Category Archives: Society

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

Russia’s Ukraine War: Is This Gog & Magog? – Part 02

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, has renewed interest in the Gog and Magog prophecy of Ezekiel 38-39. In short, it is a spontaneous, knee-jerk, massive invasion of end-time Israel by a massive coalition of troops, led by Gog. We continue to examine this prophecy in light of current events. (Please note: We are not condoning the war in Ukraine, nor taking a political position – we simply are examining prophecy, which has renewed interest because of this war).

Reason for the Invasion against Israel?: Spoil will be seized, plunder carried off, livestock and goods confiscated (38:12). Will Israel’s natural gas reserves in the Mediterranean Sea be part of the booty?

God’s Response: God goes against Gog and his allies, sends fire from heaven and destroys the coalition (39:1-6); it takes seven months to bury the dead (39:12). Ultimately, it is God Who draws out Gog and company to battle and ultimately destroys them. When this happens, the nations will hallow and glorify the name of the Lord (38:16).

Israel’s aftermath: Instead of being destroyed, Israel will experience the final ingathering of the exiles (39:27-28). Furthermore, the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon them (37:14; 39:29). 

Who is Gog?

This is the million dollar question: we need to identify the key player. Magog, in all probability, means ‘from the land of Gog.’ So let’s focus on Gog himself, the main character. Who is he? The normal interpretation is Russia. Why? Because it is a great power from the North (38:15). Russia’s long thousand year history, which reputedly began in Kiev before gravitating towards Moscow, has incorporated an empire larger than any except the Mongols and Muslims. 

The old Soviet Union was a tailor-made villain that fit the spirit of Gog — until it collapsed on Christmas Day 1991. Also, some teachers say ‘Mesech’ equals Moscow and ‘Tubal’ is Tobolsk. 

But is this the case?

This author is not completely convinced that Russia equals Gog. The main verse, Ezekiel 38:15: says Gog comes from tzafone yereka. Tzafone is ‘north’ so the adjective YEREKA is a key word. In Strong’s Concordance H3411 is translated YEREKA as side (21x), coasts (3x), parts (2x), border (1x), quarters (1x). ESV translates tzaphone yereka as ‘uttermost parts of the north” (implying Russia, since it is the furthest north of Israel). But KJV translates it ‘north parts.’ Other modern translations speak of ‘far north.’ In any case, the notion that Ezekiel is saying the furthest north is debatable and leaves open other possibilities for the identity of God from nations that are also ‘north of Israel.’

While Russia has been an imperialistic power in the past, it has also been a Christian nation for a thousand years. Vladimir, Prince of Kievan Rus, led his nation into Eastern Orthodoxy in the year 988 AD. The seventy-four years of atheist communist rule during the Soviet times (1917-1991) was an aberration in Russian history; the rest of the millennium it has been influenced by Orthodox Christianity. Furthermore, Russia may have a positive prophetic role to play in the last days.

Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) was the great British missionary to China and founder of the China Inland Mission. Yet his most memorable prophecy was not about China at all – it was about Russia. Sometime in the latter nineteenth century, Taylor received the following vision. 

I have seen a vision. I saw in this vision a great war that encompasses the world. I saw this war recess and then start again, actually being two wars. After this I saw much unrest and revolts that will  affect many nations. I saw in some places spiritual awakenings. In Russia, I saw there will come a general all-encompassing, national SPIRITUAL AWAKENING so great that there could never be another like it. From Russia, I saw the awakening spread to many European countries. Then I saw an all-out awakening, followed by the coming of Christ.

It is clear that Taylor, who died in 1905, saw the two world wars. That’s the bad news. Yet the good news was he saw Russia as the epicentre of a great spiritual awakening that would spread westward to Europe and herald the Lord’s return. Taylor is not the only one who prophesied an end-time role for Russia.

Think about it: in Russia today, Christianity, once shunned and persecuted by the godless communist comrades of the defunct Soviet Union, has returned to a prominent place. Not only is the Russian Orthodox Church having a renaissance, but the Baptists and Pentecostals are growing, too. Yes, there is ‘anti-missionary’ and ‘anti-sect’ legislation from the Russian Duma (parliament) in recent years, but there is no mistaking that the atheist days have given way to a conspicuous multi-flavoured Christian presence in Russia. 

While Russia is regularly nominated as the Gog of Ezekiel 38, some perhaps many, Russian Christians, reject this interpretation. How could a Christian-influenced country, in coalition with a few Muslim-majority countries, try to destroy Israel?

Another consideration: could Gog be Turkey, which is also north of Israel? The key is the places names written in Scripture, like Gomer and Togarmah could be in Turkey. Likewise, ‘Mesech’ and ‘Tubal’ may not ‘Moscow’ and ‘Tobolsk’ after all.

Finally, the fact is Russia, Iran, and Turkey are currently based in Syria, and Syria is next door to Israel. Could this military arrangement, under certain conditions, trigger the Gog attack? To answer that question, remember to take note the specific details of the prophecy. “For we know in part, and we prophesy in part” (1 Corinthians 13:9), we need to follow the Lord’s simple injunction – watch, be sober, and pray (Matthew 26:41; Ephesians 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:6). Not only will we not be caught off guard – we will be part of the solution.

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

Battle Cry for Free Speech? Elon Musk Purchases Twitter – Part 01

He championed ‘clean, green’ electric cars, helped the Ukrainian underdogs in the war with Russia, and even dabbled in outer space. Sounds like someone the political and cultural left would love. But, no, they are incensed. Why? Because Elon Musk, the multi-billionaire and the world’s richest man, has bought the social media giant Twitter for $44 billion. 

What’s Twitter? It is a microblogging and social networking service based in San Francisco, which allows users to communicate and respond to short messages called ‘tweets.’ It has around 300 million users and is one of the top ten utilised websites in the world today. Its influence is incalculable.

Other billionaires purchase media outlets like Jeff Bezos and The Washington Post and Lisa Jobs The Atlantic and few complained. So what’s wrong if Musk, who is not a conservative, owns Twitter? Because he has made it clear that Twitter would be become a platform of free speech. He refers to himself as a ‘free-speech absolutist.’ His announcement: 

“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated.” 

The Democratic Party and the cultural elite, are greatly alarmed. They claim that ‘free speech’ will morph into ‘hate speech’ and ‘endanger our democracy.’ Some claim that ‘lives will be at risk.’ The Biden Administration’s response was to appoint a ‘disinformation tsar’ in the Department of Homeland Security (some call it George Orwell’s Ministry of Truth from the best-selling novel, 1984). The European Union has warned Musk about his plan for ‘free speech,’ saying ‘We have rules.’

Why all this hysteria over ‘free speech’? Isn’t it as American as ‘apple pie,’ and synonymous with democratic freedom?

Primacy of Free Speech: First of all, the United States Constitution enshrined ‘free speech’ as a fundamental right: Here is the text of the First Amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances (emphases mine).

The American experiment in self-government was based on the fact that our rights come from God, not by government fiat, and that the role of government is to protect those God-given rights. The primary freedom of them all is speech. When you are free to speak your mind without fear or intimidation, you can discuss and debate your thoughts in the marketplace of ideas. Interactive exchange is a dynamic learning and growth process which, under the right conditions and coupled with faith in Almighty God, produces a community consensus, which is a positive outcome for all. 

When freedom of speech is denied, other freedoms are jeopardised, too. We may not like everything we hear but better it is heard, vented, responded, even rebuked, than to suppress speech and spawn a violent reaction. A famous quote on the subject, erroneously attributed to Voltaire, says this:

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it — English Author Evelyn Beatrice Hall (1906)

That’s a mature attitude on free speech. Yet today, maturity seems to be in short supply.

Even in the freest of speech arenas, there are limitations. Free speech is not permitted in cases of evidence-based defamation, liable, perjury, and/or incitement to violence. These are common sense restrictions that any reasonable person can accept. What we have seen, however, is not sensible restrictions but outright and one-sided censorship of mainstream views. This is something that totalitarian regimes practice routinely. 

The war against free speech – part of the larger culture war – and the rise of censorship, has been brewing for years. Two culprits have to do with political correctness, where failure to used approved speech can result in censure, ridicule, or even-cancel culture. Another impediment to free speech is ‘hate speech laws,’ which are prominent in Canada and the European Union. 

Of course, we don’t want with true hate speech at all, but the problem with these kind of laws are that the word ‘hate’ is elastically interpreted and the bar lowered. To merely disagree with political correctness has been labeled ‘hate.’ Some have even gone as far as to declare the Bible is hate speech. 

Furthermore, to think we can ‘legislate’ love and hate is ludicrous (human nature cannot be altered by law; only by the cross of Christ, God’s Word in the heart, and power of the Holy Spirit). Innocent people will be harmed while real haters continue to freely spout off. It’s like catching dolphins in the tuna net. 

Is the Elon Musk the catalyst of helping the world turn a corner on its current cultural conflict? Will free speech prevail? How shall we respond? We will look at these issues in Part 02.

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

Roe No More? What Does It Mean for the World? – Part 01


As soon as the word was out, three metre high fencing was erected around the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) building. Church services were disrupted by protesters, pro-lifers and there facilities attacked. On cue, Democratic politicians lined up to denounce the news, some with great fanfare, anger and militancy. On top of it all, angry protesters stood outside the private homes of SCOTUS justices, which, according to former Attorney- General William Barr, is a crime (18 US Code Section 1507). And the reaction was not limited to the United States – there was signage in Brisbane, Australia, about a meeting to ‘save Roe.


’What is the cause of all this turmoil?

In an unprecedented move, an anonymous clerk at SCOTUS leaked a draft major opinion on the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organisation (Mississippi) abortion case. In this draft a majority of five justices agreed, in principle, to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade SCOTUS decision. With the possible demise of Roe, the American left is on an even greater war path.

What is Roe? On 22 January 1973, the very day former US President Lyndon Baines Johnson died, in a seven to two majority, the all-male SCOTUS of that day voted to legalise abortion in all fifty states. Until that date, a few states already had legal abortion – after the decision all states had to allow it, at least in the first trimester. In other words, seven justices mandated abortion for all fifty American states, whether they liked it or not. The ruling was called Roe v. Wade and America has not been the same since.

Since the US Constitution is virtually silent on the issue of abortion, how did seven justices justify the constitutionality of this sweeping ruling? Using a process called ‘substantive due process,’ they ‘discovered’ an implicit ‘right to privacy’ in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. This amendment was  ratified right after the Civil War and guaranteed all Americans, include black Americans, the right to life, liberty and property. No where is a right to privacy even mentioned, there or anywhere else. 

The 9th Amendment says you have rights beyond the Constitution, the 10th Amendment says that where there is no explicit constitutional right, then it is up to the individual states to determine what rights to affirm or deny. That’s why abortion had been decided by the states, until 1973

Who gets to decide these ‘implicit rights?’ Americans at the ballot box or unelected jurists in black robes? Which is more democratic? Which affirms freedom and which nibbles away at it?

SCOTUS is meant to adjudicate as per the US Constitution. They have no authority to create a ‘right to privacy’ out of thin air, or conduct de facto legislation from the bench. 

Results of Roe: 

The 1973 justices believed Roe v. Wade was a ‘compromise,’ giving something to both pro-life and pro-abortion advocates. To the abortion lobby, the practice would be allow unhindered in the first trimester; to the pro-lifers, there would be more state restrictions as the trimesters went from first to second, second to third. The hope was that Roe would ‘settle the abortion issue.’ 

Roe did not settle the issue at all; it inflamed it instead. The trimester formula was abandoned. Abortion could be obtained in all trimesters, including late-term abortion. Roe v. Wade was like the 1861 firing of Fort Sumner in South Carolina, which commenced the Civil War – Roe was the first shots of the protracted cultural civil war, that continues to this day. Even the late pro-abortion SCOTUS Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was credited of saying about Roe: “(It) halted a political process that was moving in a reform direction and thereby, I believed, prolonged divisiveness and deferred stable settlement of the issue”. 

Has America become a better country because of Roe? For starters, a staggering sixty-three million abortions have been performed since 1973; these represent lives, not mere statistics. The culture war Roe kickstarted continues to tear America apart. Abortion is as emotive and divisive today as slavery was in the 19th Century. In both cases, the personhood of the slave and foetus was denied. Cultural Marxism, which undergirds radical feminism, has destroyed lives and families in the process. 

When it comes to the US Constitution, culture warrior leftists deny rights that are clearly written in it, like ‘free speech’ and ‘gun ownership’ clauses. Yet at the same time they declare implied or non-existent rights, like of privacy, are part of the document. 

What happens if Roe ends up being overturned? What is the bigger picture? What does the future hold? We will explore these things in part 02

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

Russia’s Ukraine War: Is This Gog & Magog? – Part 01


February 24, 2022: Russia, led by President Vladimir Putin, launched an unprovoked invasion against the neighbouring nation of Ukraine. This act of aggression captured the world’s attention and for good reason: the Russian invasion is the biggest military engagement on European soil since World War II, dwarfing the Balkan wars of the 1990s when the former Yugoslavia dissolved. A great civilisational change – even shaking – is the occurring, regardless of what the final outcome of this invasion may be. Joe Biden calls it ‘a new world order’ (though not ‘the new world order’). 

Add to the mix that Russia is nuclear armed, has fearsome weapons of mass destruction and is adept at cyber-warfare. If it attacks one or more of the three former Soviet Baltic republics of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia – all NATO members – it could trigger a military response from the alliance. Russia’s (temporary) partner, China, could be drawn into the situation and, presto, we have World War III. No wonder people see this conflict in apocalyptic terms. 

Our purpose is to understand the nature of the Russia-Ukraine war, especially if it has any implications for Bible prophecy. More precisely, is it related to the Ezekiel 38-39 prophecy, known as ‘Gog & Magog.’ First, let’s be clear: there is more going on here than meets the eye, with much misinformation from all sides, including the West. We also lament the tragedy of fraternal Slavs and Orthodox Christians fighting each other, the displacement of millions of Ukrainians, and the loss of many innocent lives.

Even the fundamental issue of why did Putin invaded his neighbour in the first place is not completely clear. Did he merely want to cause Ukraine to be a neutral border state, unaligned to the European Union and NATO, with a Kremlin-friendly government? Or does he want to conquer and annex Ukraine to Russia? Reconstitute the old Soviet Union? Maintain his iron-grip on power in the Kremlin? We await answers.

As mentioned, the Russia-Ukraine war is causing many people to turn to the Bible to see what are the prophetic implications, if any. We learn from Jesus Himself that the warm-up to the last days preceding His second coming includes “wars and rumours of wars” (Matthew 24:6), a “great shaking” (Hebrews 12:26-27), and “intensity of living” (Matthew 24:37-39); in general, great and unexpected changes. Think back to life just three years ago pre-Covid and it seems like an eternity. The ‘old normal’ is gone and the ‘new normal’ is unclear and unsettling. Life will not be the same again.

The fire and fury of this invasion, plus the unprecedented global attention, has caused many to wonder: Is this the prelude to Ezekiel 38-39? Apart from Armageddon (Zechariah 14; Revelation 16:16), the Ezekiel prophecy is the best known of the major end time events.
 
1 Chronicles 12:32 speaks of the men of Issachar who discerned the times and seasons and acted prudently. When you “understand the times” – what is happening and why – you will know what to do. When applying current events to Bible prophecy, it is important to understand both the event itself and then carefully see how it lines up to the Biblical record. 

Jesus adds this insight in Luke 12:54-56 (ESV): He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

Introducing Gog & Magog

Summary: The Gog and Magog campaign is a massive, spontaneous, latter day invasion of Israel by a coalition of nations led by a great power from the north. At the time of the invasion, Israel is peaceful, unsuspecting, and unprepared. This unexpected invasion is so overwhelming that, humanly speaking, the Jewish state cannot survive. Yet, at the eleventh hour, God Himself intervenes, annihilates Gog and its allies, and Israel is saved. 

Now let’s look at some of the details (all references are from the Book of Ezekiel):
Who’s the Leader: Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal (38:1)
Main Allies: Persia (Iran), Cush (Ethiopia or Sudan or Eritrea), and Phut (Libya – 38:5)
Secondary Allies: Gomer, the house of Togarmah (Turkey?) and many peoples with them (38:6).

Timing: In the latter or last days; after “many days you will be visited” (38:8,17). There is discussion and disagreement about where to place the Gog campaign in the prophetic calendar: before the tribulation, during the tribulation, or at the end of the tribulation, making it synonymous with the campaign of Armageddon? A fourth option is after the Millennium – the thousand year reign of Christ on earth – when Satan is loosed from the bottomless pit, gathers the rebels together to attack the beloved city, and fire falls from heaven and destroys them (Revelation 20:7-10). While we cannot be dogmatic about the timing, it appears that most of the prophetic ingredients ‘are in the pantry’ right now. 

Target of the Invasion: The invasion will target the people of Israel living in the land of Israel. Jewish people are gathered out of many nations and resettled on the once barren mountains of Israel, dwelling in peace and safety (38:8). Do the October 2020 Abraham (Peace) Accords with Israel by the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco point in that direction? Or does the menace of antagonists like Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis in Yemen, whose drones can reach Israel, preclude this ‘safe living?’
Next time, we will continue to look at current events and what implication they have for Gog and Magog.

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

The Son of Man: Why Study the Gospel of Luke? Part 03

The Gospel of Luke, the longest book of the New Testament, impeccably researched and written by Dr. Luke, demonstrates how Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, is the perfect Man. Luke’s initial target audience was the Greeks/Gentiles, who with their ancient humanism/hellenism focused on the ideal man. Jesus is more than ideal, He is the Biblical ‘Son of Man.’ Our purpose is to equip you to study of this great Gospel, either alone or in a small group Bible study.

In Part 01, we looked at the introduction to Luke, its authorship, its purpose, the portraits of Christ, theme, key verse, and timing. http://majdali.blogspot.com/2022/01/the-son-of-man-why-study-gospel-of-luke.html

In Part 02, we examined the distinctive aspects of the gospel, including the gospel itself, great hymns that were derived from it, etc., and began a summary of the Life of Jesus according to Luke. http://majdali.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-son-of-man-why-study-gospel-of-luke.html

Here in the third and final part of this Introduction to the Gospel of Luke, we continue and conclude the ‘Life of Christ,’ plus offer an outline of the entire book.

Jesus in Jerusalem (19:28-24:53)

  • Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (19:28-40);
  • Jesus Weeps for Jerusalem (19:41-44);
  • Jesus cleanses the temple (19:45-48);
  • Question about Jesus’ Authority (20:1-8);
  • Parable of the vinedressers (20:9-19);
  • Caesar or God? (20:20-26);
  • Question about marriage & the resurrection (20:27-40);
  • Whose Son is Christ? (20:41-47);
  • The widow’s sacrificial offering (21:1-4);
  • End-times signs (21:5-38);
  • Judas choses to betray Jesus (22:1-6);
  • Passover (22:7-23);
  • Who is the greatest (again – 22:24-30)
  • Prediction that Peter will deny Christ (22:31-38);
  • Jesus prays at the Mount of Olives (Gethsemane – 22:39-46);
  • Arrest of Jesus (22:47-53);
  • Peter denies Christ (22:54-62);
  • Jesus mocked by guards (22:63-65);
  • Jesus before the Council (22:66-71);
  • Jesus before Pilate and Herod (23:1-25);
  • Jesus crucified (23:26-43);
  • Death & burial of Jesus (23:44-56);
  • The Resurrection (24:1-12);
  • Teaching on the Emmaus Road (24:13-35);
  • Jesus appears to the disciples (24:36-49);
  • Ascension of Christ (24:50-53).

OUTLINE OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

  1. Son of Man Introduced(1:1-4:13)

A.  Why This Gospel was written(1-14)

B.  Pre-Birth Events (1:5-56) 

(including prophecies of John & Jesus’ birth)

C.  The Birth of Christ (1:57-2:38)

D.  Pre-ministry Events (3:1-4:13)

(John, Baptism, Genealogy, Temptation in wilderness)

II.  Son of Man As Minister (4:14-9:50)

A. Christ’s debut (4:14-30) (Accepted in Galilee,

Rejected in Nazareth)

B. Son of Man & Power(4:31-5:28) (disciples are called, demons expelled, lepers`cleansed, paralytic walks). 

C.  Christ explained (5:29-6:49)

Teaches Pharisees and Disciples

D.  Christ’s ministry expands(7:1-9:50) Parables, miracles

III.  Journey to Jerusalem(9:51-19:27)

A.  Opposition increases (9:51-11:54) Samaritans, Jews

B.  Instruction in the face of opposition(12:1-19:27)

Parables, 10 Lepers, Zaccheus, the blind beggar

IV.  Christ’s final week and Crucifixion (19:28-23:56)

V.  The Resurrection and Great Commission (24)

The story that so triumphantly ends in Luke 24, finds its continuation in another colossal Bible book written by Dr. Luke: The Book of Acts. 


Note: Photo Compliments of Teach All Nations Inc. Image of Baptismal Site in Jordan

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

2022 What to Watch Out For? Part 03: The Middle East

Issachar firmly believes we need to know and understand the times; it helps facilitate our obedience to Christ’s command to ‘watch and pray’ (Matthew 26:41; Ephesians 6:18). The greatest global focal point is where the Biblical story began and culminates: The Middle East. Here are a few things to watch … and pray … in 2022.

Abraham Accords: Negotiated by the Trump Administration and signed in October 2020, the accords were immensely historic: four Arab countries (United Arab Emirates [UAE], Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco) made peace with Israel. This is the first time peace accords have been ratified by Israel and an Arab country since the peace treaty signed with Jordan in 1994. Morocco reputedly also has a military pact with the Jewish state. What to watch? Will the accords stay strong despite the change of administrations in the USA and Israel? With an emboldened Iran, we predict ‘Yes.’ 

Afghanistan: Any objective observer will admit that the American and Allied withdrawal from Afghanistan after a twenty year occupation was a catastrophe. The Taliban literally walked into Kabul while western troops were still there. Military bases and $90 billion dollars worth of American/western military hardware were abandoned. Westerners, Afghan allies, and American green card holders were left stranded by the US government. China and other rivals swiftly moved in to fill the vacuum. Afghanistan, a haven for al Qaeda prior to the 9-11 attacks, could be having a ‘terrorist reunion’ soon and it will be harder to fight them since allied forces are now far away. 

The country faces a humanitarian crisis regarding basic supplies. Afghanis could face destitution, even starvation. The West may find itself in the awkward situation of giving money and resources to the Taliban in the hopes it will trickle down to people.

Also, the small but significant indigenous Afghan Christian Church is being threatened with brutal extinction. In the short time since the American withdrawal, Afghanistan has displaced long-time title holder North Korea as the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian. Some have been able to flee the country while others are in hiding. Possessing a Bible App on one’s mobile phone is enough to trigger a swift execution. 

Yes, we need to ‘watch and pray’ for Afghanistan too.

Houthis: This militant Shia rebel group of Yemen, like Hezbollah in Lebanon, is sponsored by Iran. They have been waging an effective war against the Saudi-backed government of Sanaa. This war, too, has caused a humanitarian disaster of apocalyptic proportions. The Houthis have been able to successfully attack Saudi Arabia and the UAE with its drones. The range of Houthi drones is far enough that, in theory, they could attack Israel, which is over fifteen hundred miles (twenty-four hundred kilometres) away. The Houthis were designated a terrorist group but that label was removed early in the Biden Administration, perhaps as a sweetener for Iran to return to the negotiation table and hammer out a renewed nuclear agreement. 

Iran’s Nuclear Program: One of the world’s geopolitical nightmares is for the Islamic Republic of Iran to obtain nuclear weapons. Led by the United States, the world sanctioned Iran because its nuclear program, even though it consistently said it was for ‘peaceful purposes.’ In 2015 the Obama Administration signed JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), known as the Iran nuclear agreement. The JCPOA delayed but did not prevent Iran’s development of nuclear weapons. The Trump Administration walked away from the agreement in 2018 and slapped heavy sanctions on the Islamic Republic. Now the Biden Administration is seeking to renew it and, as of this writing, a new agreement is ready to be signed. 

For Israel, Iran’s nuclear program represents an existential threat. Since the birth of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, it has taken a conspicuously anti-Israel stance, calling it the ‘little Satan,’ and predicting its soon demise. The Jewish state, which has an undeclared nuclear arsenal of its own, wants a nuclear monopoly in the region. Why? So that the deterrent value of nuclear weapons be maintained. 

Israel has not hesitated to imply that a military response is on the table should third-party negotiations with Iran fail. The Jewish state has been known to attack Middle East nuclear sites in the past, like in Iraq in 1981 and Syria in 2007. An attack on Iran’s nuclear program is far more complicated, however, since there are multiple sites, some of them underground. Of course, there is also the danger of an Iranian counter attack, either directly or using its Hezbollah proxy in Lebanon. Hezbollah launched 4,000 rockets against Israel in the 2006 war; now it boasts of 100,000 rockets, supposedly able to reach all parts of Israel.

Lebanon: The long-suffering Lebanese, whose nation was once the ‘Switzerland of the Middle East’ and a major banking centre, today have serious economic woes with a devalued currency and rising poverty. Added to the economic woes is the massive explosion at Beirut Bay in August 2020; a major national setback. If Hezbollah attacks the Israel because of a military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, the Jewish state will retaliate and the Lebanon will be caught in the cross-fire.

Remember Lebanon in prayer.

Israel, Ukraine and Russia: Israel has good relations with both countries and has been caught in a bind; it has initially rejected Ukrainian President Zelensky’s request for weapons, so as not to offend Russia. Why? Because Russia controls the airspace over neighbouring Syria; should Hezbollah fire rockets into Israel from Syria, rather than Lebanon, it will be very difficult to fight back with the Russian air shield. Russia is working with Iran to evade western sanctions over its Ukraine war. A already complicated region just became more complicated. 

FIFA World Cup in Qatar: On a happier note, the 2022 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to be hosted from 21 November to 18 December. This is a quadrennial international men’s football championship, where the national teams of FIFA members compete against each other. This is the first World Cup to be help in the Arab world and second in Asia (South Korea and Japan hosted a tournament in 2002). 

Having looked at different parts of the world, we will focus on some good news in the fourth and final part of this series.