Resistance, Russia, and the Devil

Warned about possible sanctions if they do anything to escalate Ukraine’s internal conflict, what did Russia do? They flew jets into Ukraine's airspace and aligned themselves with rebel Russian Ukrainians over control of the rebel-held town of Slavyansk—whose outcome could determine if Russia takes control of the whole of eastern Ukraine.  

Should it surprise anyone that after invading Crimea with almost no resistance from the U.S. or Europe, Russia is pushing the boundaries (quite literally), changing geopolitics for decades, even centuries.

Not to infer that Putin is the devil, the word “resistance” brought to mind a spiritual truth—we have to resist our enemies. If you “resist the devil, he will flee from you” (4:7). Imagine that! We have the power to put the devil to flight! And not unlike what is going on in Russia and Ukraine, if we do not resist him (giving him the advantage), the personal outcome will be disastrous. “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will stand firm (Eph. 6:13).

Rumors of War in Ukraine

It now appears that the Mideast civil wars were a warm-up for a cold front in Europe. When Ukrainians rejected Russian-leaning policies and arrested their president for murdering their citizens, Putin retaliated with the annexation of Crimea. Russian troops move to the Ukrainian border, as a nervous international community watches helplessly. 

John Kerry said: “It can get ugly fast if the wrong choices are made.” Indeed, the conflict is now rapidly escalating. The Pentagon announced it is sending troops to Poland. In response, Russian allies in Belarus are asking for more warplanes. Things are as tense as they have been at any time since WWII. What does it mean for us? What does this portend?

“And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom… But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come” (Matt. 24:6-8). More to come is right. Keep alert!

Are Obama and Putin playing “Chicken?”

The U.S. and Russian governments are polarized on the future of Ukraine, and the annexation of Crimea. The outcome will affect Euro/Russo/U.S. relations for years to come. If Obama concedes, he'll look like he's kowtowing to Putin, who is unlikely to abandon plans to enlarge Russia's sphere. Is this an international game of “chicken?” 

This is not the first game of “chicken” between these two. Last year Obama surrendered control to Putin over the issue of disposing chemical weapons in Syria. And since drawing a red line with Iran, Obama has been resisted by Putin in stopping, or even slowing down, Iran's Russian-backed nuclear development program.

Why does this matter to us?  Most theologians believe Bible prophecy excludes any U.S. role in the end times. Is it too implausible to think that the influence of the world's only superpower could be waning? Could these failed “chicken” games be, as Joel Rosenberg would say, a harbinger of things to come? Is it not incumbent on us to discern the times, and to pay attention to these things?

Ezekiel 38, Daniel 11, and the book of Qur'an

35 years ago when I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Afghanistan, no one imagined it would be at the center of world attention someday.  According to Ezekiel 38, Afghanistan is one of the nations opposing Israel in the end-times: Gog, (Russia), Persia (Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan), Ethiopia, (includes Sudan and Somalia). In Daniel 11, Israel’s end-time enemies are the Kings of the South and North which are Syria and Egypt/Libya.

Is it just coincidental that these nations are in today’s news, today's hot-spots? Did you know that Iran and Russia have a military alliance?  This is the reason Russia is helping Iran to build its nuclear arsenal. Do you know that Pakistan has nuclear weapons, and that Syria has biological weapons? Do you know that the goal of Islam is to annihilate Israel? Their book of Qur’an demands it.

Is all of this just old-fashioned ‘saber-rattling’? Not according to Ezekiel, who tells us Egypt, Syria and Libya will move against Israel first; then these other nations will follow.  When this will happen is not clear.  And things are currently so fluid in the Middle East it’s hard to know what’s going to happen next.  But the Islamic world will not rest while Jews occupy Jerusalem. The Qur’an demands it.

The Whole Economy could Collapse in One Hour

The Chinese are selling weapons to North Korea, and Russia to Iran and Syria. But that seems like small potatoes compared to the problems “across the pond.” Yes, Europe’s uncertain politics, weak economy, and unsustainable debt are front-page news again this morning—aggravating the stock market, a 100 point loss yesterday. “A crisis of apocalyptic proportions” is the way Poland’s foreign minister recently described the debt crisis in Europe. The Polish diplomat may be more precise than he realizes.

The whole world seems to be moving inevitably toward the apocalyptic “hour” described in Revelation, when the world’s entire economic system crashes: “for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste, and the fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them” (Rev. 18:14, 17).

Because of regional (the EU) and international interdependence, a global marketplace, and digital interconnectivity, for the first time in world history, a “one hour” crash is possible. When the EU collapses, it will be like an economic sink hole that will pull every industrialized nation into it—and all within the course of “one hour.”