Thursday, December 24, 2020
Merry Christmas
I'm off for my holiday break and wanted to wish you all a happy and joyous Christmas. I know that the news we link to here is often grim but I'm sure that most of you who visit this site are Christians who understand that beyond the headlines we know that God is sovereign and always in control. We know that this effort to be watchful has a purpose and a focus, and that focus is on Jesus Christ.
We watch the signs of His return, but this season is all about the First Coming and not the Second Coming, so as we turn to our families and friends to celebrate the holidays we offer thanks and praise to God and above all, celebrate Jesus as the reason for the season. I'd like to leave you with the lyrics to one of my favorite holiday carols. I like this one because the words share the Good News of salvation. Merry Christmas!
Hark the Herald Angels Sing
lyrics by Charles Wesley
Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Thursday, December 17, 2020
Gog Alliance
Turkey says will not reverse Russian S-400S purchase despite US sanctions - Reuters
Reuters reports: "Turkey will not reverse its purchase of Russian S-400 missile defence systems and will take reciprocal steps after evaluating U.S. sanctions imposed over the acquisition, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday. [...] The United States says the S-400s pose a threat to its F-35 fighter jets and to NATO’s broader defence systems. Turkey rejects this and says S-400s will not be integrated into NATO."
The long process of Turkey leaving the Western alliance and joining with Russia and Iran has been something we have been following for a long time. According to prophetic scripture, it is their destiny to join in an invasion of Israel in the future. Although that seems far off, the continued estrangement of Turkey from the rest of NATO is now starkly apparent. How much longer will the Western alliance allow Turkey to remain a member?
Tuesday, September 08, 2020
Covenant With Many
Israel and UAE agreement to be signed in Washington will be designated as "peace treaty" - Axios
Axios reports: "The agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, expected to be signed within the next two weeks in Washington, D.C., will be a "treaty of peace" with the same legal and diplomatic status as peace agreements Israel has previously signed with Egypt and Jordan, Israeli and U.S. officials tell me. [...] No date has been set for the signing ceremony in Washington, according to Israeli officials, but the event is expected to take place the week of Sept. 14. [...] The White House plans to invite ambassadors of Arab countries, including those who do not have diplomatic relations with Israel, officials say. In doing so, the White House hopes to show the U.S.-brokered Israel-UAE agreement has broad support in the Arab world."
Comment: This is a bit of diplomatic slight of hand. To call this a "peace treaty" is intentionally deceptive, since these countries are not at war. I was pondering this when I went back to the prophetic scripture and realized that peace treaty is not explicitly stated nor implicitly implied in Daniel 9:27. Might this be (or perhaps become) the Covenant with Many?
Friday, August 14, 2020
Covenant With Many - Gog Alliance
Turkey, Iran say Israeli-UAE deal 'shameful,' harmful to Palestinians
UPI reports: "NATO ally Turkey and U.S. foe Iran on Friday denounced the normalization of ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, both saying the Persian Gulf state has abandoned Palestinians in their fight for a homeland. [...] As part of the agreement, Israel agreed to suspend controversial and widely condemned plans to annex parts of West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had promised the annexation against the wishes of the Palestinians and much of the West. The annexation was also part of Trump's Middle East peace plan."
Comment: Have you heard that a new Mideast peace plan has been approved by the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates? It happened this week and the enemies of Israel are not happy. The above linked news report explains that Turkey, Iran and the Palestinians are the big losers in this deal while Israel and moderate Arab states are winners. As we watch the members of the Gog Alliance fall into line according to the prophecy in Ezekiel we should note the absence of Russia. What role will Russia play in all of this?
Finally, is this development prophetically important? If we see it in light of an ascendant Israel making peace with moderate Arab states while avoiding the be-all-end-all pitfall of Palestinian peace, then yes, it is important. As one commentator put it, "The Palestinian veto power over Israel’s relationship with the Arab world has suffered a major blow." This portends an Israel growing in power and influence in the region, while malcontents like Turkey and Iran are further marginalized. In those countries, grudges will be nurtured, weapons will be purchased and peoples will be prepared for conflict down the road.
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Rumors of War - Kings of the East
UPI reports: "A decades-long border dispute between China and India in the Himalayas has turned deadly for the first time in nearly a half-century. [...] The western Himalayan border, where both countries fought the Sino-Indian War in 1962, had not seen a deadly conflict there since 1975, 45 years ago. Indian officials said there were casualties on both sides."
North Korea to deploy troops to demilitarized areas, restart drills in latest provocations - UPI.com
UPI reports: "North Korea announced Wednesday it would deploy troops to the Kaesong Industrial Zone and Mt. Kumgang tourist area, locations that were once the sites of joint economic ventures with South Korea, as Pyongyang continued to ratchet up tensions a day after it demolished an inter-Korean liaison office. "
Comment: Two news reports that suggest things area heating up in the East. First, when two nuclear powered countries start shooting at each other, we should take note. China and India have been at war in the past and both have nuclear weapons and now there are reports of deadly skirmishes along the Himalayan border. Although the circumstances are not clear, the bottom line is, Indian troops died, so some kind of counter-attack or revenge attack is expected. Second, North Korea is throwing a tantrum. Yes, this does happen from time to time, but that fact does nothing to diminish the danger. Keep watching!
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Pestilence
UPI reports: "The death toll from COVID-19 in the United States surpassed 100,000 people as of Wednesday afternoon. The United States has the world's highest death toll, with 100,271 connected to the virus and also has the greatest number of confirmed cases at 1,697,459, according to figures by Johns Hopkins University."
What about the rest of the world? The New York Times reports: "Outbreaks have accelerated especially sharply in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, with caseloads doubling in some countries about every two weeks. On Tuesday, the World Health Organization said it considered the Americas to be the new epicenter of the pandemic. And although much of the Middle East seemed to avert early catastrophe even as the virus ravaged Iran, case counts have lately been swelling in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates."
Comment: While there are those who seek to make this a political issue to divide people, this remains primarily a threat to public health and welfare. Most people I know take this seriously and are doing what they can to stop the spread of the virus.
Friday, May 01, 2020
Some Thoughts on the COVID-19 Era
First, in very general terms, fearsome events and outbreaks tend to cause people to reflect on their own mortality. This means millions of people have been set on a spiritual path and perhaps on the road to salvation. It was documented that after 9/11 the churches in America were filled. I bet the same is true now for the virtual attendance of online church services.
Second, the outbreak may be causing a fundamental change in our use of mobile payments and other form of financial technology. There is now a great emphasis on paying with mobile apps rather than handling currency (that could be contaminated) and even though many countries in the world (particularly in Asia and Europe) are further along than we are in the States, we are quickly catching up. In my own life, I've been using Apple Pay now more than ever. We may be closer than ever to a cashless society.
Third, I think the outbreak has also revealed the emptiness of our fears of global government. It's just not there. As has been well documented, the UN's World Health Organization (WHO) had been co-opted by one member country (China) and failed in their obligation to the rest of the members. The UN has no coercive power and can't tell member countries what to do, so governments were left on their own decide how to fight the virus. Some did well and others did not. We are still learning the lessons that need to be learned from those experiments. As for the United States, under Trump's leadership, the U.S. dropped the ball. Not only could we not even care for our own citizens we could not offer the leadership the world expected from us. There were no grand plans from the U.S. for a coordinated global response to this virus. It was not a good showing for America. So, most countries of the world were left on their own and that lack of central authority and leadership is, I think, one of the big takeaways of this outbreak. There is a vacuum of leadership in the world right now and I can't help but wonder if that is because the AC is waiting in the wings?
Finally, there is one big trend I think we need to keep a close eye on, and that is how this outbreak has strengthened the powers of the surveillance state. People living in oppressive countries have been aware of this for some time, but we in the West are just starting to wake up to what it means to live in a tech powered surveillance state where our every move is monitored by computer networks and cameras. It's all in the name of health, of course, but still, it's real. Google and Apple are working on apps that will help in contact tracing (by using Bluetooth to monitor movement). Some places are installing infrared cameras to track temperature from a distance. Countries are talking about issuing "immunity passports" that would enable people to freely travel and get verified for work and public spaces. I think they are debating this in the UK and moving forward with it in Chile and now that it's on the international agenda, it's an idea that will never go away. Will the future be back to the past, "papers please," a demand from authorities at any time and any place?
For Further Reading
- Washington Post - A quarter of Americans, and a majority of black Protestants, say their religious faith has deepened because of the coronavirus
- Stars & Stripes - The world embraces contact-tracing technology to fight the coronavirus
- Reuters - U.N. chief laments lack of global leadership in coronavirus fight
- AP - America First meets global pandemic, testing Trump worldview
- The Wall Street Journal - How Coronavirus Is Eroding Privacy
- Reuters - Apple, Google to release early versions of contact tracing tool to developers
- UPI - 'Immunity passport' key to containing spread of coronavirus
- Reuters - Cyber-intel firms pitch governments on spy tools to trace coronavirus
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Pestilence
Time reports: "The emergence of a powerful new infectious virus for which there is (as yet) no vaccine should scare us, of course. But at the same time, humans are better equipped to fight these kinds of outbreaks than ever before. New technologies, specifically ones that make possible the sequencing of any living thing’s genetic blueprint, are finally giving us a meaningful advantage over microbes."
Comment: Like most of you I've read a lot of news about the COVID-19 and I've been wondering what is appropriate to post here, since I'm sure not only are you reading most of the headlines as well but that the situation is so fluid that by the time I'm ready to make a blog post the headlines have moved on. So, here is something different. It's a more general look at how humans can adapt to cope with emerging diseases.
In terms of Bible prophecy, the COVID-19 virus is an example of the normal course of history. Jesus said to expect wars, famines and pestilence in the course of history and not necessarily end-times prophetic. This new virus is certainly far less severe than the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 or the plague in the Middle Ages, so we can say with confidence that it could have been worse. I think what is different now is global communications and social media highlighting and amplifying fear. It becomes a cycle that feeds on itself. Panic perpetuates panic.The once thing we can safely say is that this is not the last pandemic human society will have to deal with.
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Pestilence
UPI reports: "The World Health Organization characterized the coronavirus outbreak as a global pandemic on Wednesday, as new cases spiked in Iran, Italy and other locations. [...] There were more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries as of Wednesday, with near 4,300 deaths worldwide."
Comment: It's taken a while to reach this milestone but here it is. The COVID-19 virus is now a pandemic. The medical community have tried and true methods for containing the virus but it's not clear if politicians can follow advice and act prudently to protect public health. Praying for wisdom and goodwill to prevail among leaders everywhere.
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Covenant With Many
Reuters reports: "U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday proposed creating a Palestinian state as part of a Middle East peace plan, drawing Palestinian condemnation for imposing strict conditions and agreeing to let Israel maintain control of long-contested West Bank settlements."
Comment: Before this peace plan was announced, the Palestinians rejected it. Can you imagine? I think it's pretty clear they are not interested in peace. I've actually been convinced of this for some time. When they rejected Bill Clinton's peace plan in 2000 (a very generous plan) it became clear that the Palestinians did not want peace with Israel, they wanted peace without Israel. Nothing has changed in the intervening years to convince me otherwise. Thank you President Trump, you tried. Now it's time for Mideast peace to return to the back burner and for life to go on as usual until the appointed time.
Saturday, January 25, 2020
Covenant With Many
AFP reports: "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday said he expected US President Donald Trump's peace plan for the Middle East to be 'historic' ahead of a trip to Washington. [...] Trump on Thursday said he will release his long-delayed plan before meeting Netanyahu in Washington. 'It's a great plan. It's a plan that really would work,' Trump said."
Comment: Every American president in recent history has released a Mideast peace plan and now it's Trump's turn. What can Trump do that would be any different than his predecessors? Judging by his behavior, the answer would seem to be, a lot. Can't wait to read the details of this new plan for bringing peace to the Middle East.
Pestilence
Reuters reports: "The coronavirus outbreak that began in the central Chinese city of Wuhan has killed 42 people in China and infected more than 1,300 globally, most of them in China. The virus has caused alarm because it is still too early to know how dangerous it is and how easily it spreads between people. And because it is new, humans have not been able to build any immunity to it."]
Ancient never-before-seen viruses discovered locked up in Tibetan glacier | Live Science Live Science reports: "For the past 15,000 years, a glacier on the northwestern Tibetan Plateau of China has hosted a party for some unusual guests: an ensemble of frozen viruses, many of them unknown to modern science. Scientists recently broke up this party after taking a look at two ice cores from this Tibetan glacier, revealing the existence of 28 never-before-seen virus groups."
Comment: Two reports that tell us something very important. New virus strains are dangerous because we don't have immunity to them. But there are also OLD viruses locked in the ice that we also don't have immunity to and those viruses may be released into the environment as the ice melts.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Pestilence
UPI reports: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday confirmed the United States' first case of coronavirus in a traveler who returned from China."
Comment: This is a worrisome development. With modern travel it is likely that this outbreak could spread very quickly.
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Earthquakes
UPI reports: "A magnitude-6 aftershock rattled Puerto Rico on Saturday morning, days after temblors caused widespread damage and power outages on the island, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The earthquake was one of dozens to shake the U.S. territory this week, beginning with a 5.8-magnitude earthquake Monday and a stronger 6.4-magnitude one Tuesday."
Comment: Praying for the people on the island, for their faith and resiliency.