Middle East Unrest Continues

Middle East Countries

Many ancient prophets forewarned that there will be much upheaval and unrest in the Middle East during what the Christians refer to as the "end times", the Jews call the "end of the age" and Muslims believe are the "last days". There are many people [from all the above-named religions] that believe we are currently living during those "latter days" as the prophetic words of the ancient seers seem to becoming a reality in our modern world. 

Middle East unrest has been an ongoing battle for many generations now, but the violence and mayhem has escalated to a boiling point in just the last few years... or so it seems. The following Middle Eastern countries are presently experiencing some form of unrest...

Egypt ...                                                                             

Egyptian Crisis (2011-present)

Egypt massacre was premeditated, says Human Rights Watch

Egypt is in the grip of a violent tyranny – with the west’s backing

Iran:                                                                                       

Obama, Merkel: We Speak With One Voice Against Iran Violence

Iranian Regime intensifies gender segregation in fear of social unrest

Iran’s shaved head protests: Is political unrest growing under Rouhani?

Iraq:                                                                                     

With or without Maliki, Iraq will tear itself apart
Obama: No Iraq rescue; further airdrops unlikely
Why Kurdish Independence Is the Only Solution for the World


Israel/Palestine:                                                                 

Israel, Palestinians 72-Hour Cease-Fire Takes Effect
Canadian doctor who was detained in Egypt denied entry to Israel
Palestinians accuse Israel of violating Gaza truce
Netanyahu: no Gaza deal without 'clear answer' to Israel security
Gaza truce holding after shaky start

Syria:                                                                                 

                                                                                                                 

Timeline of Syria's raging war

400 Syrians sent to camps after unrest in Gaziantep
Syria's war widows fight for survival


Other Middle East Countries Experiencing Unrest:                                                          

Bahrain: Bahrain Protest News

Cyprus: Turkish bombs and riots in Cyprus: Handling the facts

Jordan: Jordan Bank goes on trial for financing terrorists

Kuwait: Kuwait police use force to break up protest

Lebanon: Chronology of Lebanon Unrest

Oman: Middle East crude; Oman weakens as supply rises

Qatar: Maliki’s ‘exclusion’ policies behind unrest, says Qatar

Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia sends 30,000 troops to Iraq border

Turkey: Turkey worries over latest Ukraine uprisings

United Arab Emirates: Why are the Arab Gulf countries silent on Gaza?

Yemen: Yemeni troops clash with 'al-Qaeda fighters'

Other Countries in the Region Experiencing Unrest:                                                       

Afghanistan: Key Abdullah ally warns of Afghan unrest if vote recount is ‘one-sided'

Armenia: New unrest brews at Armenia parliament – newspaper

Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan throws a historian and his wife in jail for activism

Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan: Waiting for Change

Kyrgyzstan: Kyrgyzstan Faces Catastrophic Energy Crisis

Pakistan: Crisis in Pakistan

Tajikistan:  Tajikistan among nations being at high risk for social unrest

Turkmenistan: Turkmenistan, Afghanistan discuss cooperation in various sectors

Uzbekistan: Practice of Forced Labor Lives On in Uzbekistan

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The Prophet Ezekiel predicted that many nations would rise up against Israel during the "latter days", causing much civil violence and regional mayhem; the Middle East will experience political and social unrest unlike anything mankind has ever witnessed before in our modern times... 

7) “Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. 8) After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety. 9) You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land." - Ezekiel 38:7-9 (NIV)

"Guest Writers" Welcomed

World Council of Religious Leaders

The World Council of Religious Leaders (WCRL) was formed to serve as a resource to the United Nations and its agencies around the world in hopes of offering resolutions toward critical global problems through various faiths of religion. The WCRL was launched in Bangkok on June 12, 2002 (AD) and its objective is to inspire men and women of all faiths to seek mutual understanding in the pursuit of world peace. The participants adopted a Charter that addresses key areas in which religious leaders can play a role in reducing world conflict and adhering to the critical needs of mankind. Their mission is as followed:

"The World Council of Religious Leaders aims to serve as a model and guide for the creation of a community of world religions. In the spirit of service and humility, it seeks to inspire women and men of all faiths in the pursuit of peace, justice and mutual understanding. It will undertake initiatives to provide the spiritual resources of the world's religious traditions to assist the United Nations and its agencies in the prevention, resolution and healing of conflicts and in the eradication of their causes and in addressing social and environmental problems. By promoting the practice of the spiritual values shared by all religious traditions, and by uniting the human community for times of world prayer and meditation, the World Council seeks to aid in developing the inner qualities and external conditions needed for the creation of a more peaceful, just and sustainable world society."

The WCRL promotes and supports unity, as well as religious traditions. In doing so, this inspires and encourages the humanlike values shared by all religious customs to come together as one human community in the development and creation of world peace through a foundation of trust. The WCRL, with the cooperation of the United Nations, hopes to build a community where the world's religions can benefit one another, instead of being in continual conflict with one another.

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Religous Leaders of the World

Religious leaders have been around since the beginning of mankind, and increase with each passing generation. Compared to the B.C. era, the number of religious leaders in the world today is completely overwhelming and nearly impossible to enumerate. The following list contains quotes by renowned religious leaders of the the world, both past and present...

Ancient Religious Leaders:

Abraham - c/2000 B.C. (Hebrew spiritual leader & founder of Judaism) 

> "And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen; for we be brethen." (Gen. 13:8)

Lao-Tse - 4th century B.C. (Chinese philosopher & founder of Taoism) 

> "If I have even just a little sense, I will walk on the main road and my only fear will be of straying from it. Keeping to the main road is easy, But people love to be sidetracked."

Gautama Buddha - 563-483 B.C. (Indian spiritual teacher & founder of Buddhism) 

> However many holy words you read, However many you speak, What good will they do If you do not act upon them?"

Confucius - c/551-479 B.C. (Chinese philosopher & founder of Confucianism) 

> "Heaven means to be one with God."

John the Baptist - c/5 B.C.-c/27 A.D. (1st century A.D. prophet & spiritual leader) 

> Unto the Pharisees and Sadducees, he said, "O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" (Matt 3:7)

Jesus Christ - c/4 B.C.-c/28 A.D. (1st century A.D. prophet & founder of Christianity)

> Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed in him, "If ye continue in my word, are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31-32)

Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah - c/570-632 A.D.  (7th century prophet & founder of Islam)

> "O people, no prophet or apostle will come after me, and no new faith will be born. Reason well, therefore, O People, and understand my words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the Qur'an and my Sunnah and if you follow these you will never go astray." 

Modern Religious Leaders:


St. Francis of Assisi - 1181-1226 A.D. (German mystic & spiritual leader)

> "All things of creation are children of the Father and thus brothers of man... God wants us to help animals, if they need help. Every creature in distress has the same right to be protected."

Martin Luther - 1483-1546 A.D. (German theologian, Austrian monk & founder of Protestantism) 

> "I am afraid that the schools will prove the very gates of Hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the  heart of the youth."

Richard Allen - 1760-1813 A.D. (American spiritual leader & founder of AME Church)

> "This land, which we have watered with our tears and our blood, is now our mother country, and we are well satisfied to stay where wisdom abounds and the gospel is free."

Joseph Smith - 1805-1844 A.D. (American spiritual leader & founder of Mormonism)  

> "How will the serpent ever lose his venom, while the servants of God possess the same disposition and continue to make war upon it? Men must become harmless, before the brute creation."

Mahatma Gandhi - 1869-1948 A.D. (Political and spiritual leader of India) 

> "Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man."

Bertrand Russell - 1872-1970 A.D. (British philosopher, historian & Atheist) 

> "And if there were a God, I think it very unlikely that He would have such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt His existence."

Mother Teresa - 1910-1997 A.D. (Albanian Catholic nun & missionary) 

> "I don't claim anything of the work. It is His work. I am like a little pencil in His hand. That is all. He does the thinking. He does the writing. The pencil has nothing to do with it."

Pope John Paul II - 1920-2005 A.D. (Polish spiritual leader & former Papal authority) 

> "The present-day mentality, more perhaps than that of people in the past, seems opposed to a God of mercy, and in fact tends to exclude from life and to remove from the human heart the very idea of mercy."

Martin Luther King, Jr. - 1929-1968 A.D. (American spiritual leader & Civil Rights Activist) 

> "But today I feel that too much of the church is merely a thermometer, which measures rather than molds popular opinion."

Current Religious Leaders:


Pope Francis - (South American spiritual leader & current Papal authority)

> "We have created new idols. The worship of the ancient golden calf has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose."

Billy Graham - (American spiritual leader and advisor) 

> "The greatest miracle of the Bible is that the prophets of Israel could keep a religion as clean as a hound's tooth amid all the corruption and idolatry of the nations surrounding them."

Harold Kushner - (American Jewish rabbi & author) 

> "We have confused God with Santa Claus. And we believe that prayer means making a list of everything you don't have but want and trying to persuade God you deserve it. Now, I'm sorry, that's not God, that's Santa Claus."

Tenzin Gyatso - (14th Dalai Lama & Buddhist leader of Tibet) 

> "Although I speak from my own experience, I feel that no one has the right to impose his or her beliefs on another person."

Desmond Tutu - (South African archbishop & civil activist) 

> "Human beings are fundamentally good. The aberration, in fact, is the evil one, for God created us ultimately for God, for goodness, for laughter, for joy, for compassion, for caring."

Daniel Lapin - (American Orthodox Jewish rabbi & political commentator) 

> "Jews need to understand that our safety and security in the United States is dependent upon the health and vitality of American Christianity. No country in the last 2,000 years has provided the same haven of tranquility and prosperity for Jews as has the United States of America and this is not in spite of Americans being Christians, it is because of it. You might say that America's Bible Belt is the Jewish community's safety belt."

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In retrospect, the various religions of the world could be considered the backbone of mankind's strength and power... and the world's religious leaders, over the many centuries of mankind's existence, have been a beacon of hope... as a guiding light... in mankind's quest for a peaceful subsistence.

The Prophet Ezekiel

Depiction of Ezekiel
by Michelangelo

Ezekiel was an ancient prophet who lived during the 6th century B.C.; he was the son of Buzi and descended from Tribe of Levi. He is acknowledged as a prophetic seer in Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the Bahá'í Faith and credited with writing the Book of Ezekiel (found in the Tanakh and Old Testament). 

According to biblical tradition, he was born in Jerusalem, but carried off to Babylon [when he was 25 years old] with King Jechoniah II and other notable Judeans during the second invasion of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar II. He lived a big portion of his life in captivity near the River Chebar. At the age of 30 years, he received his first prophetic vision... 

Vision #1 -  Destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Jewish Temple

Destruction of Jerusalem & Herod's Temple

In 592 B.C., Ezekiel is transcribed as being called by God to be a messenger to the people of Judea. Chapters 1 and 2, in the Book of Ezekiel, goes into great detail in describing his calling to be a prophet. 

In Chapters 3 through 9, the Creator called upon the ancient prophet to spread the word of His displeasure with the children of Israel and their imminent downfall if they did not repent of their transgressions.

"Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me." ~ Ezekiel 3:17

After his celestial encounter with the Creator, he incessantly prophesied even though he met much opposition along the way. The prophet Daniel, who was carried away to Babylon earlier, began his prophetic preaching around 606 B.C., but did not see the fulfillment of his fore-warnings in conjunction with Jerusalem's downfall. However, Ezekiel and Jeremiah (another renowned prophet of this era) personally witnessed the Lord's "day of reckoning" when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem in 587 B.C., destroying the Holy City and bringing down the Second Jewish Temple (aka: Herod's Temple). It was also during this time era that surrounding nations were threatened with divine punishment, as well.

Vision #2 - Restoration of the land of Israel

Pre-Raphaelite Holman Hunt lived in Jerusalem
and urged Jews to return. By Jennifer Lipman, 2012

In Chapters 10 through 36, the scriptures reiterate the need for Ezekiel to deliver the message of the Creator to the sinful people of Israel and guiding the ancient prophet every step of the way in carrying out His plan... which basically was continually rejected by the children of Israel... hence the destruction of Jerusalem and Herod's Temple. Some theologians interpret Chapter 37 as a promise to deliver the Hebrew nation from Babylonian captivity, while other scholars relate this chapter with the return of the 12 tribes of Israel, including Joseph's two sons, to their homeland (Israel) in what will become known as the "latter days". 

"And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all. ~ Ezekiel 37:21-22

Many modern scholars and theologians contend that Ezekiel's prophecy of the Jews returning to their own land was fulfilled when the state of Israel was mandated and established in 1948 by the United Nations.

Vision #3 - The Millennial Temple (aka: Third Jewish Temple)

Depiction of Ezekiel's Temple

In Chapters 38 and 39, Ezekiel was shown a horrendous war known as Gog and Magog. 

This battle enlightens mankind that armies from the north and east shall descend upon the land of Israel, but will be overthrown when the Creator protects the descendants of Judah and Israel, once more making the nation a whole kingdom, never to divide again. Some scholars believe it will be during this time that the Third Jewish Temple will be rebuilt. In Chapters 40 through 43, specifics are given on this last and final temple... from precise measurements to interior furnishings. 

"And he brought me thither, and, behold, there was a man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood in the gate. And the man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought hither: declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel." ~ Ezekiel 40:3-4

Ezekiel was 50 years old when he had visions of this new temple. Chapters 44 through 47 basically informs the reader who is allowed in the Holy Temple of God (aka: Ezekiel's Temple) and in-depth instructions given to those who are allowed inside the hallowed halls. From ministering, offerings and sacrificing to which holy gate a person is suppose to use when entering Ezekiel's Temple, the Creator was very extreme in his description of what He expects.  Chapter 48 explains how the Creator will divide the Holy Land among the 12 tribes of Israel.

"This is the land which ye shall divide by lot unto the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their portions, saith the Lord God." ~ Ezekiel 48:29

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There are many similarities between Ezekiel's visions and those of John of Patmos (aka: John the Evangelist) in the Book of Revelation. The following is a list of those similarities...

THE VISION	EZEKIEL	REVELATION
1. The Throne Vision	Chapter 1	Chapter 4
2. The Book Being Opened	Chapters 2-3	Chapter 5
3. The Four Plagues	Chapter 5	Chapter 6:1-8
4. Those Slain Under the Altar	Chapter 6	Chapter 6:9-11
5. The Wrath of God	Chapter 7	Chapter 6:12-17
6. The Seal on the Saint's Foreheads	Chapter 9	Chapter 7
7. The Coals from the Altar	Chapter 10	Chapter 8
8. The 1/3 Destruction	Chapter 5:1-4; 12	Chapter 8:6-12
9. No More Delay	Chapter 12	Chapter 10:1-7
10. The Eating of the Book	Chapter 2	Chapter 10:8-11
11. Prophecy against the Nations	Chapters 25-32	Chapter 10:11
12. The Measuring of the Temple	Chapters 40-43	Chapter 11:1-2
13. Comparing Jerusalem to Sodom	Chapter 16	Chapter 11:8
14. The Cup of Wrath	Chapter 23	Chapter 14
15. The Vine of the Land	Chapter 15	Chapter 14:18-20
16. The Great Harlot	Chapters 16, 23	Chapters 17-18
17. The Lament Sung Over the City	Chapter 27	Chapter 18
18. The Scavenger's Feast	Chapter 39	Chapter 19
19. The First Resurrection	Chapter 37	Chapter 20:4-6
20. The Battle of Gog and Magog	Chapter 38-39	Chapter 20:7-9
21. The New Jerusalem	Chapters 40-48	Chapter 21
22. The River of Life	Chapter 47	Chapter 22

Ezekiel's Tomb

The Prophet Ezekiel not only correctly predicted  the destruction of Jerusalem and Herod's Temple, but announced a future redemption for the children of Israel before the great Millennial Age is ushered in by their long awaited Messiah. 

While the date of the ancient prophet's death was not recorded in the Tanakh/Old Testament, the majority of scholars believe his tomb is located near Baghdad, at a place known as Al Kifl, Iraq. 

In our modern world, the Book of Ezekiel is one of the greatest prophetic works in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles. The Qur'an mentions a prophet named Zul-Kifl, who is sometimes identified and compared with Ezekiel, although some Islamic scholars dispute this claim. Regardless, the ancient prophet's insights provide a magnificent picture of what the future holds in store for mankind.

The concept of Ezekiel's message is simple: "...if a righteous man chooses to sin, he shall die for his sin, and his righteousness will not be remembered. If a sinner repents of his transgressions, as well as keep God's commandments, he will not die." (Ezekiel 3:20;18:21-24)