries, as numerous Russian governments actively supported the Christian church in Egypt, especially the Greek Orthodox Church. The good relations between Egypt and Russia continued through much of the 1900s and even surprisingly continued during the time of Soviet communism and expansion, where it would have seemed that the secular and atheistic dogma of Marx and Lenin would have spoiled the relations. In fact, the support of Russia towards Egypt during those years grew even more extensive. Russia remained interested in Egypt and other nations in the Middle East not for religious reasons but to counter the US influence in the region and to maintain a foothold near the oil rich resources of the Arabs. Russia was also a strong adversary of Israel, which naturally threw them into the Egyptian camp. Through those years, Egypt was one of the front line Arab nations that fought many wars against Israel (see the section under Israel entitled Trembling and Fear).
After Israel became a nation in 1948, Russian aid to Egypt was increased to include large amounts of military equipment and supplies to do battle against the IDF. Military aid from Russia was the major factor in the Arab states being able to wage war against Israel, and even though the Arabs lost every war they fought, during those years Russian influence was strong in the Arab world.
However, in 1972 Russia’s relationship with Egypt fell apart as the new Egyptian President Anwar Sadat suddenly expelled Soviet military advisers for meddling in Egypt’s internal affairs. Though Russia continued to sell arms to Egypt when possible and they even threatened to intervene in the 1973 Arab/Israeli War on Egypt’s behalf, relations between the countries gradually worsened throughout the 1970s.
By 1981, all ties between Egypt and Soviet Union were finally severed subsequent to the peace treaty being signed between Egypt and Israel. Instead of continuing to lean toward Russia for military aid and support, Egypt then began to turn toward the West. From that point forward, Egypt became more of an ally of the US, while keeping the USSR at a distance. The political situation remained this way for decades. Despite the fact that throughout this period End Times prophecy was being fulfilled regarding Israel and many other nations in the Middle East, the alignment of nations predicted by the prophet Ezekiel for the End Times battles had not yet fully emerged. Egypt was definitely a major missing link in this puzzle.
All that changed, however, with the major Arab uprisings in recent years within Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries. The old Egyptian government under President Mohamed Morsi was overthrown and the new military government in Egypt under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has now firmly moved back in alliance with Russia. Both the foreign ministers and presidents of Egypt and Russia have met many times since 2013, and Egypt has strongly indicated that they would like to return to the relationship they had with Russia during the Soviet era.
As a result of this new Russian collusion, the two countries have committed to joint military exercises and President Putin has promised to dramatically increase military shipments to Egypt. In March of 2017, it was even reported that Russian special forces units along with Russian drones had taken up positions at a western Egyptian military base near the border with Libya. It was speculated by Reuters and Breitbart that Russia was eyeing intervention in Libya’s political crisis, which had continued to boil over since the overthrow of Gaddafi in 2011. The so-called “Arab Spring” in Libya had actually resulted in radical Islamic chaos and tribal fighting, where at least two separate competing governments now claim the right to control the country.
The Bible clearly predicts that in the End Times Russia will be allied with powers in northern Africa, including Libya (Ezekiel 38:5; for a complete explanation see The Attack of Russia). It currently appears that the Russian collusion in Libya may be designed to back the Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar, who is a strong Russian supporter. There are also reports that private military contractors from Russia have operated within Libya in recent months. Russia is clearly interested in maintaining close relations with Libya, as they originally had during the Gaddafi years. If they can exert influence over which side eventually ends up in charge, it will be all the better for Russia’s plan to dominate the Middle East. The Russian allies that are forming in the Middle East are the very countries surrounding Israel that Ezekiel predicted. All of this is happening in preparation for that final global battle, which will lead to Armageddon and the Return of Christ!
Russian Collusion with Iran
For centuries Iran and Russia have had relations that shifted wildly between adversarial and collaboration. The earliest contacts between the Persian and Russian people were in the 16th Century, which variously involved geographic, political, and economic relations. During the time of the Soviet Union in the Twentieth Century, however, the relations were often strained due to the incompatibility of atheism at the core of communism and the religion of Islam, which dominated Iran.
Prior to 1979, Iran was under control of the strongman dictator, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was often called The Shah of Iran. Although he espoused Islam, the Shah was actually more of a secular leader who kept the radical Islamic forces at bay. At that time, Iran was also a staunch ally of the United States, while they were adversaries of Russia. Even through the worst of the Arab oil embargo in the mid-1970s, which caused widespread economic problems for the West, Iran continued to sell large quantities of oil to the US.
However, early in 1979 the Iranian Revolution, which was led by radical Islamists, resulted in the sudden overthrow of the Shah and the rise of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini. Khomeini was a radical Islamic Mullah who proclaimed that Islam was incompatible with secular and communist principles of the Soviets. He particularly hated the Western world for its excesses and immorality. In his first year in power, Khomeini’s forces overran the American embassy in Tehran and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days, from November of 1979 to January of 1981. From that point forward, Iran considered both the US and the Soviets to be mortal enemies. In the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq war, Russia even sold arms to the President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, because they considered Iran to be an enemy. Thus, even though the Bible clearly predicted that Russia and Iran (Persia) would be allies in the End Times, for much of recent history they have been ruthless enemies or adversaries at best.
It is amazing to see how the political alliances in the Middle East have changed in recent years to fulfill the prophecies of Ezekiel. These changes began with the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, but Iran and Russia have become especially close economic and political allies since Russia began selling nuclear technology to Iran. The Russian collusion in Iran expanded in earnest when the P5+1 nations and the European Union began to negotiate the nuclear deal called The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Through these negotiations, Russia was more of an advocate of Iran, being a proponent of allowing them to continue their nuclear program with only minor restrictions, and this position was both political and economic in nature. Russia stood to gain in their influence with Iran and throughout the Middle East, and they also stood to gain in future military and technology sales to Iran, which will be lucrative. Iran (Persia) is now firmly in the Russian camp, just as Ezekiel predicted would happen the Last Days.
In addition, Russian and Iran are now openly colluding in the military intervention in Syria. Iran is providing arms to Hezbollah and other forces to help combat the anti-Assad forces. Iran also recently fired missiles into Syria to help Russia fight against ISIS. This development was in response to an ISIS terrorist attack in Tehran, and it pushes the Russian collusion with Iran to even higher levels. In fact, the Russian collusion with Syria and the US intervention in the war has moved Iran and Russia even closer.
Russian Collusion with Turkey
The relations between Russia and Turkey have been strained or adversarial for centuries, especially as the early Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire vied for territory and political and economic gain from the 16th Century on. In the mid-20th Century, Turkey firmly positioned themselves as an adversary of the Soviet Union when they jointed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1951. For decades, Turkey’s alliance with the West placed them in the anti-Russian camp, which was exactly the opposite of what Ezekiel predicted for the Last Days.
All this began to change, however, with the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Since that time, Russia and Turkey have slowly become strong trading partners and have developed warmer bilateral relations. Russia now provides Turkey with much of their energy, and Turkish companies have invested heavily in Russia over the last 20 years.
There was a major blip in this friendly relationship when in November 2015 a Turkish air force F-16 fighter shot down a Russian Su-24 flying over Turkey’s southern airspace near the Syrian border. However, in June 2016 President Erdogan expressed regret and apologized for the shoot-down incident, and he and President Putin met twice, once in St. Petersburg and the second time in Istanbul. Their discussions further expanded the Russian collusion with Turkey regarding developing closer business and economic cooperation. The National Review stated that Putin and Erdogan discussed “billions of dollars in energy, infrastructure, and nuclear deals”.
Russia and Turkey are also now cooperating on a military bases. Early in March 2017, the two countries held joint naval exercises, and Putin evidently wants to establish a naval base in Mersin, Turkey, on the Mediterranean coast. During the final weeks of the Obama administration, Turkey even endorsed a Russian/Iranian sponsored diplomatic solution for Syria, which caught the US by surprise.
The Russian collusion with Turkey has now moved Turkey into an alliance with Russia that no one saw coming—except, of course, for those that are aware of the prophecies concerning Russia and Turkey in Ezekiel. All the puzzle pieces of Russian collusion with Middle Eastern countries are now falling into place to position the world for the final battles of the End Times!
