VICTORY — BUT AT WHAT PRICE?
As the ultimate battle for world opinion rages, US officials speak of the certainty of victory–the inescapable conclusion that the coalition will prevail and that Saddam and his regime will be removed. Yet, outside of the United States, including British opinion, the picture is not quite so rosy.
In a headline from Gannet News Service (4/1/03), under the banner, “U.S. losing international public-relations battle,” the following: “…massive antiwar and anti-U.S. protests have swept through the Middle East. Polls there show almost universal opposition. The United States is seen overwhelmingly as an invading aggressor out to colonize Iraq and its oil, not a liberator out to make the world safer.”
That this attitude is not confined to the Middle East was pointed out and summarized in the April 2, 2003, edition of the “Rocky Mountain News:” (The Times of India”) “…It is difficult to predict the outcome of the war. The only certainty is that a lethal blow has been inflicted on the U.N. by the unilateral Anglo-American action and from which the world body may not recover.” The “News” goes on to quote (The Moscow Times), “According to a number of recent television polls, some 80 percent of Russians–and probably more–want Iraq to win the war…”
There is a call for Jihad and martyrdom for the Islamic nation–all aimed at the US and its coalition partners. Inevitably, Israel is linked and targeted as a part of this call for revenge.
Although a different powerful enemy will arise in the near future against the British and American peoples, current events appear to be setting the stage for the world of Islam to seek to unify and develop the combined power to resist the “infidel” that threatens them. The Middle East is the world’s greatest resource for oil, and because of that, tremendous wealth will continue to flow into the region. That wealth will once again be turned into armaments. Note this precise prophecy in Daniel 11:40, ” ‘AT THE TIME OF THE END the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North (the coming Beast Power) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through.’ ” This speaks of a time yet to be fulfilled. The very dramatic events of the current Iraq war are merely setting the stage for the conclusive “time of the end” leading to the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of God’s Kingdom. A Kingdom that will begin to rule in Jerusalem, and one that will quickly fill the earth!
COLD WAR IN ASIA
News reports of recent weeks highlight the war of words between North Korea and the United States. However, an epic conflict with troublesome potential is smoldering between North Korea and Japan. Note this report from The Coloradoan (4/1/03): “The North Korean test of the short-range, ground-to-ship missile came just days after Japan launched two satellites into orbit to keep watch over Pyongyang’s missile and suspected nuclear arms programs.”
China is also deeply suspicious of Japan’s capacity to mount a military presence. Chinese news reports continually cite with muted alarm any actions on Japan’s part that hint of Japan’s former worldwide military influence. This regional fear only tends to propel the various sides into a growing armaments race.
Once again, we must continue to look at where the events of the moment are leading. The stage is being set as all of the pieces of prophecy are now coming together to clearly mark what the Bible calls “the time of the end!”
A RISING MILITARY POWER
Lost in the headlines and play by play events of the Iraq war, events are now shaping up in central Europe that will profoundly affect the balance of power that places the US as the only super-power. In The Coloradoan for April 1, 2003, a short summary reports on the ascending role of the EU–this time, militarily: “the European Union took over peacekeeping duties in ethnically divided Macedonia on Monday, A FIRST MILITARY MISSION that will test the EU’s ability to handle trouble spots without help from NATO or the United States. …The mission, dubbed Concordia, is set to last six months and cost $6 million. It is considered a key test of the 15-nation bloc’s ability to eventually build a 60,000-strong rapid reaction force able to deploy swiftly for humanitarian operations.”
Biblical prophecy clearly reveals that this emerging power will become the greatest of all history. As it dwarfs and surpasses the US and Britain, the ominous repercussions for these two peoples will be catastrophic! Only if those who watch these things turn wholeheartedly to God in obedience to Him will there be safety in the tumultuous times shortly ahead.
