Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.(Psalm 2:1-4)
One of the amazing characteristics of our age is that earth shattering prophetic events are occurring before the eyes of the whole world, almost everyday. People see these events,through our abundance of information sources, but they numbly go about their daily life, unable to see the significance of it all.
Jesus himself pointed out this seeming paradox, when in the same sermon he warned on the one hand,
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(Luke 21:25-26)
Frightening events are happening, all of the institutions men depend on crumbling around them, problems so profound that world leaders and experts see no answers to them.But on the other hand;
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.(Luke 21:34-35)
How is it that both of these conditions can exist simultaneously? How could such earth shattering events occur, that have the hearts of thinking people failing for fear, yet at the same time Jesus has to warn people not to be apathetic and be dragged down by the mundane cares of this world?
Yet we are living it!
Currently another staggering event is occurring in Europe , which will change the very nature and composition of Europe, at the very root of our Western civilization.This event has vast prophetic implications, and is an indicator of the nearness of the time of Judgment coming upon all of the earth.
I speak of the so- called “Syrian Refugee” crisis.
This event has been the catalyst for hundreds of thousands of Middle Eastern, North African, and black African men (and some women and children of the same) to pour into Europe via Italy, Turkey and Greece on leaky boats captained by human smugglers for exorbitant rates.
Some of those boats have capsized on the way, drowning hundreds of unfortunate people, in spite of massive rescue efforts by Italian and other European Navies.
This is the largest movement of refugees since World War 2.
I want to explain it as simply as possible, unpacking some of the complexities of this mega shift, then I will try to show the prophetic aspect of it. I hope this helps.
First of all, It is indeed partially a Syrian refugee crisis. Syria has suffered a horrific civil war since 2011, which has cost 250,000 Syrian lives, wounded and maimed millions and is destroying entire villages ,towns and cities.
The war is an extension of the Obama administration foreign policy,the so- called “Arab Spring” which has swept the Levant, pulling the rug out from underneath admittedly harsh dictators, such as Kaddafi of Libya and Mubarak of Egypt, in the name of “democratic “reform.
These former dictators, and even further back, to Saddam Hussein and the Shah of Iran, were harsh by western standards, but they were not radical Islamists. They had to be harsh because they held back forces which were even more savage than they were. Saddam Hussein and Hosni Mubarak were not radical Muslims as much as pragmatic realists.For example , neither of them had a policy of persecuting Christians.
Starting in Tunisia, and working over Northern Africa through Egypt, the Arab Spring toppled the old pragmatic leaders who held back the forces of Salafism,(Radical Islam) , often having to suppress them brutally. These people actually were quite a bit of help in the “War on Terror” because they knew more than anyone the danger of letting the Islamic genie (Demon) out of the bottle.
Thanks to Obama and the leadership of England,France, and the EU, these leaders have been taken out of the way, and much of the Levant is seething with anti western fervor.It is as though the Middle East was a bottle of Champaigne, and they have shaken it and loosed the cork. Out shoot forces so radical and powerful, they will never be subdued again, until the Messiah comes to destroy them!
These demons have been knocking at the door in Syria for some time now.The situation in Syria is this; The ruling family, are the Assads. They belong to a sect in Islam called the Alawites, which is a minority sect, an offshoot of the Shiite brand of Islam.
There are still quite a few middle eastern Christians in Syria and they support Bashir Assad. So also do the Shiites of the region, and the Iranians (Also Shiites). The nation of Russia is also a supporter of Bashir Assad, and currently there are crack Russian combat units shoring up Assad’s defenses.
The Assad regime is under attack by Syrian Sunni Arab militia’s, heavily funded by the Saudi’s, and the other oil rich Sunni nations. The USA also trained and funded many of these supposedly “moderate” Sunni groups, foolishly arming them with our finest weapons and vehicles in an effort to unseat Assad.
Thus the civil war in Syria is part of the Sunni-Shiite war which has been ongoing for 1,400 years, and it is also a proxy war between Western powers and Russia and Iran.
Another aspect which is important to realize is that after the US and her coalition partners “liberated” Iraq and spent many lives and billions in treasure to re-build the Iraqi army, and equipped it with the finest western made gear, Obama was elected, and hastily withdrew from Iraq, declaring victory and leaving the fledgling nation to fend for itself .
Those Sunni militia’s which were trained and equipped by the West, but which couldn’t easily oust Assad, realized that there was a vacuum left in Iraq, so they turned the money and equipment we gave them, against the Iraqi army and carved out an area in Syria and Iraq the size of Indiana, naming it the Ilamic State of Iraq and Syria(ISIS) or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant(ISIL) .
Immediately ISIS seized the oil rich banking capital, Mosul, (which is ancient Ninevah), and robbed the banks of the Gold and oil revenue, thus becoming not just one of the richest terror organizations in the world, but one of the richest organizations in the world!
The Iraqi army, trained and equipped by the USA, but abandoned prematurely, folded before the inferior numbers fielded by ISIS, partly out of cowardice, but also partly because of Sunni loyalty.
Now ISIS is using it’s wealth and influence (Muslims are pouring in from around the world )to participate in the rape, pillage and murder, instigated by ISIS. Syria is a nightmare war zone, and more than four million Syrians have fled its borders, swelling hastily constructed tent cities in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and everywhere else where they would be welcomed.
I will mention two more things about ISIS before I conclude this part of my Syrian refugee primer.
Isis announced that it was the restorer of the Sunni Caliphate. The Caliphate is an ancient Sunni institution, which is a centralized governing authority, led by an appointed Caliph, “the prince of the faithful”. To him all Sunnis pledge allegiance and as long as he lives, he is the head of the world wide Jihad, which is the war against all infidels.
The last Caliphate was in Turkey, but was disbanded in 1922, because the Turks were on the wrong side of World War 1 , and the Ottoman Empire came under the mandates of Britain and France.
Another aspect of ISIS is a specific , ominous threat uttered against Europe by ISIS head, and presumed Caliph Al Bhagdadi, to swamp Europe with 500,00 Muslim refugees, knowing that Europe would take them in and support them.
Last night I gave a sermon encapsulating as much as I knew to simplify this crisis, it here-The Refugee crisis and Prophecy.
Look for part 2 tomorrow-
Pastor Bill Randles Blog 
Thank you for further clarification of this difficult situation
It is with deep grief and regret to write this; another sign of our times.
Ever since 9/11, our small communities have been slowly prepped, indoctrinated into believing that Christians and muslims worship the same god. I am not talking about communities of ten thousand people here, I am speaking of small towns, one to three thousand in population. We have read articles in our newspapers, written by church goers, proclaiming there is no difference between the two religions, complete with charts for comparisons. Our children, including elementary students, have listened to muslim speakers, who have been invited into the classroom to speak of their religion and their “faith/prayer lives.” Our children have come home from school, sharing what they learned from their classmates’ parents’ testimonies within the public classroom……muslims sharing their ‘faith.” My own mother-in-law attended a bible study by an influential business woman in our small town, being indoctrinated by this leader into believing the two religions worship the same god. And my mother-in-law tried her best into getting me to believe and agree with her bible study group, however, Praise our LORD, my husband and I had already embarked on a fruitful Bible study together right after 9/11 for we knew that we would have to give an answer to these people who were easily influenced by false teachings and doctrines.
Our daughter, her senior year, was to give a graduation speech in the public schools. The principal required a proofreading of the speakers speeches so as to ‘safeguard’ the content of their presentations, eliminating any uncomfortable statements. Our daughter submitted a paper copy of her speech to be reviewed by the principal, and two high school English teachers. Two statements were underlined in RED, meaning our daughter was required to eliminate those two statements referring to our LORD and her faith. There are no written rules or regulations within our rural school system stating that a student cannot speak of God, Jesus, or the LORD, so our daughter did not rebel against a school constitution so to speak. The principal stated that if she chose to leave those two statements in her speech, there was a possibility that she would not receive her diploma. A threat from the principal. And all three, the principal and the two English teachers are all church attendees in the Martin Luther/Lutheran church.
Our daughter chose to leave her faith statements in her speech; she did not let the threats from the principal shake her in any way and she chose to speak of her faith in Jesus and the plans He had for their lives. The principal, the school superintendent, and the Lutheran pastor who was elected to the school board, all sat up in the front, facing us, and were all three disgusted that our daughter dared to speak of her faith. It was a picture to behold, that is for sure……we would have thought those three would have rejoiced as the prospect of having a born again Christian student giving the graduation speech at commencement, but no.
Our public schools invite and welcome, with open arms, muslim parents to come and speak of their faith/religion. Our public schools softly persecute born again Christians from speaking of Jesus, our LORD, to their peers and parents on graduation day. All the while the adults in charge of our children attend church regularly and claim to be Christians, followers of Jesus, the Christ.
At the end of the day, perhaps most of our church structures here in America are as equally dead and equally ignorant of the Word of God as those German churches were back in my ancestors’ country. And perhaps, it will be the organized 501c. 3 churches in our communities actually doing the persecuting of born again Christians who love the LORD, live for Him, and speak of the Glorious Wonders of Salvation through Jesus……….for most in our area don’t even read their Bibles, nor do they love speaking of their faith and what they are learning from the Word.
There is a growing missionary field that is ripe for the sowing, and that is here in the U.S., my friends.
May God, the Holy Spirit, give us the wisdom, the words, and the strength, to witness and minister for our LORD in the days ahead as He leads us and calls us in humility in pointing people to Jesus.
God be with all of you. Blessings.
Dear sister Karen
It is an honor to read of your daughters steadfastness in the face of such shameful behaviour of those who have claimed Christ yet now to the wicked directives of the ideas of the lawless and faithless
I read once somewhere that the word “witness” is the same word as martyr and surely she laid down her life in relationship to serve the Lord and proclaim His name despite the fierce opposition
It would seem those so called “leaders” of the churches have not read the words of Jesus Christ in regard to being “ashamed of me before me I will be ashamed of you before the Father”
It boggles the mind
Have they not read scripture where when the apostles were told to “speak no more in His name ” they replied “we should obey God not men”
Some argue “render unto Ceasar” in these matters but I believe that the context has been ignored just as they cry “judge not” yet ignore the verse that directs us to ” judge not BY APPEARANCE BUT judge righteous judgement” which judgement is found in all scripture God breathed “which IS instruction in righteousness”
So much study “assignment” has come into my life as I have endeavors to obey the Lord in speaking to others over the years and that has led to observing the various ways deception abounds in those who ignore the command to “if you LOVE ME KEEP my words”
Instead many hirllings claim to love the Lord but are selecting out favorite smooth things and seeking to keep the opinions of men at he expense and destruction of the body of those who also do not regard the scriptures as THE TRUTH
They will stand before the Lord …nevertheless less you and your family are apparently those faithful to the command to know how to give an answer and contend for the faith and will receive from the Lord due reward
How proud you must be to have such a courageous and steadfast daughter in the faith amidst such wolves and young people who may not presently realize the historic event they witnessed as your daughter spoke into the darkness of the conformity of this world which has been a growing indication of our Lords soon return for His Bride
May there have been some fertile soil…hearts yearning to have such a demonstration of the victorious proclaimation of the name of he Lord in the teeth of the seething hatred inspired by the Devils last ditch effort to steal kill and destroy
Nothing shall take us out of His hand in whom we trust but we are exhorted to put on the whole armor of God and having done all He has directed…to STAND
Thank you for sharing your story of trial and victory ….HIS victory in all that threatens …because He is risen indeed and is coming soon!
Much love for your encouragement in that few speak up and you and your family are precious to me and others who are determined to speak all the words of this life in Christ come what may!
Sorry for typos…using my cell and sometimes my thumbs hit the wrong letters and I find I cannot back up to proof read
Dear Karen,
How proud you must be to witness the Word of God convicting the heart of your precious daughter to stand for the things concerning the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In this day of general decadence, and apostasy in the Church, such a witness is indeed an encouragement for us as we wait for the soon appearance of the One to whom EVERY knee will soon bow. Oh for that time to be here!
great article