Near Misses With Russia

Most of you know that we watch Russia because many prophecy watchers believe they are the ancient land of Magog which Ezekiel saw in his end-days vision.

We also know that Putin has been bristling around the world showing everyone that he isn't afraid to do what he believes are in Mother Russia's best interest.

We blogged last week about how Norway, Sweden, USA and NATO have all had to scramble jets to intercept Russian bombers and fighters that appear to be testing old Cold-War routes.

A SPYPLANE that nearly rammed a civilian airliner. A kidnapped intelligence agent. Combat jets playing chicken. The Cold War is back — and it’s getting icy.

The last leader of the fallen Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, at the weekend warned that the world was on the “brink of a new Cold War”.

He was wrong. According to a new report, it’s already here.

The crisis in Ukraine has escalated tensions between Russia and the West to their highest level since the end of the Cold War and increased Russian air activity over Europe has rattled the nerves of NATO alliance members.

More than 40 East-West military “incidents” have been recorded during the past eight months. They have been detailed in Dangerous Brinkmanship: Close Military Encounters Between Russia and the West in 2014, a report by London think-tank the European Leadership Network.

These deliberate provocations “form a highly disturbing picture of violations of national airspace, emergency scrambles, narrowly avoided midair collisions, close encounters at sea, simulated attack runs and other dangerous actions happening on a regular basis over a very wide geographical area,” the report says.

Almost all of the incidents are linked to air and naval war games in different parts of the world including the Pacific. NATO says it has intercepted more than 100 Russian military aircraft so far this year — three times more than last year.

But some were more hair-raising than others.

The incident involving a Scandinavian airliner was classified as “high risk”, along with two others: the alleged abduction of an Estonian security service operative by Russian agents from an Estonian border post on September 5 and the reports of “foreign underwater activity” off the Swedish coast last month.
The study also counted 11 “serious incidents with escalation risk” including four cases of “harassment” of US and Swedish planes in international airspace by armed Russian fighter jets.

Here;  http://www.news.com.au/world/new-report-reveals-a-growing-list-of-provocative-clashes-between-russia-nato/story-fndir2ev-1227119063461

The West has been hammering Russia with sanctions and rules and the Russian Ruble has been suffering and fallen by 30% in a short period of time.  So could this pressure make Putin get back in line and become a good global neighbor....or could it make him desperate and make him take desperate measures?

Ezekiel 38

14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety, will you not take notice of it? 15 You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. 16 You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.

We have no idea if Putin could end up being Gog of Magog....but if he isn't, he certainly is "Gog-esque"