I saw the ram butting westward, northward, and southward, and no other beasts could stand before him nor was there anyone to rescue from his power . . . (Daniel 8:4 NASB)
(Today is September 1, 2020. It is Day 237 of the grace period.)
If you follow Middle East news you probably heard of the peace agreement and the opening of formal relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The agreement was made August 13, 2020. Israel now has formal relations with three Arab nations: Egypt, Jordan, and the UAE.
The UAE is situated on the south shore of the Persian Gulf, right across the water from Iran, and is at the southern end of the Gulf. It happens to lie at the end of one of the paths south from Susa, that the Persian Ram could charge along, per Daniel 8:4, as shown on the map.
The three directions from Susa called out in Daniel 8:4. The UAE is in the extreme southeast, being the last of the great oil producers to the south.
Up to now, two things drew Iran’s IRGC to conquer and occupy the UAE. They were (1) its great oil production and reserves, comprising part of the one-fourth of world oil production that could be taken out by the IRGC, and (2) it is a relatively weak Muslim nation that would not stand in the way of the IRGC bringing its 1979 Shia Revolution to that nation.
Well, now we have a third reason for the IRGC to invade and occupy the UAE. And the reason was uttered by the man controlling one of the two powers (horns) of the Ram, that is, the supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
Just yesterday, as he spoke to the heads of education in Iran, he said,
“The UAE betrayed the world of Islam, Arab nations, regional countries and Palestine itself. Of course, this betrayal will not last long, but the stain of this infamy will remain on them forever.” [emphasis added] (From the URL https://english.khamenei.ir/news/7897/The-UAE-betrayed-the-Islamic-world-but-this-won-t-last-long)
Three things struck me about Khamenei’s statement, all in regards to the Second Signpost.
Supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei speaks to the heads of education in Iran.
First, the UAE is accused of betraying Islam and all the Arab nations. Since the UAE (a Muslim nation!) is fraternizing with what the IRGC names as the Little Satan (the USA being the Great Satan), the UAE must be invaded so the Revolution can cleanse whatever is going on in the UAE. It was already a rather “backslidden” Sunni nation, but now it is becoming a squeakier wheel.
Second is the use of the phrase, “of course.” Of course it is obvious that the UAE must be dealt with. Of course we, the Iranian regime comprising the two horns of the ram—will run out and take care of the UAE when we take care of the entire Muslim Middle East! Of course the Second Signpost is coming.
Third, apparently the UAE’s transgressions will not last long. What does this mean? The world would take this as just another “idle” threat from the supreme leader. Of course, to the student of the Signposts, it may very well mean the Second Signpost is not very far away.
Conclusion
This news story of Israel and the UAE, as it happened, could have been thought of as just noise. I didn’t mention it on this blog earlier this past August.
However, the supreme leader has elevated this new friendship with Israel now to the level of as yet another reason for the IRGC to travel to, conquer, and occupy another particular Muslim country during the Second Signpost—the UAE in this case.
Categories: In The News, Signpost #2: Iran
THE FOUR SIGNPOSTS 
A detailed map of United Arab Emirates is at https://www.ezilon.com/maps/asia/united-arab-emirates-maps.html I like the way ezilon has color-coded the seven emirates in their alliance.
It is good that Jared Kushner, America’s peacemaker in the Middle East, is not worried about the second signpost. https://youtu.be/a-796OYFl40 “Blessed are the peacemakers” even when they must weep: “Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly” (Isaiah 33:7).
Right now on its way to Mars is UAE’s Hope probe, scheduled to arrive in February 2021 about the time when UAE will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirates_Mars_Mission What the Hope probe will discover about the atmosphere of Mars will have an influence on NASA’s plans to send humans to Mars. UAE Scientists studied at NASA headquarters for a decade before launching the Hope probe on a Japanese rocket. UAE’s friendliness with the Great Satan and the Little Satan has got to rile Iran’s leaders. I wouldn’t put it past them wanting to ruin UAE’s February 2021 celebrations.
The UAE leader most responsible for both their Mars mission and making peace with Israel is Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi. Perhaps he is “the Arab prince” referred to in Nostradamus quatrain 5:25:
Le prince Arabe, Mars, Sol, Venus, Lyon,
Regne d’Eglise par mer succombera :
Devers la Perse bien près d’un million,
Bisance, Egypte, ver. serp. invadera.
Richard Sieburth 2012 translation:
The Arab Prince, Mars, Sun, Venus, Lion :
By the sea shall all Christendom succumb :
Out there in Persia more than a million :
The snake shall invade Egypt, Byzantium.
The red arrow pointing west extends from Susa, Iran into Jordan. Within Jordan is an area once known as Moab. There may be specific biblical evidence for an invasion from Susa, Iran into Moab. I say “may be” because the prophecies involved are so steeped in antiquity that understanding them is difficult. Which portions were fulfilled in ancient times and which might still apply to the end times? Isaiah 15:2 states: “Kir of Moab is laid waste.” The only other reference to Kir in the book of Isaiah mentions Elam (the capital of which was Susa): “And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield” (22:6). Ezekiel 25:9-10 indicates that cities of Moab and of the Ammonites (both in Jordan) will be possessed by “the men of the east.” Susa, Iran is east of Jordan.
As I am seeing some indicators of a Trump win and some black ministers are even having dreams like Kynan Bridges, that they need to vote for Trump, I have been thinking through the scenario setup for Iran to charge out. The military may indeed be called back to the states like you mentioned.
I cited Isaiah 15:2 when I meant 15:1, which in the NIV reads: “A prophecy against Moab: Ar in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night! Kir in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night!”
The 1985 NIV Study Bible states the Kir means “city,” and suggests that Kir probably refers to the Moab city Kir Hareseth. Oddly, the same study bible suggests that the “Kir” at Isaiah 22:6 is “perhaps another name for Media (see 21:2).”
Here is the NIV of Isaiah 21:2: “A dire vision has been shown to me: The traitor betrays, the looter takes loot. Elam, attack! Media, lay siege! I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.” The study bible’s suggestion is that the Elam-Media connection in Isaiah 21:2 is the same as the Elam-Kir connection is Isaiah 22:6.
Here is the NIV of Isaiah 22:6: “Elam takes up the quiver, with her charioteers and horses; Kir uncovers the shield.” If Kir is another name for Media, then Elam and Kir are on the same side of a military operation. But if Kir is a Moab city, then, according to Isaiah 15:1, it would be one of two cities “destroyed in a night.” If a chiastic structure encompassing Isaiah 15:1, 21:2, and 22:6 were discovered, we could see for ourselves what is going on here. Until then, I am thinking that both Kir references are to the same city in Moab, an area within Jordan.
Mark, just caught this article from PJ Media…notice the statement made in the article by Ayatollah Lotfollah Dezhkam, Supreme Leader Khamenei’s representative in Iran’s Fars province and what he stated in a Friday sermon.
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/robert-spencer/2020/09/03/antifa-blm-rioters-now-screaming-death-to-america-n885957
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/robert-spencer/2020/09/03/antifa-blm-rioters-now-screaming-death-to-america-n885957
Concerning Kir in Isaiah 22:6, “Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures” (1985) published by The Jewish Publication Society has a chiastic structure not so obvious in other bibles. Instead of Isaiah 22 having only one mention of Kir, “Tanakh” has two, with Elam sandwiched between.
Isaiah 22:5-6:
Kir raged in the Valley of Vision,
And Shoa on the hill,
While Elam bore the quiver
In troops of mounted men,
And Kir bared the shield.
That this passage is related to Moab is proven by verses 1-3, which describe mourning on rooftops. The JPS translators cited Isaiah 15:3 and Jeremiah 48:38 as other descriptions of weeping on rooftops; those references describe Moabites weeping on rooftops.
Notice the structure: (A) Kir raged in the Valley of Vision; (B) Elam bore the quiver in troops of mounted men; (A’) Kir bared the shield. “Elam bore the quiver in troops of mounted men” suggests to me the IRGC’s vast array of missile launchers.
The JPS translation is a scholarly work with alternate readings and cross-references in footnotes. It is unusual that the translators should express an interpretation. But they did for Isaiah 22 verses 1-3, which “describe a scene of mourning to take place in Jerusalem in the near future.” Whether they meant in the near future from Isaiah’s prophecy or in the near future from their translation in 1985 is not indicated.
The Companion Bible by E. W. Bullinger (1837-1913) is available online. http://www.heavendwellers.com/hd_complete_companion_bible.htm Bullinger called attention to the structures of the Bible, which are similar to the chiastics studied in Chronicles of the End Times. The difference is that Bullinger’s structures do not get into the nitty-gritty of marker sets, which help define panels, nor do they emphasize the central message of a convergent chiasmus. His structures are arranged by subject matter.
After clicking on Isaiah, waiting for the PDF download, and scrolling down to Isaiah 22, one can find Bullinger’s converging structure of Isaiah 22:1-14, the center of which is “The invaders. Persians.” But because Bullinger did not make use of central messages, he did not notice that everything else described in Isaiah 22 resulted (if historical) or will result (if end-time) from that invasion. I am seriously thinking that everything in Isaiah 22 might be fulfilled during the second signpost, and would involve Iran, Jordan, Israel, and a cleaning out of bad elements in Israel.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/09/united-states-formally-announces-troop-reduction-iraq-200909123333305.html
US cites ‘great sacrifice’ as it pulls 2,200 troops out of Iraq
American military presence in Iraq will be reduced from 5,200 to 3,000 troops this month, US Central Command announces.
09 Sep 2020 15:39 GMT
I was thinking the more treaties signed the less likely of a immediate attack, for fear of Israel’s involvement..and until all American troops leave Middle East, This could be years.
Back in July, Iran staged massive war games. I thought they were preparations for real invasions. Then I read that it was only an annual event. But beginning on September 10, less than two months after the “annual” war games, Iran has again staged massive war games. Since they extended over vast areas of ocean south of Iran, why was Iran’s regular Army involved? On September 11, Fars News Agency posted an album of photos showing tanks driving off of landing ships. https://en.farsnews.ir/imgrep.aspx?nn=13990620000663 Click on an arrow to scan through the album. If Iran is only concerned with defending itself, why practice offloading tanks and troops on beaches? These war games are happening only days before Israel and the United Arab are to sign a peace agreement in the White House on September 15, an event that the Iranian regime is not happy about. UAE has beaches on the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
In an English-language video of missile launches during the September drills (dubbed “Zolfaqar-99”) the drills are again referred to as “annual.” https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/11/633833/Iran-Advanced-Missiles-Combat-Drills Are both July and September drills annual?
On September 11, a massive explosion and fire at a military munitions depot in Jordan was captured on an electronic device camera. https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/11/633832/Massive-explosions-strike-Jordanian-military-munitions-depot-cause-major-fire Perhaps it is a sign that Bible prophecies concerning places in Jordan (Isaiah 15-16, 22:5-6, Jeremiah 48-49:22, Ezekiel 25:1-14, Daniel 11:41, Zephaniah 2:8-11) will have some end-time fulfillments.
Have you seen this?: https://www.jns.org/turkeys-bid-to-return-to-ottoman-era-glory-endangers-israel-and-the-region/
The image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is still standing until the Lord comes to demolish the whole thing, all of the kingdoms of this world opposed the YHVH God’s Kingdom which Jesus will establish forever. Each of the previous kingdoms have tried, or are trying, to restore their former glory; for example, Saddam Husseign in Iraq (Babylon). Iran will try, and then be defeated by Yavan/Turkey. Then the Antichrist will emerge until the Lord blows upon him with His breath. God can work quickly in this last generation to fulfill His plan right on time!
Iran also remembers the UAE’s involvement fighting their proxies the Houthis in Yemen.
From this April:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/dividing-yemen-key-saudi-uae-objective-analyst-200427083159938.html
Dividing Yemen a key Saudi-UAE objective, analyst says
Both Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates would benefit from two weak states kept in perpetual conflict, expert says.
by Ali Younes
27 Apr 2020 12:26 GMT
The announcement by Yemen’s secessionists that they will establish southern self-rule in regions under their control may have placed the war-ravaged country on an irreversible path towards perpetual conflict.
The announcement by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) does not establish new realities on the ground because it has unilaterally governed the southern provinces and Yemen’s key port city of Aden since 2015, after it expelled the internationally recognised but powerless government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Iran never did completely stop building Houthi missile launch capabilities:
https://breakingdefense.com/2020/09/houthi-drones-missiles-strike-saudi-capital-iran-eyes-israelis-in-uae/
Houthi Drones, Missiles Strike Saudi Capital; Iran Eyes Israelis In UAE
A delegation of Israeli and Emirati intelligence officers arrived and examined locations for establishing planned intelligence bases on Socotra Island, designed to collect intelligence across the region, particularly from Bab Al-Mandab and south of Yemen, along with the Gulf of Eden and the Horn of Africa.
By Arie Egozi on September 10, 2020 at 5:24 PM
TEL AVIV: Iran, expecting creation of an Israeli “outpost” in the UAE as part of the normalization agreement, has threatened the US and Israel if that happens. Israeli officials refuse to speak openly about the plan but it can be understood that the normalization agreement will have some major strategic benefit for Israel.
Israeli officers have reportedly already visited the planned location for this base. One such report was published in JForum, the official site of the Jewish and French-speaking community. Israel and the UAE have already undertaken steps to install a base on Socotra Island, strategically located in the Arabian Sea some 350 kilometers south of Yemen, which is controlled by the UAE. A delegation of Israeli and Emirati intelligence officers arrived and examined locations for establishing planned intelligence bases designed to collect intelligence across the region, particularly from Bab Al-Mandab and south of Yemen, along with the Gulf of Eden and the Horn of Africa.
Yoni Ben Menahem, a Middle East expert in Jerusalem, says “the Iranians may try to harm the new relations between the UAE and Israel by attacking Israeli targets in the Emirates.”
Iran’s military has completed its three day Zolfaqar war games. Amphibious invasions were part of the drills, as can be seen in these photos.
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/09/11/2346465/iranian-forces-exercise-amphibious-offense-in-war-game/photo/1
Notice the two-man vessels used to approach beaches to be invaded. They are too small and too enmeshed in the waves to even show up on radar. The drills also tested firing cruise missiles from submarines beneath the surface of the sea.
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/09/11/2346614/iranian-submarine-fires-cruise-missile-in-war-game-video
On the second day of the drills the USA military had sent in aircraft drones to observe. These had already been seen approaching by Iran’s advanced radar systems, were intercepted, ordered to leave, and they left.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/11/633872/Iran-Army-intruding-aircraft
From Zerohedge: Houthis Strike Riyadh With Missiles And Drones; Saudi Coalition Retreats In Yemen, https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/houthis-strike-riyadh-missiles-and-drones-saudi-coalition-retreats-yemen
After Bahrain joined UAE in deciding to normalize relations with Israel, Zahra Mostafavi, daughter of Khomeini, the first Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, issued an open letter to the heads of Islamic states. The full text was translated into English and published on the Islamic Republic News Agency website. https://en.irna.ir/news/84036436/SDPN-Sec-Gen-warns-against-normalization-of-ties-with-Zionist
Some words and phrases in the letter need defining. “Al-Quds Al-Sharif” = Jerusalem. “Islamic Ummah” = the community of those submitting to Islamic law. “72 years of Palestinians’ displacement” refers to the state of Israel established in 1948. “Kufr” is disbelief in Allah and His Messenger, Muhammad. It is the opposite of “iman,” which means faith. and is considered to be a grave sin in Islam, punishable in the hereafter by hellfire.
Here are some zinger remarks in the letter: “Those who have made such a wrong decision [making peace with Israel] will pay a heavy toll. They should not forget the fate of Anwar Sadat.” [Sadat was assassinated in 1981 for making peace with Israel in 1979.] “No doubt, what is to be the outcome of this choice [making peace with Israel] will be numerous socio-political issues, as well as security and economic problems, for your state and nation.” “Israel is the result of their [Western countries’] long colonial experience and their will is to take full control over the region through Zionism and as the US president remarked to milk the wealth of region and to behead them in the end.” [An inflammatory remark intended to stir up anger. No US President has made such a statement. But lies like that can cause problems for heads of Islamic countries thinking about making peace with Israel.]
Mark,
This new book popped up on my FB feed tonight. Thought you might be interested in taking a look at it.
Hi Gary,
Well, at least one other person is viewing Babylon the Great as I do. At the top of p. 7 he declares the identity of Babylon the Great. Hopefully he follows through in his book.
I cannot recommend it as I haven’t read it nor do I have time to in the near future, but it looks promising. Thanks for sharing the link.