TheOmegaLetterIntelligenceDigest

Vol:63Issue:27Wednesday,December27,2006
TheOmegaLetter
SpecialReportPartTwo:Zechariah'sPuzzle

AnuclearIranisthemostdangerousenemyIsraelhaseverfacedinherfourthousandyearsof
existence.

AnuclearstrikeorderedbyMahmoudAhmadinejadwouldalmostcertainlybemetwithamassive
Israelicounterstrike,butIranisahugecountry.Vastexpansesaresparselypopulatedandmuchof
itshieldedbymountains.

Ahmadinejadisbettinghiscountrycouldsurviveasinglecounterstrike.TinycoastalIsraelwouldnot
survivetostrikeasecondtime.AhmadinejadbelievesitishisreligiousdutytodestroyIsrael,even
attheriskofstartinganuclearwar.

HebelievesAllahhastaskedhimwithbringingaboutthereturnofthe12thImam,Islam'smessianic
figure.Ahmadinejadbelievesthatoncehestartsaglobalwar,the12thImam,orMahdi,willreturn
andleadIslaminaglobalconquestoftheinfidelworld.

AhmadinejadwillnotbedeterredbyAmericannavalforcesinthePersianGulf.Norwillhebe
deterredbytheriskofanuclearresponsefromIsrael.

AhmadinejadseeshimselfasIslam'sultimatesuicidebomberstrappedwithIslam'sultimatesuicide
bomb.AhmadinejadalsosharestheMuslimconvictionthatJerusalemisthethirdholiestplacein
Islam.

SothemostlikelytargetofanIranianattackwouldbeTelAviv,onIsrael'scoast,preserving
JerusalemasaprizefortheMahdi.

TheBookofZechariahdatesfromtheearly5thcenturyandiscenteredaroundJerusalem.The
majorityofhispropheciesareconcernedwiththefutureofJerusalem,fromtherebuildingofthe
TempletotheFirstAdventoftheMessiahandthroughtoHisSecondComingattheendoftheage.

Assessment:

ZechariahChapter13addressestheFirstAdventoftheMessiah,Hisrejection,andHisbetrayal.

"AndoneshallsayuntoHim,WhatarethesewoundsinthineHands?ThenHeshallanswer,Those
withwhichIwaswoundedinthehouseofMyfriends."(Zechariah13:6)

ModernIsraelcouldmakethesamelament.AsthewarwithradicalIslamgoeson,moreandmore
nationsarereconsideringthepricedemandedofthemfortheircontinuedsupportoftheJewish
state.

AttheUN,diplomatseagerlyawaitanotheropportunitytodistancethemselvesfromIsraelto
appeasetheirownmilitantIslamicpopulationsbackhome.EvenawarwearyUSisslowlybacking
awayfromitsformerpolicyofunhesitatingsupportforIsrael.
TheIranStudyGrouprecommendedmeetingwithIsrael'senemiestodiscusstradingpartsofIsrael
forpartsofIraq.ItrecommendedIsraelbeexcludedsonegotiationswouldn'tbehamperedby
Israeliobjections.Anditisbeingconsideredasaviableoption.

TheUSbackedlandforpeaceinitiativeresultedinOsloWarthathasalreadydeeplywounded
Israel.

Zechariah'sMessianicprophecycontinues,"Awake,Osword,againstMyshepherd,andagainstthe
manthatismyfellow,saiththeLORDofhosts:smitetheshepherd,andthesheepshallbe
scattered:andIwillturnminehanduponthelittleones."(Zechariah13:7)

TheShepherd,ofcourse,isJesus.Jesuscamefirstto'redeemthelostsheepofIsrael.'When
JesussenttheTwelveontheirfirstmissionaryjourney,HetoldthemnottogotoSamaria,ortothe
Gentiles,butinstead,Hecommanded:"ButgorathertothelostsheepofthehouseofIsrael."
(Matthew10:6)

"ButHeansweredandsaid,IamnotsentbutuntothelostsheepofthehouseofIsrael."(Matthew
15:24)

ThelostsheeprejectedtheShepherd,andagenerationlater,werethemselvesscatteredbythe
Romansintoatwothousandyearexile.TheShepherdwassmitten,andthelostsheepofIsrael
scattered,fulfillingZechariah'sprophecytotheletter.Afterthat,theprophetpredicted,Godwill
returnHisattentiontoHislostsheep.

ThenexttwoversesofZechariahweaveitalltogetherintoacohesivepattern:Theburdenof
Damascus.TheabsenceofIsrael'sneighborsfromEzekiel'senemieslist.TheAhmadinejadnuclear
factor.Themissingalliances.

And,liketheburdenofDamascus,itisayetfutureevent.Itisabonechillingscenariotoconsider,
giventhepresentcircumstancesintheMiddleEast.

"Anditshallcometopass,thatinalltheland,saiththeLORD,twopartsthereinshallbecutoffand
diebutthethirdshallbelefttherein.AndIwillbringthethirdpartthroughthefire,andwillrefine
themassilverisrefined,andwilltrythemasgoldistried:theyshallcallonMyName,andIwillhear
them:Iwillsay,ItisMypeople:andtheyshallsay,TheLORDismyGod."(Zechariah13:89)

AhmadinejadisconfidenthisnationcouldsurviveanIsraelinuclearstrikeandheisprobablyright.
Indeed,Ezekiel'sListsaysthatheisright,sincePersiaisonhislist.

Syria,ontheotherhand,wouldnotandEzekielomitsSyriafromtheGogMagogAlliance.

AnuclearstrikeagainstDamascuswouldcertainlyturnitintotheruinousheapenvisionedbyIsaiah,
whichwouldexplainSyria'sabsencefromEzekiel'sList.

Ahmadinejad'sreligiousideologydemandsthedestructionoftheJewishState.ButJerusalem's
statusasIslam'sthirdholiestshrineensuresJerusalemwouldnotbetargeted.

Ontheotherhand,TelAvivisfortymileseastofJerusalem.Protectedbydistanceandthe
mountains,JerusalemwouldmostlyprobablysurviveanuclearstrikeonTelAviv.
WhileJerusalemisIsrael'smostancientandmostreligiouscity,TelAvivisitsnewestandmost
secular.TwothirdsofIsrael'stotalpopulationlivewithinafewmilesofTelAviv.Theremainingthird,
includingmostofIsrael'sreligiousJews,liveclosertoJerusalemandtheWestBank.

AnIraniannuclearstrikeonTelAvivwouldthereforecutofftwothirdsofIsrael'spopulationina
singlestrike.ThesurvivingthirdthereforewouldconsistmostlyofreligiousJewsinandaround
Jerusalem.

Zechariahpredictedthesudden'cuttingoff'oftwothirdsofIsrael,specificallynotingthesurviving
thirdwouldbebrought"throughthefire",emergingas"Hispeople".

EzekielpredictedtherestorationofIsraelinstagesfirstasbone,sinewandskin,but"therewasno
breathinthem."(Ezekiel37:8)

AfterIsrael'srestoration,Ezekielpredictedthat,fromthefourwinds"breathcameintothem,and
theylived,andstoodupupontheirfeet,anexceedinggreatarmy."(37:910)

ThefirststageofIsrael'srestorationwastheingathering.ItbeganwiththeFirstZionistCongressin
1897andtherushofearlyJewishemigrationtotheHolyLand.

ThesecondstagetookplacewithIsrael'sdeclarationofIndependenceandthefivewarsthatleft
Israelinpossessionofoneofthemostpowerfulmilitarymachinesintheworld.

Thethirdstage,Ezekielsays,iswhenGodshall"putMySpiritinyou.."afterwhich:

"Neithershalltheydefilethemselvesanymorewiththeiridols,norwiththeirdetestablethings,nor
withanyoftheirtransgressions:butIwillsavethemoutofalltheirdwellingplaces,whereinthey
havesinned,andwillcleansethem:soshalltheybemypeople,andIwillbetheirGod.(37:14a,23)

Zechariah'sprophecyseemstoindicatethatfinalstagetakesplacefollowingthedestructionof
secularIsraelandthepreservationofIsrael'sreligiouscommunity.

AsIsaid,itisachillingscenario.ButnomorechillingthantheprospectsnowalreadyfacingIsrael.
Butitishardtoimaginethecurrentscenariounfoldinganyotherway.

Admittedly,thisamorbidlygloomyandadmittedlyspeculativereport.Andtherearenodoubtsome
whothinkitprettycallous.ButIamonlyquotingtheprophet,notinventingtheprophecy.

AndIamanythingbutcallousaboutthehorroritportends.AndIdidn'tinventthehorror,either.That
isintheprocessofbeinginventedbyMahmoudAhmadinejad.

Oneneedn'tconsultZechariahtoarriveattheidenticalconclusionsintheeventthatMahmoud
AhmadinejadissuccessfulinhisquestfortheBomb.

AnuclearstrikeonTelAvivwouldaffecttwothirdsofIsrael'spopulation.Itisafactthatitwould
affectIsrael'smainlysecularpopulation.Itisequallytruethatthesurvivingthirdwouldincludethe
majorityofIsrael'sreligiouscommunity.

Ahmadinejad'swarisunlikelytobringabouthisdreamedofIslamicvictory,however.Amorelikely
consequencewillbeaglobalbacklashagainstIslamicmilitancyandnewresolvefordevelopa
globalgovernmenttopreventitsreemergence.
Iranwouldsurvive,withoutitsnuclearprogram,moredependentthaneveronitsalliancewith
Russia.

WhatremainsofIsraelwillbecenteredaroundJerusalem,anditseemslikelythatthesurvivorsof
theworld'sfirstnuclearsneakattackwillenjoysomeperiodofglobalpatronage,similartothe
outpouringofsympathyitreceivedintheyearsimmediatelyfollowingtheHolocaust.

ThenewIsrael,centeredaroundJerusalem'sreligiouscommunity,wouldhavenoneedofawall,
andwouldenjoysomemeasureofpeaceandglobalsympathyfortheirsituation.

Ezekiel'sGogMagogscenariocallsforalandofunwalledvillages,dwellinginapparentpeaceand
safety,undertheprotectionoftheWesternworld.Wearen'tthereyet.

ButZechariah'sscenariowouldgetusthereinablindingflashoflight.

AsIsaid,thisisspeculative.ButBibleprophecycanbelikenedtoassemblingajigsawpuzzle.As
morepiecesfallintoplace,thepicturebeginstogetclearerandthepuzzlepiecesgeteasierto
figureout.

Zechariah'sScenariomaywellprovidethenextmissingpiece.

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