Peace in our Time

Submitted by Michael S (United States), Feb 12, 2016 at 10:14

Hello, David

I never read "Gathering Storm"; but the war in Syria reminds me of what I know of the Spanish Civil War. Essentially, it's a proving ground for Russian vs. American tactics and weapons, with millions of civilians becoming physically and emotionally devastated as a by-product. Syria is a Muslim state, Israel is a Jewish state, Ukraine is a Christian state; yet they all have become merely pawns in this "Great Game" being played out by powerful people who make their living by politics and war.

Is that dystopian? Here's what's happening: You're a Christian, so you know what Jesus said:

Luke 12:
[2] For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.
[3] Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

Is Syria part of one big conspiriacy? To be sure, it is; but more than that, it's just another part of this End-Times, scripted play. Man has abandoned God, and followed after earthly solutions; and the ultimate of earthly solutions is the world powers. What you are seeing is Syria, Iraq and elsewhere, is all the world's idols -- Putin, Obama, the Calif, etc. -- having a "War of the Titans". We know what the end of all this is: it's Zechariah 14, nuclear war. Is that dystropic thinking? Or is it simply reality, the logical outworking of the course men have set themselves on?

Turkey is fighting the Kurds, yes. The Russians are distracting the world from what they've done in Ukraine, yes. The Iranians have been aiding Hizbullah to fight Israel, all for domestic Iranian consumption, yes. The Saudis would rather fight Assad in Syria than the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran at home, yes. The Syrian and Iraqi Kurds want to throw off the Syrian, Iranian, Turkish and Iraqi yokes so they can be free to fight amongst themselves. All of these little sub-plots are at play in Syria, along with the Great Game.

Are we supposed to make sense of all this? Were the Germans, Italians and Communists really interested in the Spanish people? What was Franco to them? They all had bigger fish to fry; but it was expedient for them to make a war in Spain. Ditto for Syria today. Is this pessimism or dystopic thinking on my part or yours? No, it's just reality working itself out.

I reckon we have some 14 years or so, before Messiah returns. That would put the Turko-Iranian Ezekiel 38 attack on Israel around, say, seven years from now. Could it happen that soon? Let me see... We're about to hear the fourth trumpet of Revelation, if that means anything to any of the readers. Four trumpets in 14 years would be one every 3 1/2 years. It's been 30 years since the last trumpet ("Chernobyl" aka "Wormwood"), so that seems to be compressing things a bit; and of course, I would like to see this business be over with. I'd say I'm erring on the "adventist" side, hoping for Messiah's coming, so things may drag on for more than 14 years. However it goes, that's the rough program.

What can we expect in near future? This, I believe:

Rev. 8:

[12] And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
[13] And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

Emphasis on "Woe, woe, woe". Also,

Rev. 6:
[7] And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
[8] And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

War, hunger, pestillence: for South Sudan, Libya, Syria, Iraq, God only knows where else. We haven't had a big famine since the "Great Leap Forward" around 1960, nor a really hot war involving Americans since Vietnam. We also licked most diseases with antibiotics; but lately, they've been getting multi-resistant. It doesn't take much imagination -- dystropic or otherwise -- to see what lies ahead; and if any are wondering, I'll venture this much: It won't be "peace in our time".

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