Of Pride and Man
The nations are in upheaval. As bad as the Middle East was ten years ago, it's far worse today. Saudi Arabia recently shot down a missile headed for Riyadh. The missile was launched from Yemen, but the Saudis claim that the launch was an act of war committed by Lebanon. Sound confusing? It gets worse. The missile itself was Iranian. This is just one of many events that has placed that region on a short fuse. I can cite similar situations the world over.
Upheaval of nations is not new, but this time there are important distinctions. From a biblical perspective, the presence of the modern state of Israel changes the context in which we see all otherworld events. It is the mega-sign of the end times.
Today's upheaval is also accompanied by a technological revolution of staggering proportions. Technological advances are having the effect of throwing gasoline on history's already smoldering embers. Non-nation groups like the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon have sophisticated missile technology. And then there's North Korea. Even though it's one of the world's poorest nations, it has a large nuclear weapons arsenal, as well as newly developed ICBMs.
All these developments happened at blinding speed. Change today is deeper and coming faster than ever before.
One of the ironies of our time is that the Cold War never fully ended. And when Vladimir Putin came to power in Russia, it roared back to life in a big way. He recently warned that any military action against North Korea would lead to a "global catastrophe." That's a veiled threat of Russian involvement. Everyone knows that military action on the Korean Peninsula carries a huge risk. But it would be a regional risk. The obvious way it would turn into a "global catastrophe" is if Russia got involved.
Putin has a history of reminding the West that Russia remains a nuclear superpower. While being interviewed by director Oliver Stone for a Showtime documentary, he told the largely Western audience that in a war between the U.S. and Russia, "nobody would survive."
Putin rattles the nuclear sabre with some regularity. But his obvious desire for self-preservation is comforting. Attacking the U.S. means utter destruction for Russia. He knows that. He wants to avoid it at almost all costs.
Kim Jong-un of North Korea is a different story. He seems to have great ambitions, and that implies a desire to survive. But his people worship him as a god. It's easy for a young man to start believing the propaganda from his own cult of personality. His "pride of life" seems to have reached dangerous levels. Like many potentates of the past, he might be willing to destroy himself, his people, and millions more just for the sake of his pride.
There are many today who would prefer to die and kill as many others as possible, rather than experience humiliation. Some of them lead nations. Others live seemingly ordinary lives. But they are highly dangerous. Many are killers who kill for the love of killing. That includes radical Islamic terrorists. In most cases, jihad is just an excuse for killers to kill. If the terrorist who drove a truck down a bike and running path in New York City could have done something worse, he would have. If he could have planted a nuclear bomb at the new World Trade Center, believe me, he would have.
It's the same with the Las Vegas shooter and the shooter at Sutherland Springs. These men acted in demon-rage, driven by bloodlust. They wanted to create a pandemonium of death, pain, and destruction-the more, the better. How long before such a person (or group) gets his hands on a weapon of mass destruction? I'm not talking about semi-automatic guns. I'm talking about the kind of weapon that could take out half of Manhattan, or make it an uninhabitable waste.
Technology follows a pattern. It becomes less expensive and more widely available every day. As innovative as humans can be in peaceful endeavors, they have always been most creative in the area of destruction.
This isn't just a nuclear problem. Chemical, biological, and digital weapons have similar destructive potential. Like biological weapons, digital ones are self-replicating. That means they generate more of themselves. Digital weapons will soon be joined by other man-made, potentially self-replicating weapons, such as nanoweapons.
In the introduction to his novel Prey, the late Michael Crichton wrote, "Nanotechnology... is the quest to build manmade machinery of extremely small size, on the order of 100 nanometers, or a hundred-billionths of a meter. Such machines would be about a thousand times smaller than the diameter of the human hair. Pundits predict these tiny machines will provide everything from miniaturized computer components, to new cancer treatments, to new weapons of war."
We're not there yet, but existing weapons, and those in our immediate future, are scary enough. Crichton also said, "Sometime in the twenty-first century, our self-deluded recklessness will collide with our growing technological power."
That collision is happening right now. Recently, I have found myself quoting I Timothy 3:1 quite often. "In the last days, perilous times will come." (NKJV)
I've been quoting it because it fits. These are those times. I don't say that to scare anyone, but to point you toward the world's one hope-Jesus. He's also your one hope. It's fine to have a good job and a healthy retirement plan, but don't put your trust there. Those things can disappear in a heartbeat. But Jesus is the "Friend" of Proverbs 18:24-the One "who sticks closer than a brother."
If you haven't turned to Him, now is the time.
Hal Lindsey Media Ministries - Hal Lindsey -
It seems like recently we reel from one tragedy to the next. We barely have time to collect our breath before we get the next "breaking news" alert on our cell phones that something else unthinkable has happened.
Here in the United States, high-profile deadly incidents have come fast and furiously lately -- and we usually never hear about the smaller ones. Just this year, Fort Lauderdale, Alexandria, Charlottesville, Antioch, Las Vegas, New York, and now Sutherland Springs.
Each one is frightening, senseless, and heartbreaking.
It is sometimes difficult to nail down a motive. Some are obvious. Religious hatred, politics, domestic revenge, and mental illness have all come into play in recent attacks. Some, we may never know why the perpetrators did what they did.
Though mass shootings in a house of worship are not as rare as we wish, houses of worship are still one of the safest places to be. That's why when one happens, it is even more shocking and unsettling.
And when the act is as overtly horrific as Sutherland Springs, it is even more so. To repeatedly and calmly target small children and babies goes beyond hatred and vitriol, it is demonic and flows from a Satanic evil that is beyond our understanding. To me, it signals that Satan is more than just alive and well on planet earth, he is in a rage -- maybe a last-ditch, desperate effort to discourage as many believers as he can before Jesus returns for his Church.
It is almost impossible to know the words to say in moments like these. Most of us will never experience such sudden and devastating tragedy.
Though unbelievers may think these words are trite and pat, the believer understands when I say this: At these times, the only thing we can do is trust God and believe that there is a greater purpose for the things -- even the tragic and painful -- that happen in our lives. We will never be able to fully understand them or satisfactorily explain them.
The Bible tells us that in the time just before Jesus returns to catch away all true believers in the Rapture, evil will grow worse and worse. Men will do horrible things that are inexplicable. It says that whole societies will forget God. Right will be called wrong and wrong will be called right.
I think we are in those final days. And the fact that we are seeing so many acts of terrorism and so many acts of pure evil - like this one - just tells us that Jesus' return is near.
You know, it's often said that hindsight is 20/20. In another way, I think that looking back at yesterday can sometimes bring today into sharper relief. I know it can bring greater understanding.
Like many churches across America, First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, posts videos of some of its regular services. The video of the previous week's Sunday morning service is available online. To watch it in light of what happened in that same sanctuary the following Sunday is both heartbreaking and incredibly uplifting.
The pastor is Frank Pomeroy. He and his wife survived the massacre because they were traveling. Their 14 year-old daughter Annabelle remained home with family friends. She was in the service and died.
The week before the unspeakable horror unfolded in that place, Pastor Frank preached on Proverbs 3:5, "Do not lean on your own understanding... Trust in the Lord with all your heart."
The worship team led the congregation in singing, "Forever God is faithful... His love endures forever. And by the grace of God, we will carry on."
They sang, "And on that day, when my strength is failing, the end draws near and my time has come, still my soul will sing Your praise unending, ten thousand years, and then forevermore."
Today, some of those precious people are now in God's presence, truly singing His praise forevermore.
We should follow their testimony and make certain we are ready to stand before Him, too. Because we do not know when it will be our turn to enter into His glory.
Our thoughts and prayers are with those who survived and are suffering physically and emotionally. Remember the families and friends of those who died and those whose lives and bodies are forever changed. Pray that God will comfort them and hold them in His hands forever.
And pray, too, for those who are charged with caring for them and those who must re-live that awful day every day now because of their law enforcement and investigative duties. Pray that God will protect their minds, their hearts, and their spirits. They are dealing with an evil foe -- Satan himself.
I'll discuss Sutherland Springs further on this week's program. I'll also report on the New York terror attack, developments in Lebanon, and the 100th celebration of The Balfour Declaration.
News from Hal Lindsey Media Ministries - Hal Lindsey -
In the 14th century, the bubonic plague -- or Black Death, as it is known in history -- wiped out 60% of the entire population of Europe.
Modern medicine, particularly antibiotics, effectively defeated bubonic plague and relegated it to occasional, relatively minor outbreaks.
Well, the Black Death is back.
Several nations are once again experiencing outbreaks of bubonic plague. This outbreak began in Madagascar, an island off the east coast of Africa.
It has now spread to at least ten African nations. The death toll, thus far, is in the hundreds. Thousands have been infected, including many healthcare workers.
With the ready availability of antibiotics and the quick response of the world's medical community, a massive bubonic plague outbreak seems unlikely. But no one knows. After all, Jesus predicted that in the time just before His return, the world would see an alarming increase in "pestilences." And bubonic plague can certainly be classified as a pestilence.
But I think we're facing an even greater problem: antibiotic-resistant diseases.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in the United States alone, approximately two million people each year become infected with bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics. The CDC estimates that 23,000 die from those infections each year.
Sadly, this may be only the beginning. Colistin is often referred to as "the antibiotic of last resort." It's the powerful, last-gasp alternative reserved for those cases that don't respond to anything else.
According to The Guardian of London, "Scientists attending a recent meeting of the American Society for Microbiology reported... that bacteria containing a gene... which confers resistance to the antibiotic colistin... had spread round the world at an alarming rate since its original discovery 18 months earlier."
It has gotten so bad that England's Chief Medical Officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies recently told a conference, "The world is facing an antibiotic apocalypse."
Precisely as Jesus warned for these days in which we are living.
Wow, strange things are happening in the Middle East.
After accepting Hezbollah as a "partner" in Lebanon's government during the past year, Saad Hariri, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, flew to Saudi Arabia and briefly disappeared. Last week, he appeared on Saudi television and announced his resignation as Prime Minister of Lebanon.
Hariri blamed Hezbollah, which is internationally recognized as a terror group, and its master, Iran, which is internationally recognized as the greatest state sponsor of terrorism. He said he feared for his life.
Even now, Hariri insists he is not being detained against his will. But Lebanon -- and Hezbollah -- accuse the Saudis of "kidnapping" their Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, the Houthis of Yemen launched a ballistic missile at Saudi Arabia. The Saudi air force intercepted it and destroyed it mid-flight.
The Houthis are a radical Yemeni group funded by Iran -- which also founded and funds Hezbollah.
Since Iran funds the Houthis and supplied the missile that was fired at Saudi Arabia, and since Hezbollah is, likewise, a proxy of Iran and is a full partner in Lebanon's official government, the Saudis have drawn an interesting conclusion.
Saudi Arabia is accusing Lebanon of committing an "act of war" against it.
So the Saudis accuse Lebanon of an "act of war" and the Lebanese accuse the Saudis of kidnapping their Prime Minister. The whole affair has the Middle East on edge.
Some analysts believe the Saudis accuse the nation of Lebanon of this aggression in order to fan sectarian conflict in Lebanon. The thinking is that if the Saudis can cause the 40% of Lebanon's population that is Christian, and the 30% that is Sunni Muslim (as opposed to Shi'ite Muslim like Hezbollah and Iran) to rise up against Hezbollah, they may be able to stop the takeover of Lebanon by Iran.
The Saudis may be setting the stage for a possible intervention in Lebanon. If that happens, Iran won't respond nicely and the region could explode.
The human suffering caused by the Syrian civil war (in which Iran and Hezbollah are allies of Assad), has been surprising and tragic. It has changed the character of the Middle East and, because of the mass "refugee" migration, of Europe.
But it may be just the beginning.
Finally, as we prepare to celebrate this Thanksgiving season, I want to share with you why I think it's more important than ever to understand the power of praise in thanksgiving to God. Our nation faces real and present dangers. As I report weekly on "The Hal Lindsey Report," the threats are mounting and the odds appear to be impossible. But it's precisely at those moments of darkness that the power of praise and gratitude to God can be our pathway to victory.
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