What in the World is Going On?

Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the last few months you must have noticed a dramatic increase in the number of news stories that seem to be pointing in one direction, the direction of war.

I realize of course that the United States is currently engaged in a war in Iraq and Afghanistan but it seems recently the drums have been beating for action against Iran. And much of that drumbeat seems to be coming from Iran itself.

The month of January 2006 has been tumultuous to say the least. Iran has defied world opinion and restarted its nuclear research program. The new President of Iran has stated unequivocally that he would use a nuclear weapon to wipe out both Israel and the U.S.

Speculation has been rampant that either the U.S. or Israel, or both will soon launch a pre-emptive attack on Iranian nuclear sites. The saber rattling has gotten so bad that even France of all nations has threatened to use nuclear weapons against Iran.

On top of that we’ve seen the incapacitation of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the transfer of power to a new Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert. Then we witness the election of a violent terror group to the Palestinian government.

Oh, in all the excitement I almost forgot, Osama Bin Laden has suddenly resurfaced with a new threat against the U.S. This came on the heels of a video by Al Qaeda #2 Ayman al-Zawahri, which some security experts say fits a pattern of releasing two tapes followed by an attack within 30 days.

The most intriguing aspect of all this is the seemingly irrational statements coming from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This guy is just begging for somebody to go over there and whack him! Just last week he flew to Damascus to meet with Syrian madman Bashar al-Assad. While there, Ahmadinejad also had a little visit with the leaders of the terror group Hamas, the same group that is now officially in charge of governing the Palestinians. 

Is it just me or does anybody else get the idea that something major is about to happen?   

Most experts seem to think that while Iran may be close to producing a working nuclear device they haven’t yet reached that point. Some contend that they are years away but many others seem to think that they will at least have the basic components available to them by March of this year. This March timetable seems to be creating a sense of urgency among western leaders to get something done about this right away.

But there is something about this whole scenario that is bothering me. Why would Ahmadinejad be making such outrageous threats against the west if his capacity for nuclear weapons was as yet unrealized? It’s almost as if he is daring the U.S. and Israel to come over and knock out Iran’s nuclear research sites. Why would he do that before he was ready to reciprocate? Unless………..perhaps he is ready to reciprocate. Maybe, just maybe Iran already has a few nuclear devices available to them.

This is not so far fetched as it may seem. Iran doesn’t really have to produce a nuclear device from scratch. It is highly possible that they could have gotten one or more on the black market. It has been reported that a number of such devices are missing from the soviet nuclear arsenal, presumably stolen by Russian organized crime groups. It has long been rumored that the Russian criminals have sold former Soviet weapons to Islamic groups such as Al Qaeda. How difficult would it be for Iran to acquire one or more of these weapons of mass destruction? Not to mention the fact that Russia has been the nation most active in providing Iran with nuclear expertise even going so far as to send Russian advisors to help in the construction of Iranian nuclear reactors. And then there is also Pakistan, whose top nuclear scientist has admitted to selling nuclear secrets (and who knows what else) to rogue regimes. And let’s not forget about North Korea who has admitted to possessing nuclear weapons and is in desperate need of cash.

So, what does all this add up to? The obvious answer is war, a nasty nuclear war, a war that could begin and end within the next few weeks or months.

And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. Rev 6:1-2

In chapter 3 of my End Times series I have written that the first seal represents the false prophets Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:5. It represents the idea of taking dominion physically in the earth prior to the return of Christ. In the secular realm this dominionism idea has taken hold in the foreign policy of the U.S. as we have gone forth conquering and to conquer in the name of the false gods of liberty and democracy.

The next seal to be opened, the second, releases the red horse and rider who takes peace from the earth.

And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. Rev 6:4

This horse and rider represents war. Not the kind of small scale war we’re fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. No this war is much larger and destructive. It must be because the destruction released at the hands of the red horse and rider leads directly to the opening of the next seal which brings economic collapse and wide spread famine.

The type of war we’ve been fighting will not by itself lead to economic instability. But a nuclear exchange between the U.S. and Iran (and possibly other nations) certainly could.    

There is a fascinating and somewhat cryptic prophesy recorded by Isaiah in chapter 18.

Woe to the land shadowed with buzzing wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, Which sends ambassadors by sea, even in vessels of reed on the waters, saying, Go, swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth of skin, To a people terrible from their beginning onward, A nation powerful and treading down, Whose land the rivers divide. Is 18:1-2NKJV

A land beyond the borders of Ethiopia which is full of buzzing wings. A land who sends ambassadors all over the earth. A people who are tall and smooth skinned. A nation that has been powerful and awe inspiring from its inception. A land divided by rivers. Who could Isaiah be referring to? Is it possible that Isaiah was referring to 21^st century America?

All inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth: when he lifts up a banner on the mountains, you see it; and when he blows a trumpet, you hear it. Is 18:3NKJV

This is a nation known throughout the world. When this nation talks, the world listens.

For so the Lord said to me, "I will take My rest, and I will look from My dwelling place

Like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest."

For before the harvest, when the bud is perfect And the sour grape is ripening in the flower, He will both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks And take away and cut down the branches Is 18:4-5 NKJV

Something dreadful is going to happen to this nation. Before the harvest, when the bud is perfect. In the springtime as the plants begin to bloom. The sprigs will be pruned and the branches will be cut down. And God is going to sit back and watch it happen.

They will be left together for the mountain birds of prey And for the beasts of the earth;

The birds of prey will summer on them, And all the beasts of the earth will winter on them. Is 18:6 NKJV

The beasts of the earth will feed upon the carcasses that remain upon the mountain. For two seasons, summer and winter, the birds of prey and the beasts of the earth will take their fill of the remains.

In that time a present will be brought to the Lord of hosts from a people tall and smooth of skin, and from a people terrible from their beginning onward, a nation powerful and treading down, Whose land the rivers divide-- To the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, To Mount Zion. Is 18:7 NKJV

Whatever it is that happens to this nation, whatever horrible thing God allows to happen will result in the people of this nation crying out to the Lord. After the pruning, a gift shall be brought by a people tall and smooth skinned. Homage shall be paid to the Lord in Mount Zion, from a people terrible from their inception, whose land the rivers divide.

The Lord himself has drawn us into this war with Islam. It will only get worse. With an attack on Iran we may be biting off more than we really want to chew. It could well be a trap. We may go in to destroy Iranian nuclear facilities only to have Iran respond with nuclear devices against us, in this country and against our troops in Iraq.

It may not happen this week. It may not happen next month. But it surely will happen because God has ordained it. It’s time for the church to wake up. The sword is in the land. It’s time for you to partake of Jesus, your Passover lamb.

For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.Ex 12:23

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Steve Lumbley 2006
www.apostasywatch.com
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First published 1-26-06