From Eliyahu

Greetings in Messiah,

Military and police organizations use a term that can make the difference in conflict. The term is: "situational awareness" and simply means being aware of the entire situation so you can act accordingly to stay alive and even win the fight. Not knowing what is really happening can be deadly.

I'm sure I don't need to remind you that we are engaged in a spiritual battle that spans many centuries. The situation we find ourselves in today was set up by events that happened long before we were even born. Knowing the facts about those historical events that impact our place in time gives us something I call "historical situational awareness" - which is vital for us in these last days. A case in point is my latest presentation, "Into Babylon." This focuses on events of the second Century AD in the Roman Empire. These events were formative to both Judaism and Christianity as we know them. These events were momentous for both Judaics and Christians of that era, and for Messianics as well. 

How does this effect us? Simple. These events actually launched both Judaism and Christianity into captivity to Babylon the Great, which captivity continues for millions. If you are not among the captives then it is likely that a lot of people you care about are captives to Babylon. Most people know nothing or very little about this, so many remain in captivity without even knowing it. All righteous people need to understand this situation today, because Scripture warns us about Babylon the Great;

“Come out of her, my people, that you have no participation in her sins, and that you don’t receive of her plagues, for her sins have reached to the sky, and God has remembered her iniquities." Rev 18:4, 5

We need to know how God's people entered into Babylon to heed the Divine warning to get out, and to help others do the same! That's why knowledge of these events is so vital. I'm looking forward to sharing this information in our latest presentation; "Into Babylon."

Blessing and Shalom,

Eliyahu ben David

www.tsiyon.org
 

PS - Below is some recent news you may have missed.

In a pivotal breakthrough in the Yemen civil war, Thursday, Dec. 11 the naval forces of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAR took by storm from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels the Greater Hanish island, which is part of the strategic archipelago commanding the Strait of Bab al Mandeb. This is reported exclusively by debkafile’s Middle East sources.

This highly strategic strait links the Indian Ocean with the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea – i.e. Africa and Asia – and is the world’s fourth busiest chokepoint for international oil traffic.

Captured by Yemeni rebels last May, the island was converted by Iranian officers into an armed base and one of Tehran’s largest depots for the supply of arms to its forces and proxies in the region. A fleet of small boats and fishing vessels kept the Yemeni Houthis amply armed for fending off the Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting to restore the exiled Yemeni government.

The Hanish island base also provided Iran with a commanding position for spreading its influence in Ethiopia and Eritrea on the eastern African seaboard.

Taking the island was a major breakthrough for the coalition, after long months of combat that was crowned by their capture of the southern Yemeni seaport of Aden in the past three months. With the occupation of Greater Hanish, Saudi-led forces are now in position not just to cut off Iran’s weapons supplies to the Yemeni rebels, but also to break its grip on the vital strait that connects the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal.

Iran maintained on Greater Hanish Island advanced radar and electronic tracking stations for keeping an eye on military movements on the southern Saudi border with northern Yemen. They could also shadow oil tanker and other shipping passing through the Red Sea, and stake out Israel’s south- and east-bound sea traffic as it passed through the Gulf of Aqaba.

debkafile’s military and intelligence sources reveal that Saudi Arabia and Egypt finally decided that the seizure of the strategic island could not be delayed when last month, Iran won a permit to establish an air and sea base in Djibouti, the Horn of Africa nation opposite the Gulf of Aden’s entrance to the Red Sea.

Djibouti derives much of its revenue from renting out tracts of land to foreign nations seeking bases of operation in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea. American and French bases are situated no more than 214 km from Greater Hanish Island.

Riyadh, Cairo and the UAE agreed that they could not afford to let Iranian air and naval forces gain control of the Bab El-Mandeb Strait from its twin footholds on the island and in Djibouti.

They were not the only interested parties. It may be taken for granted that their operation to take over Greater Hanish was quietly assisted by Western and Middle East interests that had been watching Iran’s takeover of these vital ocean pathways with grave concern.