Tag Archives: Afghanistan

October 3, 2021 · 10:00

The End Is Not Yet

All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24:8)

Jesus faced the final week of His earthly ministry, and the looming shadow of the cross lay just a few days ahead. He had just capped off His final conversation with the Jewish religious leaders with a scathing pronouncement. “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation” (Matthew 23:33-36, emphasis mine). That is a pretty harsh accusation coming from the sweet and gentle Jesus! He associated them with the original serpent in the Garden of Eden.[1] Notice too, that He claims to be the One who sends prophets to them. Is it not God who sends the prophets? Well, I believe that is the point!

When we study the Old Testament, we learn of God’s struggle and patience with Israel and Judah. Jesus takes on that role as well. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 23:37-39, emphasis mine).

Jesus knows what lies ahead for Israel, and His disciples wanted to know that too. “And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3).

Surprisingly, instead of launching right into a long discourse of the last days, Jesus issued a warning. “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you” (Matthew 24:4, emphasis mine). It seems that the most outstanding feature of the last days is deception. Jesus speaks of wars and rumors of wars, ethnic group against ethnic group, and kingdom (country/nation) against kingdom, but that is just the beginning.[2] The main problem is deception. Jesus goes on to speak of the rise of false preachers and false christs, an increase in wickedness and the loss of love. These false christs and false prophets will perform wonders such that “if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect,”[3] i.e., Christians.

We live in days of great deception. If you do not see it, you are either not paying attention, or you are deceived yourself. Our government lies to us. Our politicians lie to us. Government health agencies lie to us. The news media lie to us. We need to be alert and discerning these days to see the truth hidden among the lies.

The news media diverts our attention from the chaos around the world, but more importantly, the activity around the Middle East, the “cradle of civilization” and the focal point of end-times prophecy.

I follow several good end-times prophecy teachers, but one of my favorites is Amir Tsarfati,[4] founder and president of Behold Israel Ministry. Amir is a native Israeli and a reserve officer in the IDF (I believe he is a major, but not sure about his rank). His home in Israel overlooks the Jezreel Valley, aka, the Valley of Armageddon, so he has a very unique and acute perspective on end-times prophecy and how it relates to current events, especially in Israel and the Middle East. I follow Amir on the Telegram ™ app where he posts current events as they take place in the Middle East. The kind of coverage he provides will not be carried by the mainstream news media. For example, yesterday Amir shared this headline: “’War with Israel already started’ says Iranian FM spokesman: A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry told Maariv that a solution must be found for regional issues according to UN resolutions.”[5]

That is only one example. There are wars and rumors of wars all over the world. Since the fall of the great United States under the Biden regime, China is advancing undeterred on Taiwan, and making deals for lithium with the Taliban government of Afghanistan. North Korea is testing its hypersonic missiles. Iran is on the brink of developing a nuclear bomb, and threating Israel. Russia (Magog of Ezekiel 38) along with Turkey are well entrenched in Syria. Australia has gone totalitarian on its citizens (who cannot fight back because their firearms have been confiscated). To top it off, the world is invading our southern border.

With all of this going on, “the end is not yet.” In Matthew 24, Jesus describes the conditions before His second coming when He will set up His earthly reign for 1000 years.[6] What we are witnessing now are just “the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8). Things will get a lot worse during the seven-year Tribulation. “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:21-22).

Except for the fact that we have friends and loved ones that are lost without Christ that will go through the Tribulation (if they do not die and go to hell first), Christians should not fear the trouble that is ahead for the rest of the world. Jesus promised, “I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Revelation 3:10). We cannot know when that will be, but when we see what is taking place in the world, we can know that the time for our departure is very near.

Reader, if you are unsure of your prospect for eternity, please read my page on “Securing Eternal Life.”

Notes:

[1]  Genesis 3:1

[2]  Matthew 24:6-7

[3]  Matthew 24:11-12, 23-24

[4]  https://beholdisrael.org/about/amir-tsarfati/

[5]  https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/war-with-israel-already-started-says-iranian-fm-spokesman-680796

[6]  Revelation 20:1-7

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August 29, 2021 · 10:00

Who Cares About You?

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7)

With all the COVID shutdowns, mask mandates, and constant browbeating about taking experimental and unproven injections, it seems that many have become convinced that the government propaganda is really intended for our wellbeing. After all, realizing that the lockdowns caused great financial burdens on families throughout the nation, our government stepped in and sent money to almost every family. I even received a check even though I did not need it. Then when job losses lingered, our government provided generous unemployment checks to all those affected by the lockdowns they imposed. So generous were the unemployment benefits, that when things started to open up, and businesses needed workers, few were willing to go back to work because the unemployment checks were better the money they could earn working.

What a wonderful caring government we have that wants to take care of its people! It matters not at all that the government has no money to just give away. The government has no means by which to produce wealth. It only has what money it takes from taxpayers, and here in America, the number of taxpayers continues to decline while freeloaders increase. What the government cannot collect from taxpayers, it just arbitrarily and indiscriminately prints to make up the difference. But, the people do not care, as long as they have they have beer money and some left over for groceries. Why, they do not even have to pay their rent because big brother will take care of that too.

So, if big brother says to take a shot because it is for your own good, they are more than happy to get in line for their turn. However, these who believe their government values their wellbeing, are blissfully ignorant of a human flaw that makes those in positions of power avaricious of greater power. One way they achieve greater power is to appease the masses by providing carefree sustenance and a sense of equity among all. “You will own nothing, and you’ll be happy.”[1]

But do not be fooled. The government does not care about you. The government wants to control you, and you are happily going along with it. You wear your mask when told to and even when not told to, just make sure no one gets offended. You line up and take your jab as every good comrade, I mean citizen, should. What you do not know is that the mask is useless against the Coronavirus, or any virus for that matter.[2] In fact, Dr. Fauci said that at the very start of the plandemic. Another bit of information kept from you are the number bad outcomes from the injections – miscarriages in pregnant women, neurological problems which are irreversible, blood clotting, heart problems and even death.[3] These facts are recorded and made public by the CDC, but your government cares so much about you that it does not want to worry you. Just take the jab and trust your government.

This last week provided us with a perfect example of how much our government cares about its people. In a sudden, though not unexpected, move, our President decided to pull all of our troops out of Afghanistan. I do not know of many who believe we should have been there as long as we have been. Russia spent many years in that place and accomplished nothing. So, why did we think we could do better? Once we got Osama Bin Laden, we should have pulled out in an orderly manner, of course. However, there are those that profit from war and they “support” politicians that support them. “Oh! The tangled webs we weave!” Our government makes a big to-do about our fallen and wounded heroes, but if it really cared about them, it would not keep sending them off to fight senseless wars. And what about the wounded families at home? They get a folded flag and a litany of pointless platitudes. Our people honor their heroes more than the government does. Many non-profit organizations provide for the needs of our fallen and wounded warriors, while our government cares more for illegal border crossers (potential Democrat voters) than for our own service men and women.

So suddenly, and without warning our troops are withdrawn from Afghanistan without first removing our civilians that are in that country, or those Afghanis that assisted our troops. They have been left to their own resources to get themselves to the extraction point through a gauntlet of Taliban rebels.

I will reserve further comment about this bone-headed operation.  It really churns my innards. One can find no greater proof than this that your government cares nothing for its people. Britain, France, Germany, and others went right in and rescued their people, but not the “superpower” with the greatest military in the world.

You know what? Your government does not care about you. Who cares about you? God does, and the sooner you get a grip on that great truth, the happier you will be. God loves you so much, that He took on human flesh, lived a sinless life, and gave His life to cover your sins. And if you will place your faith and trust in Him, He has secured a place for you in His presence for eternity. Your government has not done that for you! If you do not know Him, please read my page on “Securing Eternal Life.”

Notes:

[1]  https://off-guardian.org/2020/11/12/own-nothing-and-be-happy-the-great-resets-vision-of-the-future/

[2]  There is more than sufficient documentation on this matter that the reader can find with a little effort.

[3]  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/adverse-events.html

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August 22, 2021 · 10:00

Paper Tiger

The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. (1 Samuel 2:4)

Unless you have completely isolated and insulated yourself from the outside world (and I would not blame you if you have; sometimes I wish I could completely detach from the constant flow of bad news), you know that Afghanistan has fallen into a complete state of chaos. Our puppet president, Joe Biden ordered a rapid withdrawal of our troops from that God-forsaken country. Granted, the move should have been made long ago – like shortly after we killed Osama Bin Laden. However, there is a right way and a wrong way to withdraw and he picked the wrong way.

Our government keeps making the same mistakes in these fruitless campaigns. The first is the foolish notion that we can go into a country and turn it into a “little America.” The Afghani culture has been around for thousands of years. What arrogance makes us think that we can go in there and teach them “our” ways overnight? If any change is to take place it must come from within and not imposed from without.

The second mistake our government keeps making is assuming that the enemy will respect our “rules of engagement.” We want our soldiers to “fight nice” and “play fair.” The Taliban perceives that as weakness. Furthermore, we are on their turf. They know every nook and cranny and can hide where our most sophisticated electronic surveillance systems cannot find them. They also have an abundance of patience and can wait us out indefinitely. They are defending their turf and we are the invaders.

Plenty of other problems could be listed in this fool’s errand, but the result remains that our nation is on display before the entire world as a big loser. The big and mighty superpower of the United States of America has been wadded up and tossed aside by a second-rate army of barbarians like a paper tiger as China gleefully refers to us.

Our enemies flex their muscles while our leaders vomit out a litany of incoherent excuses for the embarrassing debacle. China will soon take over Taiwan and warns us to stay out of it. Iran is ramping up their production of high-grade uranium for making nuclear weapons. Israel knows that it can no longer depend on America to have its back against its enemies. As a result, Russia has ordered Israel to stop aerial bombardment of Syria. That allows Iran to bring in weapons to attack Israel from the north. Ezekiel 38-39 predicts that Israel will be attacked from the north, and that it will be defenseless against the attack. The stage is set. Israel cannot depend on the U.S, and the armies led by Gog of Magog are moving into place. According to Ezekiel, Israel’s only help will come from God.

Does Russia fear the U.S.? Not a chance! They boast of hypersonic missiles for which the U.S. has no defenses. Our NATO allies have lost all faith in America, the paper tiger. In less than one week, America has become irrelevant and insignificant in the world. Yes, we may roar like a vicious tiger, but the roaring of a paper tiger means little.

It saddens me to see the suffering and desperation of the Afghani people. Christians are being beheaded. Muslim women are being beaten and raped. Little 12-year old girls are being taken as “wives” for the Taliban animals. I feel sad for the Christians, but at least they get a quick trip into the presence of our Lord. But these poor Muslims are lost and hell bound. I pray that through all of this some will come to the Lord.

It also saddens me to see America fall from its former place of prestige. However, this must be. America is not in end-times prophecy. It cannot be. Israel cannot be dependent on a superpower for protection. They need to come to the realization that their only help must come from God. They are not at that point yet.

While I am troubled by what I see, I am all the more encouraged knowing that our Lord’s return is very near. And if the Lord’s return is near, that means that the Rapture of the Church is even closer. If the paper tiger is weak now, think how much weaker it will become when millions of God’s people suddenly disappear in a “twinkling of an eye.” If you think things are chaotic now, just wait until the U.S. loses almost one-third of its population! I am ready for that!

Reader, are you prepared for what is ahead? You can miss the major mess if you attach yourself to the Savior. If you want to know how to do that, read my page on “Securing Eternal Life.”

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