In Phoenix the temperatures have soared to 120 degrees.  Summer is at hand and rumbling thunder moved through yesterday afternoon, leaving a few teasing raindrops.  Soon, 2,000′ tall walls of dust (called “haboobs“) gathering to the south will dance across the desert floor and blow into Phoenix.  If we’re fortunate, rain will follow.

Monsoon season is approaching.  How do we know?  The signs are all there!

In August 2015, ISIS put a bullseye on “the apostate regime” of Turkey.  Last October, suicide bombings in Istanbul/Ankara claimed the lives of dozens of people.  The attacks were attributed to ISIS.  This past week, ISIS once again executed an attack on the Istanbul airport.

Meanwhile, after years of tension between Turkey and Israel following the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla incident, the two once-allied nations have concluded 6 months of negotiations.  This week it was announced that diplomatic ties between the two nations will resume.

That announcement follows the news that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met recently with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss cooperative efforts in the region.  With no support from the US, Israel needs to persuade Russia not to interfere in their attacks on Syrian transport of arms to Hezbollah.  In return, Russia is interested in the oil and gas finds in Israel.

Why all the activity in and around Turkey and Syria?  Why is Russia suddenly so willing to cooperate with Israel?  Will the newly-reestablished diplomatic ties between Turkey and Israel hold strong, or is there more to it than this?  I believe these could all be geopolitical moves that point toward a possible soon-to-come fulfillment of the northern invasion the prophet Ezekiel described in Ezekiel 38-39.

Why do I say that?  Ezekiel tells us that God will put a hook in the jaw of Russia (Rosh), drawing them and their allies (including Iran and Turkey) southward, to invade Israel.  The “hook”…?  Possibly the discoveries of oil and gas in Israeli territory!  The stakes are growing greater day-by-day.  Israel needs security and doesn’t have the backing of the US.  Russia’s economy and ability to fund the powerful military they desire would enjoy a tremendous boost if they could establish relations with Israel that would enable them to get their hands on Israeli oil and gas!

Friends, the storm is brewing…the signs are all there!

• ISIS is playing a major part in destroying Syria.  Russia is also playing a part.  Isaiah 17:1 tells us that, in the last days, Damascus (Syria’s capital) will cease to exist.
• Russia has great desire to be the world’s greatest power.  Their economy prevents them from adequately funding their military to achieve that goal.  They are after economic gain that oil and gas could bring.
• The territory we know as Turkey today will be a part of the coalition with Russia when  the Ezekiel 38-39 prophecy is fulfilled.
• Iran, Russia’s key sidekick in the Ezekiel 38-39 invasion, is licking their chops at the nuclear deal that allows them to continue preparations and testing of nuclear weapons.

We must know and understand the season in which we live.  In Luke 12:54-56, Jesus admonished His followers:

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. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. 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?

I think I feel a south wind blowing…and a dust storm is headed our way!

PS: For more about the Northern Invasion, led by Russia and Iran, read Ezekiel 38-39 and check out Terror from the North.