As most of you have probably already heard, the violence in Libya and other   
   Arab nations where civil protests first began just over one month ago   
   continues to escalate, with the death toll rising daily in the region.   
      
   At this current time, an extremely dangerous situation is developing in   
   Libya, where forty-two year dictator, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, insists that   
   he will go down fighting. Over the past few days, Gaddafi has begun to   
   incite the citizens of Tripoli, and arm his supporters with weapons, for   
   what will undoubtedly be a bloody showdown in the days and weeks ahead.   
   Apparently, Gaddafi has no qualms about setting citizen against citizen, in   
   order to save his own skin.   
      
   With much of the country already falling to the resistance, the rebels   
   slowly encircling Tripoli, and some politicians and military men beginning   
   to abandon him, Gaddafi is growing more desperate. He has sworn that he will   
   turn Libya into a hellhole, and that it will become "red with fire".   
      
   As news outlets have been reporting, the protests in Libya are very   
   different compared with those that recently occurred in Tunisia and Egypt.   
   While those two protest movements were non-violent for the most part, the   
   revolution that is now occurring in Libya is a whole different story. Not   
   only are their organizers and leaders older and more experienced than the   
   youthful protesters of Tunisia and Egypt, but the anti-Gaddafi rebels have   
   not hesitated to take up arms, and have even acquired more sophisticated   
   weaponry from the military bases which they have taken over.   
      
   To say the least, many Libyan citizens are currently filled with terror and   
   fear, and it is anyone's guess how the situation will evolve in coming days;   
   but whatever happens, it will no doubt be very ugly and brutal. Just as   
   Gaddafi declared that Libya is not Tunisia or Egypt, in similar fashion,   
   Gaddafi is not Hosni Mubarak or Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. In other words, it   
   appears that he is not going to go quietly into the night. He would rather   
   take down the entire country with him, if need be.   
      
   Meanwhile, the violence in Iraq also continues to rise. In the latest   
   incident, early Saturday morning, gunmen attacked Iraq's largest oil   
   refinery in Beiji, which is located about one hundred and fifty-five miles   
   to the north of Baghdad. An undetermined number of bombs exploded during the   
   attack.   
      
   The attack against the Beiji refinery was undoubtedly a very calculated move   
   by anti-government forces, and I strongly suspect that its primary purpose   
   was to further raise the ire of Iraqi citizens, and to widen the divide   
   between Sunnis and Shi'ites in Iraq.   
      
   If, as the mass media is reporting, the attack results in long lines at fuel   
   stations, and longer electricity outages, it will severely exasperate Iraqi   
   citizens who are already angry, and running out of patience, as a result of   
   the substandard government services -- including very limited electricity   
   service -- to which they have been subjected since the American invasion in   
   April of 2003. In other words, if the current situation lasts much longer,   
   it will only fuel the fires of discontent, and possibly result in the   
   eruption of a full-blown Sunni-Shi'ite civil war, which has been simmering   
   for a long time now.   
      
   Quite frankly, I suspect that the entire situation in Iraq is purposely   
   being manipulated and controlled. It has been eight long years since the   
   American invasion. While the devastation which resulted from the American   
   attacks was severe by most reports, nevertheless, eight years is still a   
   long time. Why in the world is it taking so long to restore basic services?   
   Is it meant to purposely keep the people weak and divided?   
      
   Before concluding this post, I would like to reiterate one final point, and   
   that is this: As outside observers, we need to realize that what is   
   occurring all across North Africa and the Middle East right now is in large   
   part based on sectarian loyalties.   
      
   In other words, if you were to take a map of that region of the world, and   
   mark each country based on the religious majority of that nation -- that is,   
   Sunni Islam or Shi'a / Shi'ite Islam -- and then look at its leadership, you   
   will see exactly what I am talking about.   
      
   For example, you will understand why the Saud family of Saudi Arabia   
   supported Hosni Mubarak -- they are both Sunnis -- while at the same time,   
   Saudi Arabia is at odds with Iran, which is dominated by Shi'ites.   
      
   In short, the Sunni-controlled nations support other Sunni nations, while   
   the Shi'ite-controlled nations -- such as Iran -- support other Shi'ite   
   nations. That is why Iraq is beginning to look more and more like a Shi'ite   
   puppet state of Iran. Former Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, was Sunni,   
   while current Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, is Shi'ite. In fact,   
   al-Maliki lived in Iran for eight years during his time of exile when Saddam   
   Hussein was still in power.   
      
   Furthermore, you will also come to realize that in a number of countries   
   where protests are now occurring, it is a majority of one branch of Islam,   
   protesting against a government that is controlled by the minority branch of   
   Islam.   
      
   So, if you begin to view events in the Arab world through that lens, you   
   will begin to understand a lot more.   
      
   I hope that the above information has been helpful to you. Just remember;   
   God is in control of the affairs of men. While He has endowed all of us with   
   free will and personal choice, so that we can determine our own futures, at   
   the same time, He does have an overall plan, and He knows what He is doing,   
   even if we don't. As the Prophet Isaiah wrote over 2,500 years ago:   
      
   "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith   
   the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways   
   higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."   
   Isaiah 55:8-9, KJV   
      
      
      
   Jeff Snyder, SysOp - Armageddon BBS  Visit us at endtimeprophecy.org port 23   
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