IDF deputy chief: Israel's army needs faith in God more than tanks

 Israel Defense Forces Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Naveh said on Sunday. Naveh added that the Israeli army needed faith in God now more than its supply of planes and tanks.Naveh called Israel an island of calm in the storm of the Middle East, turmoil that had not been foreseen by intelligence officials despite their good work.

"But it was ordained from above," he said, "and we don't know where it will lead, but it's clear to us that there is a hand from above." 

 Excerpts from The Haaretz Published 02:19 21.02.11 http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/idf-deputy-chief-israel-s-army-needs-faith-in-god-more-than-tanks-1.344702

Israel and the Church in the End Times

Dr. Lawrence Prabhakar Williams*

  ¹¹Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.  ¹²Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. (Ezekiel 37:11-12 KJV)

³²Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:  ³³So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. (Mathew 24: 32-33- KJV)

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Two great mysteries in the Holy Bible that remained a great secret for a long time One, the creation of the State of Israel and the other came earlier to it was the Church that Christ called His Body.

The destinies of the chosen of the Lord and Israel are two great weapons that the Lord Jesus Christ has used mightily to fulfill His Divine Purpose. The above-mentioned verses have a very strong Prophetic foundations of how the state of Israel that was in existence was destroyed by the invading armies of the Roman Empire in AD 72 after the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ comes into existence once again during “this generation”.

Three issues merit importance of why Israel is the centrepiece in all Biblical Prophecy and how the Church and Israel used as two very important instruments to fulfill His Purpose in the last days of Humanity.

One, Israel is the Chosen nation of the Lord God from among all the nations of the world. Although He created and prospered all the nations as it in Genesis 10, yet the choice of the Lord God to fulfill His Purpose has come through the person who pleased the Lord God immensely by His Faith--Abraham. In Genesis 12:2-3, we read that the Lord God blessed Abraham and His descendants by affirming a Covenant with him; two things are guaranteed in this Covenant; “I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee and the second issue is and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed”. This is God’s Foreign Policy for Israel and His approach of the world.

Israel is the nation that the Lord God had chosen through the lineage of Abraham through his son Isaac and Jacob (renamed as Israel by the Lord God). Israel was called out of Egypt and through mighty miracles, the Lord God brought them into the Land of Canaan—a land flowing with milk and honey.

Not only did the Lord God make the covenant with Abraham; He affirmed to Abraham two very important issues; one was that his son Isaac was the chosen one from whose seed Israel would flower (Genesis 17:21); two though Ishmael was the son of Abraham through the bondwoman Hagar. The Lord God did not choose him but only Isaac; although God blessed Ishmael, (we see it in the oil wealth of the Arab states). (Genesis 17:20)

Today if we see the current situation in the Middle East, it is a conflict between the two sons of Abraham. Israel is Isaac descendants are the Jews of Israel and Ishmael’s descendants are the Palestinians and Arabs. Nevertheless, the Lord God has chosen Israel over Ishmael (Romans 9:13)

Two, the infallible Purpose of the Lord God to choose Abraham and create the nation of Israel was for a very sacred mission of utmost importance. It was for the salvation of Humanity that He worked this great plan.

Through the nation of Israel, the Lord God sent His only begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ who was the Lamb of God that slain for the sins of all humanity from creation to the end. Through the nation of the Jews, the Lord God gave to the world His priceless Word that is the Word of God in our hands, which is the key to our salvation.

The Church was the greatest mystery that the Lord God had planned (totally unknown to Satan) to complete His Salvation for humanity—just as the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ was the greatest surprise and the death blow to Satan. (Genesis 3:15; I Peter 3:19)

The nation of Israel and the Church are complementary purposes of the Lord God to achieve His plan of Salvation in this planet.

Three, The Roman armies led by Vespasian and Titus destroyed Israel as a nation and state in AD 72. The famous Jewish Historian Flavius Josephus records this event in his “The Antiquities of the Jews”[1]. This prophecy of destruction and dispersion of the Jews was prophesied by the Lord Jesus Christ in Mathew 24:2-3. From AD 72 until AD 1948, the Jews were scattered into the nations of the world.

One of the critical reasons of this great destruction and dispersal was the hardened hearts of the Jews and the Jewish leadership with their blinded rejection of the Messiah—the Lord Jesus Christ who came for their salvation (Mathew 23:37-39).

The rejection of the Blessed One of Israel was the most deadly cause for their destruction and dispersal. Yet another reason of the damnation that fell on Israel was due to their adamant attitude that was evident during the illegal trial of Christ Jesus before the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate.

The Chief Priests, scribes and the instigated people said, “His blood be on us, and on our children” (Mathew 27:25). The shedding of innocent blood and the blood guiltiness came upon as a condemnation for the Jews. To those who look on the Cross- the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sins and guiltiness and thus the Church came into existence, but in a very sad manner, the condemnation came on the Jews since they rejected the Most Blessed One who came as their Messiah.

 Yet the Lord God did not forget them, In His Omnipotence He brought them back to the Land of the Covenant (Isaiah 41:9-16)

Therefore, the Church, for a period, emerges as the instrument of the Lord God to preach the Gospel of Salvation to the world in the absence of Israel. With the creation of Israel in 1948, we see the focus of the end time events have commenced.

Reading Mathew 24: 32-33, we see the blossom of the Fig Tree (Israel) in the Holy Land and the Church has entered into the last stages of the age of Grace before taken away as the Bride of Christ in the Rapture.

The Rapture would be the most critical event energized by the Holy Spirit that would set the stage for the most critical events in all humankind. A great Tribulation would sweep the entire earth that would see humanity, nature and all that is in this world groan in extreme agony.

It is at this time that Israel would play a very critical role as the Lord God’s fulcrum to judge the world and bless His children in Israel and the Church.  With the Rapture, the 1,44,000 Messianic Jews who are the sealed children of the Lord God would minister to the world that would be tormented during the Great Tribulation (Revelation 7:4). The 1,44000 Messianic Jews and the two witnesses (Revelation 11:3-7) would be the ‘Church’ serving as the most powerful instruments in the Hands of the Lord God ministering to a world of humanity in its worst periods of distress.

The Rapture would also trigger the final countdown of a series of nine major wars that would destroy the world by more than two-thirds; releasing the seal, bowl judgments on the earth that John the Apostle and Revelator writes as the ‘Apocalypsis’.

Israel has thus emerged from the “valley of bones” to its present state as a besieged nation facing a 24/7 threat for its survival; yet we find that its culture, society and economy are quite resilient. This is sheer impossibility; since no ethnic group or nation could have ever survived, the worst, destructive attempts that Israel faced; several such ethnic groups were wiped away in human history.

This clearly demonstrates the Omnipotence of the Lord God to have ‘transported’ the Jews by His Right Arm of Righteousness to survive and thrive. Truly, Israel and the Church are the “apples of God’s eye” and would are preserved miraculously until His Glorious Appearance.

The whole purpose of the Lord God in His Mighty salvation plan is the redemption of the world through Israel His chosen and the Spiritual Israel (Galatians 6:16)--the Elect—the Church to establish His Millennium Reign on Earth destroying all the works of the evil one. Jerusalem, Israel and the Church would be the co-heirs of Christ in the Millennium reign and Eternity that follows.

The believer who is the Church has three important primary duties in these last days of the earth. Prepare for the Coming of the Lord washed by His Blood and sanctified by His Grace; Equip with the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:13-17) to fight and destroy the works of the devil; Preach the Gospel in season or out of season and reach out the unreached  (II Timothy 4:2)

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* Dr Lawrence Prabhakar Williams affirms his faith and conviction on the indispensable primacy of Biblical Prophecy in world affairs. The author is Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Madras Christian College, Chennai, India; Visiting Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, Chennai; Co-Chair, International Working Group “Weapons of Mass Destruction and Border Security”, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University, Washington DC. The author specializes in Defence-strategic affairs, nuclear and missile issues, maritime security and Grand strategy studies of India, China and USA. He has consulted with the Ministry of Defence, Government of India, New Delhi. He has several professional national and international publications to his credit.

[1] Flavius Josephus “The Antiquities of the Jews” (Translated by William Whiston) See “The War of the Jews’ Book VII Chapter-1 accessed at http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/war-7.htm

The Egyptian Protests: The Cusp of Change in the Arab/ Islamic World

The Egyptian Protests: The Cusp of Change in the Arab/ Islamic World

Dr.W.Lawrence Prabhakar Williams*

The average person in the Arab / Islamic world today is a dissatisfied person! Having to endure an authoritarian rule, the Arab/ Islamic world has no established tradition of democracy. Its civil rights standards reflect the basic minimum featuring a total disregard of human rights and an emaciated visage of human dignity that is deprived of the essence of human development. The individual faces the continual prospect of being marginalized by the state and oppressed by a social order that is out-of-sync with the spirit of freedom.

The recent waves of protest and the human deluge in Tahrir (Liberation) Square reflects the pent-up outburst of the Egyptians who have been reeling in social-economic deprivation for several years. As a country Egypt with its 80 million plus have been known to be a one of the most progressive societies but with meager resources and a burdened national security situation did achieve some good progress over the years. Known for its socialist-secular credentials, Egypt was regarded to be a pivotal state of Arab nationalism and progressive agenda in its national development.

However, over the years, Egypt has been in the cascade of various internal social-sectarian developments that has crystallized into the present crisis of epitome proportions.

Five significant trends do attest to the recent deluge of Egyptian humanity at Tahrir Square:

Egypt as a secular society never built its ‘institutions’ of democracy and evolved a ‘process’ that would have addressed the multiple social-economic challenges of a state that was demographic-rich and resource poor. Egypt is well known in the Arab/Islamic world as a preeminent human capital-intensive country that had a rich intellectual, technological human resource that could have been an important channel of social-economic transformation towards a peaceful and non-violent order. Instead the three decades of the Mubarak rule was more veering towards a dominant one-party rule that constantly and systematically stifled political pluralism in a society that has its strong roots and exerted an over-dominant authoritarian rule in the guise of electoral democracy. Thus, while Egypt’s political parties had sustained political pluralism; its thriving was stifled at the expense of containing a larger threat of Islamic fundamentalism that was arising in the Arab/Islamic world. Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood (MB) had emerged as a significant and assertive social-sectarian force of reckon in recent years, capitalizing the increasing social discontent and failures of reform in the social and political order that would have duly encouraged the growth of secular social and political groups and parties;

Two, the Mubarak regime by all standards is not a repressive regime by the radical Islamic standards. The country did have a good measure of social and cultural pluralism that had seen the growth of secular moderates and even Coptic Christians who have been enjoying considerable freedoms in the country. However the social-sectarian seismic discontent have been brewing all along given the impact of the advancing Iranian Shiite resurgence on one hand, the assertive dominance of Saudi Sunni Wahabism on the other that was more pronounced in the global Islamic radicalism that has been sweeping Southwest Asia and North Africa. Adopting repressive measures against the Muslim Brotherhood did prove effective for a period; since the Egyptian moderate and secular public space abhorred the cataclysmic consequences of the emergence of the Muslim Brotherhood as a radical extremist political force in Egyptian politics. However, the Mubarak regime instead of strengthening the secular pluralistic forces of Egypt that was a good bulwark against the extremist fringe preferred a blanket sweep of repressive political and constitutional controls. It included the manipulation of election results resulting in the complete repression of all social and political forces thus triggering the massive unrelenting upsurge that has no dimensions to comprehend;

Three, the Arab/Islamic world suffers from a serious schism in terms regime versus people. In its strong emphasis on state security and regime security, almost all Arab/Islamic regimes are bent on building strong regime apparatuses that have weak social-civic-political and development foundations. The instruments and symbols of state power have been more on the security sector that is manifest with contemporary symbols of military power and internal security apparatuses. It is the misconstrued conception of building state power through the military hardware and the beefing of the security sector that has led to huge resources being spent at the expense of the civic and public development that has triggered the repressed people of Egypt in open rebellion. This is not only true of Egypt, Lebanon and Tunisia that preceded with Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia that are likely to fall into this cascade pattern.

Thus with all their open animosity and visceral hatred for Israel—the sole democracy in the entire region, the Arab/Islamic regimes have been completely bankrupt on the normative-ideological plank of empowering their respective citizenry; instead have used their instruments of repression to self-devastate themselves;

Iran seems to boast that it has already experienced this revolutionary ferment when the present maniacal mullah-leadership had overthrown the Pahlavi dynasty in 1978. However, the recent rigged elections in Iran and the most repressive dictatorial state system in place have all the right menu before the Persian ferment would overthrow the Mullah tyranny in all its directions

Four, the Arab/Islamic world is in crisis since the forces of globalization that features a strong core that intends to integrate the diverse periphery catalyzes tectonic social and cultural changes that could propel a political paradigm shift. Globalization in its discontents have heaped the adverse social-cultural-civic-economic and political consequences that have been transformational that the Arab/Islamic elite have been resisting and would continue to resist, given their penchant to self-enrichment and the de-empowering public policies that is accentuating social and political change. In this crucible of reactions and counteractions, public ferment over failed public policies and bankrupt ideologies would surge. Egypt is thus in the classical dilemma position of being overwhelmed by the forces of globalization and its discontents on one side and the spontaneity of popular resurgence and protest on the other;

Five, the Arab/Islamic world and Egypt is in the throes of a religious eschatological that believes in the ‘end of days’ schema of social conscious thought. Rivaling Shiite and Sunni versions of apocalypses propels the masses. Given the strong foundations of Messianic consciousness in Islam, the prevalent social-cultural-sectarian-economic and political situation galvanizes the mullah leadership to preach and extol on the coming ‘Mahdi’. The ‘Mahdi’ would perform the global apocalyptic role to overthrow the infidel social-economic-political system and usher in the global Islamic Caliphate that would impose an authoritarian one-value; one-social system; one-economic-political system with a one-world government that would torment other faiths and values while empowering Islam. This central organizing theme is the pivot of all radical Islamic groups that glorify violence and sanctify suicidal terrorism; since dying in the infidels land earns them a sensuous and indulgent future of never-ending hedonism.

Where the Egyptian protests would lead?

The turbulence that is now engulfing Mubarak and his regime has all the fine print of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) who is obviously "masquerading" as reformists.

Phase-I would feature the Muslim Brotherhood joining with the opposition in tackling the strong regime (as they have done so); they would await the attrition of the regime.

Phase-II would be to join the coalition with the assorted loosely defined Egyptian Opposition that has El-Baradei as its leader. El-Baradei is an outsider in Egyptian politics and his genuine credentials are in grave doubt given his soft-handed approach to Iranian nuclear proliferation issues while he was at the helm of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Phase-III would feature a gradual take-over of the Muslim Brotherhood alike the Hizbollah takeover in Lebanon overthrowing the popularly elected government and impose and Islamic theocratic state that is bent on the establishment of global Islamic caliphate that would commence with the intended ‘destruction’ of Israel and West.

This schema of preferred power brokering is the clear intent of Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Hizbollah in Lebanon and the other fraternal radical Islamic parties in all Arab/Islamic states that would soon sweep the region.

The tepid response of the West is evident in all these. The US government is the one that actually ‘manufactured’ this crisis in Egypt. It started with Barack Hussein Obama’s “Cairo Speech” that signaled the forces of protest that the US would stand and catalyze the “Change”. However the most shocking and unanticipated outcome is the tenor and direction of change towards which the Egyptian protests are now surging. It is not the sure signs of a peaceful transformation leading to a secular-democratic order; but an irrevocable clandestine sway towards Islamic tyranny along the lines of the Shiite Mullah regime in Teheran.

 The Europeans have been circumspect in this case and are extremely sensitive to the upsurge of radical Islam in the region; since that would have colossal implications for Europe that is already rocked by the assertive rise of intolerant radical Islam. Whereas for Barack Hussein Obama whose pro-radical Islamist inclinations already evident, this is the moment of opportunity for his over-hyped change that would in the long run irrevocably aid the rise of radical Islam and thus trigger a titanic clash of cultures and civilization that would usher in the apocalypsis of humankind by a manufactured crisis.

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* Dr Lawrence Prabhakar Williams is Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Madras Christian College, Chennai, India; Adjunct Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, Chennai; Founder Member, Centre for Security Analysis, Chennai, India; Adjunct Professor, Department of Geopolitics and International Relations, Manipal University, Manipal. His contact is email<lawrence.prabhakar@gmail.com>

“I Will Set Egyptians Against Egyptians”--A Simulation-Scenario Analysis

“I Will Set Egyptians Against Egyptians”

A Simulation-Scenario Analysis

Dr.Lawrence Prabhakar Williams*

What is currently happening in Egypt--particularly in the Sinai-Gaza corridor is stealthy infiltration of the Hizbullah into Gaza while an exchange of the Hamas backed by the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) into Egypt. The Rafah Crossing is no longer manned by the Egyptian Border Police and the Egyptian army is fully focused in the internal cauldron. That leaves the Egyptian-Gaza-Israeli border open for all kinds of infiltration and stealthy buildup by the Hizbullah in collusion with the Hamas;

The Iranians are also around the place since their small-boat navy is doing its exercises in the Mediterranean. I suppose the Israeli Navy is also watching out for them in the region. Particularly vulnerable is the Suez that could have some kind of "maritime spectacular" orchestrated by the radicals as Egypt is roiling in this cauldron. If the Suez region is vulnerable then it heightens the vulnerability of maritime and naval shipping into and out of the region including US and Western naval carrier and expeditionary task forces. The last time a US Carrier expeditionary and strike group moved along the Canal; there was an impressive lineup of the Egyptian armed forces besides Egyptian naval craft in pilot positions in the Canal.

So the turbulence that is now engulfing Mubarak and his regime has all the fine print of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) who are obviously "masquerading" as reformists--hijacking the reformist agenda lacing it with radical ideas that presently are subtly camouflaged.

In Phase-I The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) that is at work with its street-savvy and reformist masquerade garb  is all set to:

 a) Unseat the Mubarak strongman regime;

 b) Outmaneuver  the El-Baradei group that may be the genuine reformist face of Egypt--orchestrating their usual assasinations;

 c) Ride on the chaos (along the pathways of how the Khomeini Group overwhelmed Shah Reza Pahalvi of Iran-- ousting him--(thanks to the insipid and arrogantly idiotic Jimmy Carter) and then they had Abolhassan Banisadr take over and then they overwhelmed him--culminating in America's most infamous 52 US diplomatic personnel held hostage for 444 days by the Khomeini gang--of one of those ring leaders is the current Mahmoud Ahmadinejad);---- a possible seizure of US and Western diplomatic missions could be an eventuality--triggering US and Western naval-Special Operations Forces intervention--albeit requiring Israeli logistical and intelligence support; 

I would not surprised if the Iranians had already slipped in their covert agents into Egypt to catalyze the overthrow of the Mubarak regime (Since Egypt is the only credible Sunni Arab military power that could stand up against the expanding Shiite Empire of "Iranistan" "Bill Salhus's conception")-- With Egypt gone, the rest of the Sunni Arab world would be as what Isaiah writes to describe Egypt in Isaiah 19:16 as "....it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts..." even as Egypt shivers; the rest of the Sunni Arab world would freeze;

Again, the terror is also induced since the "apparent" military balance of power shifts irrevocably to Israel (Egypt despite the Peace Treaty with Israel has been hostile) and so if this force (Egypt) is gone; the rest of Psalm 83 war coalition partners are already alarmed; what is left is Syria (under the Shiite "Iranistan") Lebanon (effectively the proxy and stooge of the Iranians with Hizbullah reigning strong and that leaves Jordan (Petra) and Saudi Arabia (the Ishmaelites);

In Phase II a Muslim Brotherhood (MB) dominated Egypt would join hands with the Hamas,Hizbullah, Syria (backed by Iran) and the cascade of similar MB and Hizbullah inspired revolt jolting Jordan (Moab and Edom) would commence their siege on Israel with a sharp escalation of their attacks on Israel (given the comfort to them of the loss of the Mubarak regime that hitherto was an American ally --"stooge") thus setting the stage for Psalm 83. With no Egyptian control on the Gaza-Egyptian corridor; the Suez security being compromised; Israel's southern flank would be exposed inasmuch as it Northern Theatre with Lebanon-Syria;

Phase-III would see the trigger of the prophesied events of Psalm 83--->Isaiah 17----->Jeremiah 49 unfold--even as the Shiite regime in Teheran would initiate missile strikes with Iranian military advisors and the IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guards Council) in tow in Lebanon--coordinating with a joint Hamas-Hizbullah attack from Gaza with Egyptian regime Muslim Brotherhood regime/ or MB dominated regime in Cairo (the Hizbullah-Lebanon style of governance) in collusion opening for Israel a 360 degree "War without Fronts" with redlines crossed by the introduction of Chemical-Biological warheads on Israel (Isaiah 17:4-6) destroying Israel's agricultural produce--thus setting the "crossing the redlines of deterrence" that compels Israel to resort to the nuclear strike on Damascus; It is possible with the Israeli nuclear arsenal coming out from its recessed deterrence to its ready arsenal; Israel's 400+ nuclear warhead arsenal is plentifully available for both battlefield strikes using Tactical Nuclear Weapons and particularly its Neutron Warheads (Enhanced Radiation Reduced Blast) on the asymmetric enemy; besides Israel also has Particle Beam weapons/ Plasma weaponry that is unleashed on its adversaries with impunity (Obadiah 1:14-18)

Isaiah 19 follows Isaiah 17 and therefore it could be presumed (my assumption--since the Chapter is chronically arranged) that Israel's "escalatory response" commences with Hizbullah-Hamas-Lebanon-Syria--overrunning Jordan--striking Northwest Saudi Arabia and then turns to Southeast to strike Egypt. 

Isaiah 19:17 points the "....And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt...." (southern part of Israel--geographically adjacent to the Egyptian mainland--and the Israeli Southern Theatre Command of its forces are based with Eilat as its naval port) (By the way, the Southern Command has its operational jurisdiction  from the Yishai River in the north until the Taba Pass in the south, from Taba until the Rafah coast in the north) would see the massed IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) and its air power deployed in full strength along with the Navy in battle stations in the Mediterranean even perhaps taking positions along the Suez since Israel needs the Suez for its deployment along the Iranian Coast-specially the Dolphin class submarines armed with Israel's Popeye Turbo Cruise missiles with nuclear warheads that stabilizes israel’s nuclear strike capability against Iran/ Elam/Persia)

It is also possible that Israel could launch a pre-Psalm 83 war operations, a combined arms air-land-sea expeditionary operations crippling and effectively neutralizing the Egyptian operational capabilities that could be used against Israel—that could also be the imputing of the essence of Isaiah 19:17 "....And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt....".

In a striking similarity, the run-up to the forthcoming Psalm 83-àIsaiah 17--àJeremiah 49 War Prophecies has all the imprint of the events that were prevalent prior to the overwhelmingly victorious war that Israel won in the Six Day War, June 1967

What I have narrated above is a scenario-simulation analysis that is inspired by Biblical Prophecies ! 

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* Dr Lawrence Prabhakar Williams affirms his faith and conviction on the indispensable primacy of Biblical Prophecy in world affairs. The author is an academic and policy research analyst; Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Madras Christian College, Chennai, India; Visiting Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, Chennai, India. The author specializes in Defence-strategic affairs, nuclear and missile issues, maritime security and Grand strategy studies.