This Means War

Our century -- the "Christian Century" -- has been a hundred years of war and death. The Holy Spirit, through Jesus and John, predicted a time in which wars and rumors of wars would be a sign of Jesus� second presence in the world. Political upheaval (war) causes the realignment of world powers. One day, perhaps soon, world powers will align in such a way as to fulfill the biblical political configurations of end-time.

While our attention has been focussed on the war and pestilence in Eastern Europe, there have been a plethora of other conflicts and disasters of which we hardly hear at all. The following are a sampling of quotes from news sources that will serve to demonstrate the insecurity of the nations during a wee, small slice of time (June 23, 1999). (Thanks to Jacks Van Impe Ministries' JVIM.com.)

"The number of armed conflicts around the world rose in 1998 with Africa the hottest hot spot. World security has not made significant progress since the Cold War ended. Mass violations of human and minority rights and ethnic cleansing resulting from aggressive nationalism have become a matter of grave concern in different parts of the world."

"Tens of thousands of African soldiers are being butchered in bloody and recurrent fighting. Casualty rates are extremely high. Enormous battles raged in February and March, involving up to 90,000 troops and vast quantities of military hardware. In total, about half a million soldiers are mobilized on three major fronts. The terrible hallmark of this war has been the human-wave tactics of the Ethiopian Army. When the tactic was used again in March near the Eritrean border town of Tsorona, the results were predictably horrific. 50,000 Ethiopian soldiers were launched across a 5km section of the frontline. They advanced across 3km of mined no man's land into a hail of gunfire. By the end of the battle, the Eritreans claimed to have killed 10,000 Ethiopian soldiers, a figure that was sadly believable."

"Praising NATO for its campaign in Kosovo, US President Bill Clinton said Tuesday that the alliance could intervene elsewhere in Europe or in Africa to fight repression. 'In Africa or central Europe, we will not allow, only because of differences in ethnic background or religion or racism, people to be attacked. We will stop that,' Clinton told US troops gathered at the Skopje airport. 'We can do it now. We can do it tomorrow, if it is necessary, somewhere else,' he said."

Contrary to the spirit of the age, I believe that if we have the power (through the UN, NATO or US Military) to stem evil, no matter what form it takes, we should do so at all costs. If we had involved ourselves in the Balkans when hell first broke loose there (Serbia v Bosnia then), we might not have had to witness the thousands dead in and displaced from Kosovo.

The apparent success of NATO in Eastern Europe has added impetus to the drive for a pan-European military force centered around the German military machine. The new EU President, Romano Prodi, said that Europe must build its own major military force or risk being

"marginalised in the new world history." Mr. Prodi said that the EU had already undergone "a real change in the nature of the state" and should now consider a common army. Building such an army would be a major step towards creating a European super-state. Prodi replied, 'yes...that is inevitable' when asked about the possibility of British soldiers fighting under an EU flag. "[Without a common foreign and defense policy,] in a future war you have no voice." (The London Telegraph, 5/10/99)

There is grave concern because of the significant percentage of the neo-Nazi German Army soldiers. A super European military built around German forces (that includes Great Britain) is unsettling, to say the least. And the president of the EU mentioning new world history and a future war is chilling.

The aggressive action of NATO in recent days has resurrected the Cold War, as Russia and China gear up to match the perceived threat of American (and European) imperialism. The Australian Financial Review (6/19/99) reported that the head of the Strategic and Defense Studies Center at the Australian National University believes that the U.S. and NATO

"are in confrontation with China and Russia - who will violently resist what they see as an expansionist military policy. NATO's offensive doctrine and its display of overwhelming air power have generated deep distrust in China and Russia."

"hailed progress towards a strategic partnership between the two vast countries." The official Kremlin statement concerning recent talks between the countries: "Both sides expressed satisfaction with the high level of cooperation between Russian and China on international matters, above all on the current problem of the situation around Yugoslavia. It was underlined that the established good tradition of regular exchanges of opinions between the leaders of Russia and China is a reliable guarantee of progress towards a strategic partnership for the 21st century." (Reuters 6/15/99)

NATO's powerful military response to Serbia has generated something else - Russian war games. Russia's Defense Ministry said it has begun military exercises with units from Russia's western areas and troops from Belarus along with part of its Baltic fleet to practice repelling a mock attack from the West. The activities were named "West '99 maneuvers."

"Moscow views NATO as a threat and the 78-day air operation prompted calls in Russia to increase defense spending and develop new weapons and military technologies." (The Nando Times, 6/22/99)

With the planned merging of Russia, Belarus and Serbia, there is no predicting what will happen next in the Balkans. Russian alliances with other terrorist states have given cause for concern in regional democracies like Turkey. Gunduz Aktan, director of Turkish Social Studies Foundation, told a Tel Aviv University audience that Russia has resumed its hostile cold war role. He said,

"Russia is once more becoming a major threat to Turkish security. It has relationships with Armenia and Georgia. It is very active in Iran, providing missile technology to Tehran. It has provided the S-300 [anti-aircraft] missiles to Cyprus."

Ten years ago believers had hoped that the infusion of the Gospel in Russia would have had the effect of sanctifying the nation for the future. But it seems that the predictions of "Our Lady of Fatima" have held true - Russia is still an "evil empire" that is down to one last chance for repentance.

"North and South Korean warships exchanged fire in contested waters Tuesday, with southern forces sinking a torpedo boat and damaging two other enemy vessels, according to South Korea. North Korea's state-run news agency said its southern neighbor was determined to bring the countries to 'the brink of war.' South Korea sources say its ships were fired upon first in the Yellow Sea, prompting a 10-minute battle. The damaged craft, another torpedo boat and a patrol boat that was apparently sinking returned to North Korean waters..." (Associated Press 6/15/99)

Amidst increasing tensions between North and South Korea, North Korea appears to be readying a second test launch of its newest ballistic missile. The report originates from Japanese sources which said that American satellite surveillance and South Korean military intelligence reports suggest that the North was readying another test launch of its two-stage Daepodong-1 ballistic missile. A test of the missile last year caused great concerns in Tokyo and Washington. (JVIM.com citing Associated Press 6/17/99)

This is important because the Daepodong-1 has a great enough range to strike deep inside the United States. Who remembers "the forgotten war" (also known as "the Korean conflict")? The many American lives given for Korea (about the same number as in Vietnam) opened the door to the Gospel. Now the five largest churches in the world are in Korea.

North Korea's closest ally, China, proffered a new opinion of the United States in response to its involvement with NATO, the Balkans and the destruction of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. The printed voice of the Chinese Communist Party was quoted as saying,

"If you ask which country wants to become 'the Lord of the Earth' as Nazi Germany had tried to, there is only one answer. It is the hegemonism-pursuing United States." The 78-day bombing campaign by NATO in Yugoslavia "has let more and more people see more clearly the ferocious appearance of the U.S. hegemonism and its ambition to dominate the world." (Reuters 6/23/99)

"China must fight a growing wave of superstition and religious fervor that threatens to overwhelm Marxism." The Communist Party's official newspaper served warning that superstition had been gaining ground over "the scientific world outlook of Marxism. We should be highly vigilant against superstition for it may confuse our thinking, undermine our fighting will, shake our beliefs and destroy our cohesiveness." (The Peoples Daily 6/21/99)

As India presses its counterattack against an incursion in the disputed Kashmir region, the government placed its naval forces on alert in the Arabian Sea to counter what it described as "tactical deployments" by Pakistan's navy. Analysts are concerned that this new action along with the continued fighting could expand to other fronts. Meanwhile, America and Russia yesterday urged Pakistan to withdraw its forces from Indian territory. (JVIM.com citing Associated Press 6/18/99)

"The specter of a nuclear war is haunting the South Asian landscape as a month-long, low-intensity war between rivals India and Pakistan may escalate at any moment. United Nations experts are particularly worried since the two belligerents are the youngest members of the nuclear club. Pakistan has already hinted that it would use 'any weapon' in its arsenal, implying nuclear arms." (Ahmar Mustikhan, "Armageddon Looms in South Asia Specter of Nuclear War in India-Pakistan Showdown," WorldNetDaily 6/11/99)

In a previous edition of my Be Prepared, I wrote about Islamic Jihad (Holy War) in general and its millionaire terrorist, Osama bin Laden, in particular. Now intelligence tells us that he is in

"the advanced stages of planning another terrorist operation. A U.S. official said there have been indications in recent weeks that bin Laden has been moving unspecified materials that could be used in a terrorist attack, and that U.S. facilities in African nations could be targets."

"There is not the slightest doubt his worldwide allies and his sympathizers are planning further attacks against the United States at any time. We are anticipating bombing attempts, but his operatives are also capable of kidnappings and assassinations." (The Washington Post, 6/17/99)

"We are seeking to incite the (Islamic) nation to rise up to liberate its land and to (conduct) jihad (holy war) for the sake of God. We are demanding the liberation of our land from the enemy, that our land be liberated from the Americans. Every American man is an enemy to us." (CNN 6/14/99)

Nando Times (6/15/99): "Iran's supreme leader appealed Tuesday to Islamic nations for greater cooperation to fight a 'Western cultural onslaught' he said was corrupting Muslim youth. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke before legislators from 40 Muslim nations at the first Organization of Islamic Parliaments conference in Iran's capital, Tehran. His comments were carried by the official Iranian Republic News Agency, monitored in Dubai. 'Audio and visual waves, which are worse than warships and warplanes, are being used to disseminate a rogue culture aimed at reasserting the domination of the enemies of Islam,' the spiritual leader said." President Khatami said, "The founding conference of the Organization of Islamic Parliaments ... will formally lay the foundation of the parliamentary institution for the Islamic world."

Associated Press (6/14/99) Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is urging his people to start training to fight the American "enemy." He was quoted as saying to his followers: "We have no other option but to train the men and to continue training. This is not only to prepare people for combat to defend their country, but also to give them impetus to face difficulties. We are nearing the day in which the enemy will announce by itself that it has no alternative but to leave the region." President Hussein "predicted the Americans would be defeated in a confrontation with Iraq."

(Arutz 7 radio 6/15/99) "Nabil Sha'ath, head the Planning Department in the Palestinian Authority, told Egypt's Al-Ahram newspaper last week, 'There can be no peace without a total end to settlements and the return of East Jerusalem to Palestinian sovereignty as our capital. We are willing to negotiate the terms regarding open borders between East and West Jerusalem, but an agreement must be based on the premise that what was occupied in 1967 must be returned...We are not only against settlements being built now, but also those that were built as long as 30 years ago.'"

(CNN) The Russian island of Vozrozhdeniye in the Aral Sea has shrunk to half its former size. American scientists think is a "toxic time bomb set to infect central Asia with some of the deadliest germs on Earth." Researchers at California's Monterey Institute of International Studies say that the island was a secret Soviet biological weapons test site where lethal agents such as plague, small pox, tularemia and anthrax were released for 50 years. Now fears are that the deadly materials are leaking into the sea. A scientist from the Monterey Institute was quoted as saying,"These weapons were extraordinarily potent. Some of them were actually engineered, genetically, to become more lethal than the strains in nature."

Tuberculosis -- (CNN 6/23/99) The World Health Organization reports that 1,500 people worldwide die from infectious diseases every hour. It said that most of them are children and working-age adults and that many of the deaths "could have been prevented for less than the cost of a few bottles of aspirin." The six major illnesses which are the main killers are Tuberculosis, Malaria, Measles, Diarrhea, AIDS and acute respiratory diseases like Pneumonia and Flu. The report went on to emphasize that such infections "spread globally with a simple airplane ride." The WHO infection chief Dr. David Heymann was quoted as saying, "We have the tools, but they are becoming ineffective so we have to use them now. This is a wakeup call."

AIDS -- The Africa News Service (6/16/99) AIDS continues to ravage African nations. 200,000 Kenyans will die of AIDS this year alone. Unfortunately, the report also said there are an estimated 300,000 children currently orphaned by AIDS in Kenya.

Smallpox � (MSNBC 6/14/99) Russia, Iraq, and North Korea are hiding the lethal smallpox virus for military use. "The assessment was based on evidence that includes disclosures by a senior Soviet defector, blood samples from the North Korean soldiers that show smallpox vaccinations and the fairly recent manufacture of smallpox vaccine by Iraq. The intelligence assessment concludes that Russia is most likely hiding additional stocks of the virus at military sites."

(Agence France-Press 6/15/99) China's Agriculture Ministry is bracing for a possible plague of locusts which threatens to blight crops this summer. A prolonged drought since the winter has raised locust numbers and increased swarm densities. Cui Shi'an, a ministry division chief, said initial surveys in Tianjin Municipality and Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Anhui and Shaanxi provinces indicated locusts had infested one and a half times their normal area.

(The Press Association in Great Britain 6/17/99) Killer heatwaves, disastrous floods, and invasions of disease-carrying insects are likely to hit Britain and the rest of northern Europe over the next 100 years, experts warn. Climate warming and changes in rainfall patterns were expected to have a major impact on health in Europe.

(Wired News 6/13/99): An amateur astronomer's backyard observations have helped researchers calculate that an asteroid is headed this way, and could pass Earth even closer than the moon. �1999 AN10 is about half a mile in size and the probability is 1 in 500,000 that it will collide with the Earth in 2044,� said Dr. Brian Marsden, director of the Minor Planet Center. �It's not a threat in 2027, but it might be threat in 2044. It's possible � that it could hit the earth then.�

(CBS channel 2000) A sewage plant testing its Y2K plan in Van Nuys, California caused 4 million gallons of raw sewage to flood city streets. The test switched to an emergency generator and a "computer closed a gate, blocking a major sewage line serving the western San Fernando Valley and causing the sewage to back up and overflow."