Archive for Kurdistan

Trend Update: Iraqi Troops Engage Kurds Near Kirkuk, October 2017

Posted in Iraq/Babylon/Shinar, Kurds/Medes, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , on October 15, 2017 by paulthepoke

Breaking Story:

Iraq has begun a “major” military operation to gain control of oil fields and military bases in the Kurdistan region near Kirkuk.

Jeremiah 51 and Isaiah 13 are dedicated to the future judgment of Babylon (modern day Iraq). The prophets state Babylonian judgment will take place at the hands of the Medes (modern day Kurds). These passages speak to the complete destruction of Babylon and it is never again to be inhabited by people.

Are we witnessing the beginning of the fulfillment of these prophecies? Here are references related to the actors.

Jeremiah 51:1-2 Thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will stir up the spirit of a destroyer against Babylon, against the inhabitants of Leb-kamai, and I will send to Babylon winnowers, and they shall winnow her, and they shall empty her land, when they come against her from every side on the day of trouble.

Jeremiah 51:11 “Sharpen the arrows! Take up the shields!

The LORD has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because his purpose concerning Babylon is to destroy it, for that is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance for His temple.

Jeremiah 51:28-29 Prepare the nations for war against her, the kings of the Medes, with their governors and deputies, and every land under their dominion. The land trembles and writhes in pain, for the LORD’s purposes against Babylon stand, to make the land of Babylon a desolation, without inhabitant.

Isaiah 13:17-22 Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold. Their bows will slaughter the young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children. And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them. It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there; no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there. But wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches will dwell, and there wild goats will dance. Hyenas will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged.

Scripture is pretty clear. We know how it will end. These events are likely to have many twists and turns. Is this the beginning of the end for Babylon??? We don’t know. Time will tell. At the least, these events in Iraq are likely to have an impact on our world.

 

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Trend Update: Iraqi Troops Moving On Kurds, October 2017

Posted in Iraq/Babylon/Shinar, Kurds/Medes, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 15, 2017 by paulthepoke

Genesis 11:1-2, Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 

Genesis 11:9a Therefore its name was called Babel…

This area in Genesis 11 was established around 2,100 BC. Shinar is another name for Babylon.

Click on video link below for additional geography and analysis.

Ancient Babylon is the home and setting to the writings of the prophet Daniel. Babylon under the leadership of King Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem. Jewish captives were taken and exported to Babylon in 606 BC.

Daniel 1:2b …And he (Nebuchadnezzar) brought them to the land of Shinar…

Daniel was a member of the party of people taken from Jerusalem.

Daniel 1:6 Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah.

The prophet Daniel served the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar as a young man. Later in his life as an older man, Daniel would serve the Medo-Persian Empire under King Darius the Mede and King Cyrus the Persian.

Daniel 6:28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Media or the Medes were located north of ancient Babylon. Ancient Media is consistent with the modern day group of people called the Kurds.

This is modern day, 21st century Iraq. It appears the ancient rivalry of the Babylonians (Iraq) and the Medes (Kurdistan) is on the verge of being reignited. The Kurds recently voted to become an independent nation, Kurdistan. None of their Middle East neighbors approve of the will of the Kurdish people. Turkey, Iran, and Iraq consider the Kurds terrorists.

Ceyhan Kirkuk pipeline

seekingalpha.com

The issue is oil. The Kurds gained control of the oil fields as a result of ISIS invading the area. Kurdish reserves are estimated to be at 45 billion barrels of oil. The Kurds can move approximately 700,000 barrels per day. The oil and gas pipelines run through primarily Kurdish territory on their way to the open market.Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan has threatened to close off the flow of Kurdish oil. “Who are they going to sell the oil to? If we close the valve, their income is gone too.”

Turkey and Iraq have been completing joint military exercises since the Kurds voted for their independence. President Erdogan is also quoted as saying, “We may arrive one night, suddenly.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-25/turkey-warns-iraq-kurds-it-can-close-the-valves-on-oil-exports

October 13, 2014: Iraqi troops are on the move towards Kirkuk. The Iraqi government wants to retake control of the oil fields currently managed by the Kurds. Iraq has deployed troops about 10 km (6 miles) south of Kirkuk. The Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Squad is on location. And the 9th Armored Division of the Iraqi Army is nearby in Tazza.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi does not want to engage the Kurds, but “federal authority has to be imposed in Kirkuk and the disputed areas.”

For their part, the Kurds are sending thousands of troops for reinforcement to Kirkuk.

“We call on all components of the Kurdish people…to prepare fully to respond to those who want war and battle, and to support the Peshmerga forces by all means in order to save the cities of Kurdistan. We want to avoid our cities becoming like Mosul, Anbar and other Iraqi cities which have been afflicted by mass murder, devastation, and destruction.” -Nejervan Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1177221/middle-east

Here is a thought. Jeremiah 51 promises the future destruction of Babylon. Are we entering this time and event?

Jeremiah 51:28-29 Prepare the nations for war against her, the kings of the Medes, with their governors and deputies, and every land under their dominion. The land trembles and writhes in pain, for the LORD’s purposes against Babylon stand, to make the land of Babylon a desolation, without inhabitant.

 

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Available in ebook and paperback at Amazon.com

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Rapture+Bride+Redeemed

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/731160

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Trend Update: Syria in Conflict, September 2017

Posted in Burden of Damascus, Euphrates River, Ezekiel 38-39, Kurds/Medes, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 26, 2017 by paulthepoke

Jeremiah 49:23 Concerning Damascus. “Hamath and Arpad are put to shame…

Roughly 2,600 years ago the prophet Jeremiah wrote about the eventual destruction of Damascus in Jeremiah 49. See also Isaiah 17. In the northern part of Syria is Aleppo. Ancient Arpad is located approximately 10 miles north of modern day Aleppo. Moving south in Syria, the next location is ancient Hamath or modern day Hama. Hamath was the capital of the northern kingdom of ancient Syria.

September 26, 2017: Russia is pounding the area to the west of the two ancient cities in the Idlib province. The Idlib province is home to Sunni rebel forces of Al Nusra or Al Qaeda of Syria. Russia continues its support of the Assad’s Shia government in Syria. Russia is bombing throughout the province continually.

Russia has introduced its most advanced fighter jet (the MiG 29SMT) into the conflict. The MiG 29SMT is stationed near Latakia, Syria. For detail and specifics of the jet’s capabilities, see the link below.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/russia-just-deployed-upgraded-mig-200749544.html

 

Euphrates River

Deir Ezzor

Euphrates Bridge Russia

Photo: Southfront

The Assad Syrian government claims Russia has constructed pontoon bridges across the Euphrates River. This is allowing for the transport of heavy equipment east of the Euphrates. Local reports indicate two bridges have been built. Russian backed Syrian forces have pushed east to the point of United States backed Kurdish (Syrian Democratic Forces or SDF). This is occurring about 3-5 miles east of the Euphrates River.

Otherwise, the Euphrates River is operating as a point of division between the Shia forces of the Syrian government and the predominantly Sunni forces of the Kurds.

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/breaking-russian-heavy-bombers-annihilate-terrorists-idlib-deir-ezzor/

Raqqa

Fighters from Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) walk together along a damaged street in Raqqa

Photo: Reuters, Raqqa

The battle for Raqqa continues. Devastation in the city is profound. Sources on the ground indicate the United States backed Kurds (SDF) now control 80-90% of the area. Roughly 700-1,000 ISIS fighters remain in the city. Military commanders estimate the liberation of Raqqa should take place within the next month. Kurds now control the grain silos for the city. Medicine, food, and water remain in short supply.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-raqqa/syrian-militias-aim-to-push-islamic-state-out-of-raqqa-within-a-month-idUSKCN1C01RZ?il=0

Kurdistan???

kurd flag

And this is a developing story. Kurds are voting for their independence. Early polling numbers show the Kurds are overwhelmingly in favor of their own country. Preliminary results indicate 93% in favor of the nation Kurdistan.

Neighbors around the Middle East are less then enthused. President Recep Erdogan of Turkey is threatening military action and to cut off food supplies to the future country. Erdogan has indicated he will cut oil and gas lines coming from the region. Turkey also looks to control the water of the Tigris River with the construction of the Ilisu Dam. And for good measure, military hardware and troops are headed to the Turkey/Iraqi border.

https://www.iraqinews.com/baghdad-politics/initial-results-show-93-voters-support-kurdistan-independence/

Iraq and Iran are not supportive of a national Kurdistan. The following is from Radio Free Europe.

September 25, 2017: “We are not ready to discuss or have a dialogue about the results of the referendum because it is unconstitutional,” Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi.

Hours after Kurdish polls closed, the Iraqi Defense Ministry announced “large-scale” joint military exercises with Turkey.

September 27, 2017: Tehran, Iran… The Iranian parliament announced it would hold a closed-door meeting on the referendum on the Kurdish issue.

https://www.rferl.org/a/iraq-turkey-iran-kurdistan-independence-referendum-reactions-treachery/28758048.html

 

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Available in ebook and paperback at Amazon.com

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