Messianic Expectations of Middle East Unrest

Jerusalem

At least one Jew in Lithuania believe that the current unrest in the Middle East is a sign that the Messiah will be here soon:

‘Arab unrest signals Messiah’s coming’

Ynet News – Feb 23, 2011

Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, an unconventional Lithuanian leader who is believed to have mystic powers, offered a different explanation. “It is evident that many unnatural things are happening,” he said. “People have come to me and said that it’s ‘Gog and Magog’. We cannot know. But it’s probable that any unrest that God creates shows that the Messiah is coming, and that we must begin to prepare for it and become stronger.”

Another prominent rabbi, Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz, is certain that God is causing the turmoil in order to put the people in their place. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4032909,00.html

As I reported earlier (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: World Order About to Collapse, Mahdi Behind it), the Iran’s President believes that the Shi’ite Messiah (known as the Imam Mahdi) is about to return and is managing what is happening now (apparently behind the scenes):

In his fiery style, Ahmadinejad, showed his messianic beliefs…saying the world was witnessing a revolution managed by Imam Mehdi…who Shiites believe would return on the judgement day.

“The final move has begun. We are in the middle of a world revolution managed by this dear (12th Imam). A great awakening is unfolding. One can witness the hand of Imam in managing it,” said Ahmadinejad (Davari M. US, Israel will soon exit Middle East: Ahmadinejad. AFP – February 11, 2011. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j4nERLgb7ILzV-di10ZB5i5GewYg?docId=CNG.680158c3fc877f3521627185c89de338.1f1).

In today’s TW News & Prophecy, LCG reported:

Increasing Arab Unrest with the West.

Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi recently urged Palestinian refugees to “capitalize on the wave of popular revolts in the Middle East by massing peacefully on the borders of Israel until it gives in to their demands… Gaddafi also issued a call to Muslim countries to join forces against Western powers.

He said the world was divided into white, denoting the United States, Europe and their allies, and green for the Muslim world” (Reuters Africa, February 13, 2011). Gaddafi’s calls for Arab action are being heard. Last week (February 16), two Iranian military ships passed through the Suez Canal en route to Syria–apparently aiming to put pressure on Israel. This is the first time that an Iranian war ship has been allowed to pass from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean (DEBKA.com, February 16, 2011).

Bible prophecies indicate that Jerusalem and “Judah” will be a “cup of trembling unto all the people round about” (Zechariah 12:2), and that Israel’s enemies would attempt to cut her off from being a nation (Psalm 83:1-4). The Scriptures also warn that all the “lovers” or allies of the Israelite-descended nations will turn on them and become their enemies (Jeremiah 30:14; Ezekiel 23:9 and 22). Events developing in the Middle East are certainly moving in the direction these prophecies have long indicated!

The events in the Middle East are moving in the direction to fulfill many biblical prophecies.

In Libya, there have been a couple of statements from Libya’s leader that I would like to share here:

TRIPOLI, Libya — Government forces opened fire Friday on protesters in Libyan capital Tripoli, as the uprising against Col. Moamar Khadafy that already caused his regime to lose control of swaths of the country reached his stronghold.

Libyan leader Khadafy has told a crowd of his supporters massed in a central Tripoli Square to fight back against protesters and “defend the nation.” http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/khadafy_forces_fire_on_protesters_ON3P8zJDbz93ofc9VxXdNL#ixzz1F0nVOcaM

“Do not be swayed by Bin Laden,” Muammar Qaddafi declared Thursday, as he blamed the master terrorist for the unrest and violence sweeping Libya. This finger-pointing caught many by surprise…http://www.slate.com/id/2286402/

The situation is Libya is tense and violent.

Jesus said:

6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24:6-8, NKJV)

The “beginning of sorrows” is around a time of tribulation (Matthew 24:9) that is just before the “great tribulation” (vs. 21). And Jesus will return after all of that (Matthew 24:29-31).

The situation in the Middle East will, ultimately, lead to Jesus’ return and the fulfillment of Messianic prophecies, though perhaps not quite as certain Jews or Shi’ite Muslims expect.

For more information, please check out the following:

Is There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi? What does the Bible say?
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims?
Africa: Its Biblical Past and Prophesied Future What does the Bible teach about Africa and its future? Did the early Church reach Africa? Will God call all the Africans?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2018 or 2019?
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2011, 2012, or 2013? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?

In his fiery style, Ahmadinejad, showed his messianic beliefs on Friday, saying the world was witnessing a revolution managed by Imam Mehdi, the 12 Shiite imam who disappeared as a five-year-old in the 10th century and who Shiites believe would return on the judgement day.

“The final move has begun. We are in the middle of a world revolution managed by this dear (12th Imam). A great awakening is unfolding. One can witness the hand of Imam in managing it,” said Ahmadinejad, wearing his trademark jacket. (Davari M. US, Israel will soon exit Middle East: Ahmadinejad. AFP – February 11, 2011. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j4nERLgb7ILzV-di10ZB5i5GewYg?docId=CNG.680158c3fc877f3521627185c89de338.1f1)

So, somehow Iran believes that the Imam Mahdi is behind what is going on. Well, I believe that the final King of the South is currently alive, is Islamic, and may be associated with one or more transnational Islamic groups. If the King of the South is playing much of a behind the scenes role at this time will remain to be seen.

The President of Iran does not wish to promote peace, as that is not his agenda (see Iran’s Ahmadinejad Does Not Want Peace).

Perhaps it should be mentioned that the President of Iran believes that it is his special calling to create enough chaos in order to stimulate the arrival of an Islamic leader that he and others refer to as the Imam Mahdi. This leader is supposed to unite Islam and root out problems within its religion.

For various reasons, the Imam Mahdi sounds a lot like the final King of the South that the Bible foretells (Daniel 11:40-43). And he may be part of a deal that will affect the USA and its Anglo-allies (Psalm 83). And this will not be good.

Yet, the President of Iran continues to make statements to suggest he wants conflict and such a leader to appear.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

The Arab World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What does Islam teach about the Imam Mahdi?
Is There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Is he the Imam Mahdi? What does the Bible say?