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Operation Eager Lion
The Merchants of Tarshish and the Young Lions are prowling around Jordan
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Friday, June 28, 2013
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www.bibleinthenews.com Audio & Print versions
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Welcome to the Bible in the News
This week saw several significant events in the Middle East draw the attention of the worlds media, but more so Bible students who see Bible Prophecy coming to life.
Merchants of Tarshish and all the Young Lions
Bible students have watched developments in the Middle East with their Bibles opened to Ezekiel 38 for years. Here we read of two power houses, the Gogian Confederacy, also called the King of the North in Daniel 11, and the Tarshish Confederacy, also called the King of the South in Daniel 11. It is the Tarshish confederacy that we turn our attention first. It is found in Ezekiel 38:13 where we read:
Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? (Ezekiel 38:13)
Here we find the nations associated with Tarshish contesting the invasion of Israel and the Middle East by the Gogian confederacy in the latter years (v8).
Tarshish is the ancient Phoenician mercantile power originally trading with the Phoenician maritime merchant center based out of the ancient city of Tyre. It has been identified with Britain by its wares described in Ezekiel 27. For more information on this see the recent Bible Magazine, Volume 26 #1 or older issues such as Volume 24 #3, and Volume 20 #3 all available online. Our goal is not to reexamine the incontrovertible proofs for Britain being Tarshish at this time, but merely to highlight the Bible in the News this week.
As Britain can be confidently identified with Tarshish, so can its former colonies be identified with the Young Lions. The word young lions in this passage is the Hebrew word is Kaphiyr, (Strongs Concordance #3715) and is defined by Gesenius as a young lion, already weaned and having begun to ravin, or a whelp of a lion. The idea expressed by this word is clarified in Ezekiel 19:2-3:
And say, What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions. And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men. (Ezekiel 19:23)
The former colonies of Britain became young lions and independently learned to catch their own prey and devour. They operate independently of the Old Lion of Tarshish. For years reference has been made to war propaganda as demonstrating the Biblical link. The WWI recruitment poster depicted the Old Lion Britain as needing the assistance of the Young Lions, and calling on Australia, New Zealand, Canada and India to assist in the struggle against the Germans has been seen before. Another Poster depicts America walking side by side with the British Lion.
Operations Eager Lion 2013
Today, we see a similar picture. The Jordan Times reported on June 9th
The Eager Lion 2013 military training drill kicked off on Sunday with participants from military forces from 19 countries, Jordanian and US generals said.
This is a multinational exercise designed to provide multilateral forces with the opportunity to promote cooperation and interoperability among participating forces, build functional capacity, practise crisis management and enhance readiness, Edwan added, noting that the drill will focus on unconventional warfare that could undermine national security such as insurgency, border security breaches and terrorism.
Eager Lion provides us with the opportunity to develop relationships and capabilities. Those relationships we build here during the exercise will be enduring ones that ensure our success in future joint endeavours, Catalanotti said at the presser, adding that a wide variety of air, land and sea assets will be utilised so as to integrate a full spectrum of operations into combined arms exercises.
In an article, from the official website of the United States Marine Corp, entitled A Certain Force in an Uncertain World reported:
The United Kingdom and Jordanian armed forces will be working side-by-side with the U.S. Forces to enhance ties developed between the three countries.
Exercise Eager Lion 2013 is an annual, multinational exercise designed to strengthen military-to-military relationships and enhance security and stability in the region by responding to modern-day security scenarios.
U.S. Central Command now says that the exercise is the largest annual exercise in the Central Command area of operations, supplanting Bright Star, the exercise series previously conducted in Egypt.
Jordanian news sourced reported that amongst the 19 countries participating in Operation Eager Lion were the United States, Jordan, United Kingdom, Canada, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
So we see the young lions prowling around the Middle East.
Lions who will not be Returning to their Dens
What is equally interesting as activities wind up, not all the lions are returning to their dens. The TIMES of Israel reported,
Some 900 US military personnel, including dozens staying on from joint military drills, are in Jordan to bolster its defense and prevent the Syrian civil war from spreading across its border, Jordans prime minister said Saturday.
Abdullah Ensour told reporters Saturday that 200 of the personnel were experts training Jordanians to handle a chemical attack. The remaining 700 are manning a Patriot missile defense system and F-16 fighter jets which Washington deployed this month in case the Syrian war worsens.
Jordan is concerned its larger northern neighbor would use chemical weapons against Syrian refugee camps in Jordan and other neighboring countries, or that the stockpile may fall into the hands of al-Qaida or other militants if Syrias President Bashar Assad loses control.
Earlier this month, Washington relocated one or two patriot missile batteries to Jordan from an unspecified country in the Persian Gulf, and also deployed a squadron of 12 to 24 F-16 fighter jets.
So the Lions of Tarshish are establishing a hold in the area similar to what is said in Daniel 11. When the King of the North does come down the area of Jordan is to escape, or be delivered out of his hand:
He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. (Daniel 11:41)
Edom, Moab and Ammon are the ancient territories that comprise modern day Jordan. These are to be delivered in the time of the end.
It is very interesting that the exercise has been dubbed Operation Eager Lion and are taking place in Jordan. It is as if the angels are telling us, wake up the time is at hand!
The King of the North and his Many Ships
The coming battle of Ezekiel 38 and Daniel 11 is described as involving many ships:
And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. (Daniel 11:40)
Also of great interest was the saber rattling of the Autocrat of Russia. It was only a few weeks ago when the TIMES of Israel also reported,
President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia will permanently keep a navy presence in the Mediterranean Sea to protect its interests. Speaking at a meeting with military brass, Putin said the move should not be interpreted as saberrattling. He said the Mediterranean is a strategically important region, where we have interests connected with ensuring Russias national security. Gen. Valery Gerasimov said the Russian squadron currently deployed to the area consists of 16 navy ships. The Russian Defense Ministry said it would regularly rotate them to keep a constant presence of about a dozen ships.
Two nuclear submarines are expected to go into service in the Russian Navy this year. Putin announced this week that Russia will be recommencing patrols of the Southern Seas by nuclear missile equipped submarines, after a 20 year hiatus. Pravda, the Russian news agency, reported that at least eight Borei class submarines are expected to be built, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
It is also interesting that Iran took a warship through the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean recently, and launched a submarine in the Persian Gulf
Not to be outdone, Israel has just launched its 5th nuclear capable submarine, with an order for the 6th expected to be delivered by the end of 2013. Russia Today reported, Israels coastline in total, including islands, is a mere 273km, and it is no exaggeration to say that there is no other country with so many submarines to protect so short a sea border. So we see that the Mediterranean is a fomenting barrel of naval activity.
All the pieces are being moved into place, and we need to WATCH and be SOBER, making earnest preparation for the return of Christ because the nations are! We need to use the periscope of Bible Prophecy to see through the sea of media and observe the angelic hand at work. While the young lions of Tarshish patrol the Middle East, it is to the Lion of the Tribe of Judah that we look awaiting with great anticipation the deliverance of Israel!
For Bible in the News this has been Jonathan Bowen.