Signs of the Times – Part unknown

Iran’s Attempt to Transfer Weapons Through Turkey Foiled

The Prophet Ezekiel (chapter 38) informs us that in the latter days Iran (Persia) will be acting in harmony with Turkey. The fulfillment of this portion of prophecy is hard to anticipate as Turkey is a full-fledged member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). As a member of NATO, Turkey is fully aligned with the “merchants of Tarshish” and not with “Gog.” Yet in early February, Turkey conspired with Iran to assist the transfer of weapons to the Hizbullah terrorist faction located in Lebanon. Israeli Radio KOL YISRAEL reported that: “An attempt by Iran to transfer weapons through Turkey to Hizbullah terrorists in Lebanon was foiled. This was the first time Iran has tried to use Turkey as a weapons conduit. In the past, Syria has served this role.”

Quite possibly, this event could indicate a budding relationship between Turkey and Iran. Should that development transpire, Bible students will again be seeing latter-day prophecies fulfilling before their eyes.

Saudi Arabia and Israel Normalize Relations

According to prophecy, relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia must be harmonious before the Gogian invasion (Ezk. 38). During January, relations between the two countries moved in this direction. The Jerusalem Post reported that: “A senior figure in the Saudi monarchy said Israel is an established fact in the Middle East and that Saudi Arabia no longer views Israel as a hostile state.”

This sentiment was reinforced by the Saudi government’s chief mufti, Sheik Abdullah al-Baz who issued an Islamic religious ruling stating, “Israel is not an enemy.” The Sheik also demonstrated through tracts in the Koran that it is permissible to make pilgrimage to the Al-Aksa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem. The newspaper reported that Jordanian figures who recently visited Saudi Arabia received an official blessing from the Saudi regime on their step forward.

Jew Pitted Against Jew

Their success in absorbing Jews from the world over has been a matter of great pride for Israelis. In the past decade alone, this country of five million made room for 30,000 Ethiopian Jews and 500,000 Russian Jews all without massive disruption.

But now trouble is looming. Last month 10,000 Ethiopian Jews demonstrated violently in front of the Prime Minister’s office. As the confrontation escalated, it was evident that Jew was pitted against Jew just as Zechariah had prophesied.

The Israeli newspaper Ha’ aretz reported: “Fifty seven people sustained mostly light injuries during

the demonstration, which was attended by 10,000 Ethiopian Israelis from all over the country. Demonstrators protested the Israeli blood bank’s policy of throwing out Ethiopian blood donations due to their high risk of carrying the virus that causes AIDS. The demonstrators marched on the Prime Minister’s office and clashed with police officers attempting to block their advance. Jerusalem District Police Chief Ariyeh Amit told Israel Radio that the demonstration was the most serious in his 21-year career. “We faced a very, very serious onslaught of thousands of rocks and bottles thrown at us and at the Prime Minister’s office,” he said.

Russian Financial Woes

In early February, the Russian mining industry ground to a halt when the Russian Coal Workers Union and their 500,000 members walked off the job. Such a strike would have minimal impact on any normal nation. Unfortunately the economic situation in Russia is anything but normal. In order to resolve the strike, President Yeltsin had to rush money to the miners and assure them that a hefty $2.2 billion would be allocated to the coal industry this year.

This strike was a no-win situation for the Russian President.

Coal miners are a strong political force, particularly in winter when demand for coal is high. As a re­sult, the strike had to be quickly settled. But by solving the strike, Mr. Yeltsin jeopardized the long­term stability of Russia. According to the New York Times of February 4, 1996: “Promises of increased spending have already prompted worries on the part of Western bankers, who fear that Mr. Yeltsin is veering away from his inflation-fighting program to placate voters during the run up to the June election.”