Russia, Greece and Prophecy

A map of Russia's gas and oil pipelines into Europe

Nearly 30 years ago, President Ronald Reagan warned the world to never allow the Russians to expand their oil and gas pipelines throughout Europe. Why? Because the Russians could use oil and gas as a political weapon against the continent.

And while much of the world is currently focused on the increasing violence committed by ISIS in the Middle East, many people missed a significant event that occurred recently. What was that? The Russians devised a solution to help financially-troubled Greece pay down its massive debt that threatens to ruin that nation and disrupt the 19-nation eurozone.

From the AP (Associated Press): Russia and Greece signed a deal Friday (June 19) to build an extension of a prospective gas pipeline that would carry Russian gas to Europe through Turkey. Russia promised Greece hundreds of millions of dollars in transit payments yearly if it agreed to build the pipeline. Construction of the pipeline is expected to start next year and be completed in 2019.  http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_RUSSIA_GREECE

The agreement benefits both nations, and it will also give the Russians a huge strategic political advantage if they're able to expand their natural gas pipelines into European nations that are aligned with the United States. Once those nations become dependent upon Russian natural gas, they will be more inclined to do what Russia wants them to do--distance themselves from the United States and get out of NATO. 

And if they don't listen to Russia? They will either see their natural gas rates skyrocket, or the Russians will shut off the gas and plunge them into a deep freeze. Remember the lesson the Ukrainians learned in 2006 when they complained about the price the Russians were charging them for gas? The Russians turned off the spigots and plunged the Ukraine into a deep freeze.

Russia's new deal with Greece--dubbed the Black Sea Project--does an end around a European Union edict that killed the proposed $45 billion South Stream project last year that would've allowed the Bear to expand its pipelines deeper into Western Europe. The EU edict was one of several sanctions imposed against Russia by the U.S. and the EU for Russia's military incursion into the Ukraine. 

In typical fashion, Russian President Vladimir Putin denied that the Black Sea Project had any political strings attached to it. But only a fool would believe that. And Greek Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis sounded like he was reading from Putin's propaganda script when he said this: "The pipeline is not against anyone in Europe or the world. It is here to serve people, peace and stability. Energy can bring people together and not feed Cold War situations."

Putin's deal with Greece is a shrewd one that will have serious consequences for Europe and the United States if it succeeds. The U.S. and the EU should have seen this coming. But they didn't and they'll pay dearly if Russia's gas pipelines keep expanding ever further across the continent. Nations that become dependent upon other nations for their energy have no recourse when their suppliers begin making demands on them. And make no mistake; when the time is right, the Russians will begin making demands.

And when you consider that the western world is determined to reduce its dependency upon fossil fuels and natural gas to power its heavy industries, the Russians will be in a strong position to impose their will upon the world when the utopian dream of clean, green energy fails to deliver on its promises.

Russia's continuing rise to world prominence once again after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s is prophetic. Certainly, Russia has its own problems with a sluggish economy that's partly the result of the economic sanctions that were imposed against the Bear for its incursion into the Ukraine. However, despite the sanctions, the Bear continues its rise while the western world--and particularly the United States--is on the decline.

Nearly 2,600 years ago, the prophet Daniel received a vision from God (Daniel 11) concerning the end times and the rise of a powerful nation that would rise to global supremacy. Daniel described that nation as a northern kingdom.

Since the Bible places Israel at the center of its geographical map, what nation was Daniel referring to? He was referring to Russia because that nation is located directly north of Israel.

Is Russia's rise to prominence a coincidence? Hardly. The fulfillment of biblical prophecy is never a coincidence. Rather, it's another confirmation of the absolute truth of God's revealed word in the Bible concerning the end time events on earth preceding the return of Jesus Christ.