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"Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle with You."
OK, I took a liberty, changing the intent of the Stealers Wheel's lyrics to add the capital Y to indicate God in the lyric.
I am concerned in watching the militaristic beating of the war drums to our "left" - North Korea, and to our "right" - Israel and Iran. Yet God is in control, He is in the middle of us. (Matthew 18:20).
Let's take a look at the situation of North Korea first. Drudge put this up yesterday:
Always crazy, always unpredictable, North Korea is the one nation in the world which may indeed use nuclear weapons as a matter of curse or just for no reason. You never know what they may do, and that is because they are a closed nation. We are cut off from indicators, diplomatic channels, hints or feints. We are shadow boxing with a mirage when it comes to North Korea. They are closed to journalism, economic exchange, and communications. China is their only ally, and even they are getting exasperated with North Korea.
When you close a people off from the world they have no basis or benchmark to determine what reality is. The North Koreans believe that the US is poised to lob a nuke at them and that NK is right to defend themselves by lobbing one first.
The NK leaders, formerly Kim Jong Il and today's Kim Jong Un, often make inflammatory statements that have no basis in reality. But no matter, they seem intent on striking the US with a nuclear weapon and they just might indeed do it.
Max Fisher at the Washington Post wrote a few days ago, "Here is a partial list of some of North Korea’s terrifying threats and provocations since the United Nations Security Council imposed new sanctions late last week: nullify the 60-year armistice that had ended the Korean War, sever the emergency communication line with South Korea, order frontline troops to prepare to “cut the windpipes” of their enemies, threaten to “wipe out” a South Korean island and pledge “all-out war.” " Fisher said that NK loves to threaten WWIII (but probably won't follow through". Notice the 'probably.' I think they will. But I'm just a schmoe blogging in my pajamas. What do I know?
However, more seriously and ominously, the US apparently isn't taking any chances. This time NK's threats caused the US to make a response in action. They deployed missiles.
U.S. to bolster missile defenses to counter North Korea threat: Hagel
"(Reuters) - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced plans on Friday to bolster U.S. missile defenses in response to a growing nuclear threat from North Korea, adding 14 interceptors to a missile defense site in Alaska by 2017 and deploying a radar tracking system in Japan. The decision to add 14 new anti-missile interceptors at Fort Greely in Alaska amounts to a reversal of an Obama administration decision in 2010 to stop expansion of the missile field there at 30 interceptors. The Bush administration had planned to deploy 44 total interceptors. Hagel said the decision to deploy all 44 interceptors came as a result of the growing threats from Iran and particularly North Korea, which tested a third nuclear device last month and launched a rocket that put a satellite in orbit in December."
A government doesn't move war materiel for nothing. When you start deploying missiles, it is serious.
Now as to the jokers to the right, Iran is also doing its crazy thing. The nation got daring this week. "An Iranian fighter jet approached a U.S. surveillance drone over the Persian Gulf but broke off its pursuit after the pilot of a U.S. escort plane radioed a verbal warning, the Pentagon said Thursday," reports HuffPo.
More concerning is the wrangling between Israel and the US. The US says that the nuclear red line for Iran is more than a year away. Israel says it is a matter of weeks (this spring to summer).
Who is right? The mistake is not recoverable. I wrote in February of this year that the bible indicates more than once that a nuclear war in the Tribulation is likely.
In another war drum beat, The Times of Israel reports that the Intelligence Chief says Syria is ready to use chemical weapons.
I don't know when war will come. I don't know from whence it will start. But it will. The bible tells us that in the Tribulation, peace will be taken from the earth. (Revelation 6:3-4; Matthew 24:6). However, I do not know how many wars or battles will take place prior to the removal of the saints in the rapture before the Tribulation begins. We must be prepared.
But that preparation will only last so long. We will be called home soon and whenever that event occurs, blessedly, we will study war no more.
Above, Lesleigh Coyer, 25, of Saginaw, Michigan, lies down in front of the grave of her brother, Ryan Coyer, who served with the U.S. Army in both Iraq and Afghanistan, at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia March 11, 2013. Coyer died of complications from an injury sustained in Afghanistan. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
War is an outward indicator of the state of man's heart. Man's heart is wicked and deceitful, who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9). Man's thoughts and intents are only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5). Unregenerated man is at a state of war with God, all the time. War on earth is the manifestation of all that.
But when Jesus comes, "He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." (Isaiah 2:4)
Cling to that. Man and Savior reconciled, man and nation at peace with themselves and with their Holy God. Hallelujah! (Colossians 1:20).
OK, I took a liberty, changing the intent of the Stealers Wheel's lyrics to add the capital Y to indicate God in the lyric.
I am concerned in watching the militaristic beating of the war drums to our "left" - North Korea, and to our "right" - Israel and Iran. Yet God is in control, He is in the middle of us. (Matthew 18:20).
Let's take a look at the situation of North Korea first. Drudge put this up yesterday:
When you close a people off from the world they have no basis or benchmark to determine what reality is. The North Koreans believe that the US is poised to lob a nuke at them and that NK is right to defend themselves by lobbing one first.
The NK leaders, formerly Kim Jong Il and today's Kim Jong Un, often make inflammatory statements that have no basis in reality. But no matter, they seem intent on striking the US with a nuclear weapon and they just might indeed do it.
Max Fisher at the Washington Post wrote a few days ago, "Here is a partial list of some of North Korea’s terrifying threats and provocations since the United Nations Security Council imposed new sanctions late last week: nullify the 60-year armistice that had ended the Korean War, sever the emergency communication line with South Korea, order frontline troops to prepare to “cut the windpipes” of their enemies, threaten to “wipe out” a South Korean island and pledge “all-out war.” " Fisher said that NK loves to threaten WWIII (but probably won't follow through". Notice the 'probably.' I think they will. But I'm just a schmoe blogging in my pajamas. What do I know?
However, more seriously and ominously, the US apparently isn't taking any chances. This time NK's threats caused the US to make a response in action. They deployed missiles.
U.S. to bolster missile defenses to counter North Korea threat: Hagel
"(Reuters) - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced plans on Friday to bolster U.S. missile defenses in response to a growing nuclear threat from North Korea, adding 14 interceptors to a missile defense site in Alaska by 2017 and deploying a radar tracking system in Japan. The decision to add 14 new anti-missile interceptors at Fort Greely in Alaska amounts to a reversal of an Obama administration decision in 2010 to stop expansion of the missile field there at 30 interceptors. The Bush administration had planned to deploy 44 total interceptors. Hagel said the decision to deploy all 44 interceptors came as a result of the growing threats from Iran and particularly North Korea, which tested a third nuclear device last month and launched a rocket that put a satellite in orbit in December."
A government doesn't move war materiel for nothing. When you start deploying missiles, it is serious.
Now as to the jokers to the right, Iran is also doing its crazy thing. The nation got daring this week. "An Iranian fighter jet approached a U.S. surveillance drone over the Persian Gulf but broke off its pursuit after the pilot of a U.S. escort plane radioed a verbal warning, the Pentagon said Thursday," reports HuffPo.
More concerning is the wrangling between Israel and the US. The US says that the nuclear red line for Iran is more than a year away. Israel says it is a matter of weeks (this spring to summer).
Who is right? The mistake is not recoverable. I wrote in February of this year that the bible indicates more than once that a nuclear war in the Tribulation is likely.
In another war drum beat, The Times of Israel reports that the Intelligence Chief says Syria is ready to use chemical weapons.
I don't know when war will come. I don't know from whence it will start. But it will. The bible tells us that in the Tribulation, peace will be taken from the earth. (Revelation 6:3-4; Matthew 24:6). However, I do not know how many wars or battles will take place prior to the removal of the saints in the rapture before the Tribulation begins. We must be prepared.
But that preparation will only last so long. We will be called home soon and whenever that event occurs, blessedly, we will study war no more.
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War is an outward indicator of the state of man's heart. Man's heart is wicked and deceitful, who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9). Man's thoughts and intents are only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5). Unregenerated man is at a state of war with God, all the time. War on earth is the manifestation of all that.
But when Jesus comes, "He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." (Isaiah 2:4)
Cling to that. Man and Savior reconciled, man and nation at peace with themselves and with their Holy God. Hallelujah! (Colossians 1:20).
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