On Epic Beard Man, Ambassadors and fights

There's a viral video going around that shows an older white-bearded man arguing with and punching a black man on a bus. The internet public is generally siding with Epic Beard Man, as he has come to be known. The video of the argument and fight was shot by a passenger with a cell phone. People feel that Epic Beard Man (EBM) had every right to push back against the black kid who they believe was harassing him. People love an underdog and they love that the older man won this fight. There are lots of laudatory comments for Epic Beard Man; that he is standing up for himself, that no black punk kid will push us around anymore, etc..

Notice that EBM is wearing a shirt announcing 'I AM a mother-er.' And also note that he starts the argument by racially insulting a black kid. Note that both appear to be under the influence of either drink or drugs or both. Nonetheless, Epic Beard Man is a hero to the internet-surfing world today, getting his 15 minutes of fame for breaking a kid's nose, striking a blow for elderly, for public transit passengers, standing up for whites, resisting punk harassment. Whatever.

Now, people often expect an altercation such as this at the street level. Unexpected is the fight that occurred this week in the vaunted hallways of highest echelons, diplomatic offices where Nations' Presidents roam.

"US Ambassador to Doha LeBaron was stopped by Turkish Ambassador Tanlay when he attempted to cut an Erdoğan-Clinton meeting short. Both ambassadors were at each others’ throats when officials had to separate them. Rising tension, which escalated when the US Ambassador to Doha Joseph LeBaron overstepped the line by making certain statements, made its mark on Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan's trip to Qatar. When a meeting scheduled for 20 minutes between Prime Minister Erdoğan and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton went on for an hour, the Ambassador to Doha Joseph LeBaron wanted to disrupt the meeting to alert Clinton. LeBaron was then warned by Turkish officials, however when he continued to insist, he was intercepted by Erdoğan's foreign policy advisor Ambassador Fuat Tanlay. Tanlay warned LeBaron, stating; “The meeting is ongoing, you can not go inside.”

"When US Ambassador LeBaron stated; “This meeting has to end. The meeting with the Qatar Sheikh is more important,” Ambassador Tanlay lost his patience. Tanlay reacted harshly by stating, “You are not the one to decide how important we are. You can not insult my country. That is not your place.” Both diplomats then proceeded to grab each other by the neck and had to be separated by officials. Supposedly, after they were separated, the US ambassador proceeded to kick the doors in anger."

Ambassadors are unofficial representatives of a nation, appointed to bring goodwill. Ambassadors are ministers of the highest rank, with plenipotentiary authority to represent their head of state. And there was the US Ambassador, representing you and me, with his hands around the Turkish Ambassador's neck and the Turkish Ambassador with his hands around the American Ambassador's neck, and both hanging on so hard it was difficult to separate them. And once they were, like a kid, the US Ambassador kicks the door on his way out.

If you view the Epic Beard Man video, in your mind, replace the two Ambassadors in the ruckus and see if that doesn't seem the same to you. The settings change, but the anger under the surface is rising and men are unable to control it. EBM and Black Dude on the bus fought about who was tougher. US Ambassador and Turkish Ambassador fought about who was more important. Same diff.

What is going on?

The world is getting less restrained, as Paul said it would. "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God." (2 Tim 3:1-4) Rather than being an aberration, fighting is the answer of first resort, from the lowest echelons to the highest. What will happen when the Restrainer is taken out of the way? Do you really want to be here? Do you really think that stocking up, having a garden, and bugging out to a mountainous cabin will save you, that you can ride it out? When Ambassadors clutch each others' necks and fights erupt for no reason and men in Miss. drive into the convenience store because the pump isn't turned on, and the Restrainer is here now, what will it be like then?

We know what it will be like. "For then there will be great suffering unlike anything that has happened from the beginning of the world until now, or ever will happen again." (Mt 24:21) To be absent from those days all one needs to do is pray to Jesus to forgive your sins. Claim His gift of salvation, and you will be spared the tribulation of horrors. He is peace everlasting, and to be where no sin reigns is joy everlasting!