Russia claims it is protecting its citizens; Europe’s biggest 21st century crisis; French journalist supporting President Yanukovych
Soldiers in Crimea
While the West is having meetings, Russia is consolidating its power in the Crimean region of Ukraine:
March 3, 2014
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Russia’s foreign minister defended the increasing presence of his country’s troops in Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, ahead of a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is hoping to prevent a further escalation in the region.Sergei Lavrov said Monday that the use of Russian troops in Crimea is necessary “until the normalization of the political situation” in Crimea. He spoke at the opening of the U.N. Human Rights Council session in Geneva and said his country’s troops are protecting Russian nationals.
Ukraine accused Russia of carrying out a military invasion and urged Moscow to withdraw its forces, which have surrounded Ukrainian military bases across Crimea and set up roadblocks.
Russian media reported that Russian fighter jets flew through Ukraine’s airspace over the Black Sea overnight Sunday into Monday.
Russia, China agree
Russia’s foreign ministry also says Russia and China have coinciding views on the situation in Ukraine, while the leaders of the G7 group of nations are condemning what they say is Russia’s “clear violation” of Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Lavrov spoke to his Chinese counterpart phone on Monday. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said China wants to see a political solution to the situation.
“We understand the historical background of the Ukraine issue, and the complexity of the current reality. As I have said yesterday, to get to this point today, things happened for a reason. We hope that all parties can, through dialogue and… consultation, find a political solution, prevent further escalation and work together to safeguard peace and stability in the region,” said Qin.
G7 expresses concern
The G7 leaders issued a joint statement calling on Russia to address any concerns it has with Ukraine through either direct negotiations or mediation led by the U.N. or the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The G7 includes the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.
The OSCE is holding a special meeting Monday to discuss how to best support Ukraine…
Ukraine’s interim government ordered a full military mobilization Sunday in an effort counter what Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk called a Russian act of war.
Meanwhile, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said ousted president Viktor Yanukovych is still the legitimate leader in Ukraine, and that he was illegally forced from power. http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-china-agree-on-ukraine-g7-condemns-russian-violation/1862761.html
March 2, 2014
Earlier today, Ukraine sais it is calling up its military reservists in response to the Russian parliament’s approval of the deployment of troops to Crimea.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said Russian armed action “would be the beginning of war and the end of any relations between Ukraine and Russia.”
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Ramussen said NATO supports the right of the Ukrainian people to determine their future. He said Sunday Ukraine is a “valued” NATO partner and urged Russia to “de-escalate” the tension in the region…
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Ukrainian Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev told the Security Council that 15,000 Russian troops are already in Crimea under the pretense of protecting Russian citizens.Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin blamed the West for ratcheting up tensions in Ukraine and backing protests that ousted President Viktor Yanukovych last month.
The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Samantha Power, said Russian actions speak louder than words. She said a Russian force in Ukraine could push the situation beyond the breaking point and again called for international mediation in Crimea.
Russia has said its troop movements in Crimea, where it leases a naval base in Sevastopol, conform to agreements with Ukraine.
Crimea is a Black Sea peninsula placed under Ukrainian control in 1954 by then-Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. It became part of Ukraine when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Crimea has a tiny border with Russia on its far eastern point. Most of the people living in Crimea are ethnic Russians, but the region also is home to ethnic Muslim Tartars who generally show disdain toward Russia.
Ukraine’s troubles began in November when ousted president Yanukovych backed out of a trade deal with the European Union in favor of closer ties and economic aid from Russia. http://www.voanews.com/content/ukraine-calls-up-reservists/1862314.html
March 3, 2014
Ukraine crisis live: ‘Worst crisis in Europe in the 21st Century’
More Russian armoured troops have been seen massing on the border of Crimea today as frantic diplomatic efforts continue. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ukraine/10672417/Ukraine-live.html
A Shaken EU Makes No Real Effort to Confront Russia Over UkraineBoth the EU and America have been outgunned by Russia on UkraineCrimea Is Gone—What Does NATO Do Next?Russian President Vladimir Putin “is running circles around” the U.S. in his maneuvering on the global stage, a senior House Republican said Sunday following Putin’s military intervention in Ukraine.
“I think Putin is playing chess, and I think we’re playing marbles. It’s not even close,” the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), said on “Fox News Sunday.” http://thehill.com/blogs/global-affairs/europe/199647-putin-running-circles-around-us-rogers-says
The Editor-in-Chief of the French website realpolitik.tv Aymeric Chauprade is a military analyst, an expert in the events in Russia and a close associate of Marine Le Pen. In one of his recent articles, Mr. Chauprade called the support of the Ukrainian opposition by the US “the US’s aggression against Russia”…
Mr. Chauprade…Please say some more words…
I believe, at present, there is no legitimate government in Ukraine. The current government has not been elected by the people – it in fact came to power as a result of a coup. One may like Mr. Yanukovich or not, but I insist that he is still the legitimate president of Ukraine. The current Ukrainian “government” is closely cooperating with nationalistic groups who are openly infringing the basic rights of ethnic Russians in the country. They want to separate the Ukrainian Orthodox Christian Church from the Russian Orthodox Church. Of course, Russia cannot stay idle when pogroms against ethnic Russians are taking place in Ukraine. As for the Crimea Peninsula, it officially has a status of an autonomous formation within Ukraine. There are concrete laws in Ukraine that defend the interests of ethnic Russians in Crimea, but the current Ukrainian “authorities” are openly ignoring them. I believe that Russia’s reaction to such a situation is quite well thought out. After all, Russia has not introduced its armed forces to Ukraine so far. Russia is trying to solve the conflict in Crimea by separating the conflicting sides. http://voiceofrussia.com/2014_03_03/French-journalist-accuses-Ukraine-s-new-government-of-infringing-human-rights-8056/
It should be noted that I do not believe that the majority of journalists and Ukrainians are supporting what Russia is doing. Russia seems to have intentionally reported those that support its position. China is a Russian ally that wants the East to be able to counter the West.
That being said, many in Crimea and eastern Ukraine were concerned that their nation’s elected president was toppled in a protest coup, and then that interim government basically passed a law making those that spoke Russian second class citizens.
There are at least two regions and two clashing attitudes in Ukraine. As I have written for some time, there could be a split there.
In my view, the current crisis in Ukraine is showing the Europeans that Russia does not consider Europe a credible military threat without direct USA involvement and if the Europeans want to defend hoped for European Union countries like Ukraine, and even actual European Union countries, that Europe needs to have a stronger, more independent, military. Many realize that the Ukrainian crisis has wounded the pride of the power of the USA (cf. Leviticus 26:19).
Medes and Prophecy
There are descendants of the ancient Medes in the territory taken up by modern day Ukraine.
In the first century, Josephus wrote:
Japhet, the son of Noah, had seven sons: they inhabited so, that, beginning at the mountains Taurus and Amanus, they proceeded along Asia…they called the nations by their own names…Now as to Javan and Madai, the sons of Japhet; from Madai came the Madeans, who are called Medes, by the Greeks… Thobel founded the Thobelites, who are now called Iberes; and the Mosocheni were founded by Mosoch…And so many were the countries that had the children of Japhet for their inhabitants. (Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews. VI, 1).
Other ancient historians also wrote about the Medes:
Herodotus wrote that the Medes were beginning to settle in the Ukraine even in his time. He main-tained that there were people who ‘dressed in Median fashion’ that live ‘north of Thrace . . . beyond the Danube.’ (Slytie P. The Three Edens. Xulon Press, 2011, p. 784)
Pliny mentions “the river Don, where the inhabitants are … said to be descended from the Medes” (book 6, sec.11) (UKRAINE). (Hunt K. The Biblical Prophets for Today. iUniverse, 2011, p. 7)
Isaiah mentions a chariot drawn by asses, xxi. 7 ; and Herodotus, that the Medes used wild asses to draw their war-chariots ; both apparently referring to the dun variety, which can be traced even now in the Ukraine, (Lizars WH. W.H. Lizars, 1866. Original from the New York Public Library, Digitized Dec 4, 2009, p. 110)
Herodotus lived in the fifth century B.C. and has been called “the father of history.” Pliny was a first century A.D. Roman nobleman and historian. Isaiah 21:2 is a reference to the Medes, hence there seems to be a tie into at least some part of Ukraine.
At least some of those in the Ukraine seem to have some ties to the Medes. The late John Ogwyn wrote:
In earliest times we find two nations, identified in the Bible as Meshech and Tubal, dwelling in the easternmost part of Asia Minor along the southeastern shore of the Black Sea. These closely related nations were called Mushki by the Assyrians and Moschi by the Greeks. To their east were a related people, the ancient Medes, who dwelt between the Black and Caspian Seas. These peoples, under the leadership of the Medes, played a prominent role in the destruction of the Assyrian capital, Ninevah, in 612BC.
The fifth and fourth centuries BC saw increasing conflict between the Persian and Greek realms, with peoples such as Meshech, Tubal, Lud (Lydia), Medes and Elamites being drawn into the fighting. By the close of the fourth century BC the Greeks, under Alexander the Great, had triumphed over Persia. It was the subsequent Greek invasion of eastern lands that resulted in pressure on people living between the Black and Caspian Sea to migrate north into the Scythian plains. Many different peoples, including remnants of the exiled northern ten tribes of Israel, inhabited the vast plains of Scythia during the coming centuries…
From north of the Black Sea the Elamites gradually spread west and south, giving rise to the Slavic population in central and southern Europe. The tribes who traced their descent from the ancient Medes moved a little north and west to lay claim to the rich farmland of Little Russia, the Ukraine. From Meshech and Tubal came the Great Russians, who spread north and east, eventually establishing Moscow and the principality of Muscovy. The River Moskva, named for the people of Meshech (called Mushki or Moschi anciently), gave its name to the city and principality.
The question is are most Ukrainians Medes or are the Medes mainly the peoples in the eastern portion of Ukraine as well as various ones in Russia? Tracing the movements of people, especially because of intermarriage, can be a bit tricky.
Some of the Russians themselves appear to have been from the Medes. Notice the following account:
But how are we to explain the name Russia? The old-fashioned view was to derive the word from the Rhoxolani. This, however, has long been abandoned. One thing is certain, namely, that these Rhoxolani were of Oriental descent, a Medic or Iranic tribe. They disappear from history, having, like so many other tribes — as, for instance, the Pechenegs and the Khozars—been swallowed up by the huge waves of immigration which overflowed the country (Morfill WR. Russia. Published 1890 by T.F. Unwin, London).
There are many disputes among academics as to who derived from whom, thus it is not completely clear, for example, that the Rhoxolani were Medes who went to Russia.
However, if the Rhoxolani were Medes, then it would seem to be consistent with certain biblical prophecies.
It should be pointed out that at least one historian, George Rawlinson, identified those in Ukraine as not necessarily descended from the Medes, but from the Gimri or Alani, who were possibly Medes or possibly not:
The nations of Japhetic stock which were developed at an early date are:
1. The Gimiri, (Gomer) or Kiramerians, who possessed the Ukraine ; 2. The Saka (Scythians), called in Scripture Magog; 3. The Mada (Madai) or Medes ; 4. The Yafones (Javan), the Ionians or Greeks ; 5. The Tuplai (Tubal) or Tibareni; 6. The Muskai (Meshech) or Moschi; and 7. the Thracians (Tiras) (Rawlinson G. Ancient History Volume 1 of A sketch of universal history. C.W. Deacon, 1887. Original from the University of Michigan, Digitized Jun 2, 2007, p. 21)
The Alani…in the south of Russia in Europe, in modern Ukraine…Some regard them as Medes, others as Teutons…(Rawlinson G. The sixth great Oriental monarchy; or The geography, history, & antiquities of Parthia. Spottiswoods, 1873. Original from Oxford University, Digitized Jun 28, 2006, p. 291)
Now, as I do not agree that the Scythians are Magog, there are problems with the above. But it is possible that the Ukrainians in the western portion of that country are not predominantly Medes.
If the Medes are the main people in the West, ultimately, even if they support the European Union and are ever able to join with Europe, the Bible shows that they will support a force against end time Europe. Those called Medes are also shown to destroy the final Babylon according to both Isaiah and Jeremiah:
1 The burden against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw…
17 “Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them,
Who will not regard silver;
And as for gold, they will not delight in it.
18 Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces,
And they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb;
Their eye will not spare children.
19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride,
Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. (Isaiah 13:1, 17-19)11 Make the arrows bright!
Gather the shields!
The Lord has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes.
For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it,
Because it is the vengeance of the Lord,
The vengeance for His temple. (Jeremiah 51:11)27 Set up a banner in the land, Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations against her, Call the kingdoms together against her: Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a general against her; Cause the horses to come up like the bristling locusts. 28 Prepare against her the nations, With the kings of the Medes, Its governors and all its rulers, All the land of his dominion. 29 And the land will tremble and sorrow; For every purpose of the Lord shall be performed against Babylon, To make the land of Babylon a desolation without inhabitant. (Jeremiah 51:27-29)
Catholics may find it of interest to note that even among their scholars, it is taught that the “Babylon” of Jeremiah 51:11 is referring to a European power: “the Roman Empire” (Kurz W. What Does the Bible Say About End Time? A Catholic View. Nihil Obstat: Hilarion Kistner, Imprimatur: +Carl Moeddel, July 19, 2004. Servant Books, 2004, pp. 48-49).
Both Russia and the European Union are truly interested in Ukraine.
But what about Europe?
As I have mentioned before, in the Book of Daniel, it is prophesied that a little horn would develop and would mainly expand South and East into what apparently is becoming a European entity (Daniel 8:9-12). Ukraine is south and mainly east of the nations that once were part of Benelux–the ‘entity’ that eventually grew into the European Union. So Ukraine, for a while at least, may end up supporting Europe–though that is not certain. The Bible shows that all the world will worship the beast (Revelation 13:4,8), so that will include those of the Ukraine. However, that does not mean that all will be part of the Beast’s empire.
If most of those in western Ukraine are not descendants of the Medes (and I have not seen DNA or specific genetic evidence on this, mainly reports from historians related to the general region), look for a split in Ukraine, with the western portion attempting to be part of the European Union–although Russia could stop this militarily. Even if those in the west are Medes and even if they do end up in the European Union, note that Bible prophecy teaches that the Medes will turn against the end time Babylonian power that will fully arise in Europe.
Many in Ukraine are scared and frightened and need our prayers.
Some items of possibly related interest may include:
Russia and Ukraine: Origins and Prophesied Future Where do the Russians come from? What about those in the Ukraine? What is prophesied for Russia and its allies? What will they do to the Europeans that supported the Beast in the end?
The Eurasian Union, the Kings of the East, and Bible Prophecy Is there a Eurasian union that will be formed? Is one being formed right now? Are any leaders working on that in the 21st century? Does the Bible teach that there will be a Eurasian union? If some type of Eurasian union is formed, who might it benefit and who will it destroy? A related video would be Is The Eurasian Union Rising?
Is Russia the King of the North? Some claim it is. But what does the Bible teach? Here is a link to a video, also titled Is Russia the King of the North?
Some Similarities and Differences Between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Continuing Church of God Both groups claim to be the original church, but both groups have differing ways to claim it. Both groups have some amazing similarities and some major differences. Do you know what they are?
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
WTO/TTIP and the Babylonian Beast Will international trade agreements like WTO/TTIP/CETA lead to the fulfillment of end time prophecies concerning the Babylonian Beast power that the Book of Revelation warns against? What does the Bible teach? A related video would be WTO Trade Deal and the Rise of the European Beast Power.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Edition for Second Obama Term This is a 160 page book for people truly interested in prophecies related to Barack Obama and the United States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled (which the book documents in detail) and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also has a chapter about a Republican choice. This book is available to order at www.barackobamaprophecy.com. The physical book can also be purchased at Amazon from the following link: Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Barack Obama Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic Catholic, Kenyan, and other America-Related Prophecies? What About Republican Leaders? Second Edition for Second Obama Term.
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