The Beast, Turkey, etc.

Submitted by Michael S (United States), Jul 10, 2014 at 21:03

Hi, Lujack

I hope you don't start to think I am "trolling you". I have sort of "followed you around"; but only because I think you say intelligent things and know we can engage in good conversations. You said,

"The barbaric terrorist Palestinians..."

I described them a little different, calling the "Arab Muslims" a "barbaric people". It's hard for anyone to draw distinct lines here: The vast majority of Arab Muslims in Palestine (which is virtually identical to Israel and Jordan) support the terrorists; and the vast majority of Arab Muslims in surrounding countries support the anti-Jewish cause in Palestine. They are certainly barbaric, having made few contributions to mankind and cause more than their share of trouble in the world. They have also shown not only brutality but intense, intentional, inhumane cruelty at times. There are some peace-loving Arabs, in Palestine and elsewhere; but they are a minority that is threatened with severe retribution should they speak their hearts and minds.

I don't think Hamas has overstepped. They are playing a bloody game, that they are experts at. To date, none of their important leaders have yet suffered retribution for their dastardly deeds, and they are garnering sympathy from around the world for civilian casualties who are 100% their own responsibility. It is also highly unlikely, that Israel will be allowed by Big Brother Obama to pursue them to any meaningful conclusion; and Israel is likely to become the world's fool once again, as it did in 2006.

ISIS is a threat to both Abdullahs -- the one in Jordan and the one in Saudi Arabia. They are also a threat to Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and a whole host of Arab countries, as well as to Turkey. The least endangered by them are probably their sworn Shi'ite enemies in Iran. The leaders of those countries need to get their acts together concerning this matter; but I doubt that they will ever publicly ask for Israeli help. They MIGHT ask for American help, as the President of Iraq did; but they should not and probably will not get it.

Will ISIS march on Jerusalem? I would get rich, betting money against them. They are a small minority of a weak people, with messianic pretensions. They rule through unthinking, abject terror, and quickly turn their sympathisers against them. Their apparent successes are chiefly a reflection of the weakness and incompetence of their opponents.

Psalms 83: I've commented elsewhere on this, noting that the psalm is not an end-times prediction. Israels enemies are continually conspiring against her, and have throughout history; and their end is ultimately their own ruin. The countries mentioned in the psalm no longer exist; because God judged them all, long ago.

The Turks will not "join" anyone. They are an isolated, xenophobic people who don't think much of anyone. For their attitudes towards the Americans, Chinese and Iranians, see

http://www.pewglobal.org/files/2013/07/Pew-Research-Global-Attitudes-Project-Balance-of-Power-Report-FINAL-July-18-2013.pdf

Further digging will show that neither do they like the South Africans, British, North Koreans, Russians, Indians, South Koreans, Pakistanis nor Israelis. They're divided on their opinion of the Japanese. They intesely hate the Jews of Israel, by about ten against to one in favor, and Turkish PM Erdogan already declared that a state of war exists between Turkey and Israel. Russia has had nothing to do with this.

You are predicting the future, as though you have a direct line to heaven on the matter. Don't do this. Over the millennia, many scholars have tried to understand these prophecies; but they haven't been able to, because the conditions never lined up before, like ducks in a row, as they do today. "Babylon, the Great Whore" (the papacy), the "ten horns" (world colonial powers), the "little horn" (US)... all these things have already happened. The seven-headed, ten-horned "beast" represents the paramount power in the Western World. In Daniel's time, it was Babylon. In John's time, it was Rome; and today it is overwhelmingly, incredibly, the United States of America. Let me run some numbers by you, just to give you an idea of how powerful we are:

U S OF AMERICA:

Aircraft Carriers, 10 -- all nuclear supercarriers
Nuclear Submarines, 72 -- many with nuclear-capable ballistic missiles
Nuclear Warheads, 7,700 at last count
Gross Domestic Product: 17.8% of the world

RUSSIA:
No Aircraft Carriers
Nuclear Submarines, 33
Nuclear Warheads, 8,500
Gross Domestic Product: 2.7% of the world

The US has large bases in South Korea, Japan, Australia, Afghanistan, Turkey, Italy, Germany and the Low Countries, and medium-sized bases on every continent. The Russians have one pier to dock at in Syria, for maintenance of their second-rate fleet. That's it, outside of the former USSR -- not very impressive.

The world has NEVER known a power like the United States: Which has more bases overseas than the British Empire had countries; which can deliver more airpower from one ship than nearly any country can from land; which has the nuclear capability to wipe out humanity, delivered to your doorstep from invisible submarines; which can see license plates on cars all over the world, from its unrivaled fleet of satellites; which put men on the moon; which reads everyone's mail, the world around. This has never existed before: not with the Babylonians, not with the Romans, not with the British. THAT is why I see us as the "little horn" that boasts great things, and the "beast" that the whole world stands in awe of. This doesn't require a lifetime of Torah study, or a Ministerial degree. All it requires, is to look at the world around one and call a spade a spade.

I'd better stop there, before I crash Windows.

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".