The World Has Lost Respect for the U.S.

The World Has Lost Respect for the U.S. - Todd Strandberg - http://raptureready.com/rap16.html 

 

The world's opinion of the United States as a serious world power has eroded markedly under the Obama Administration. America's overall image around the world remains largely positive. But when it comes to political and economic might, more people rank Russia and China ahead of the U.S.

 

Obama acts like America is some type of giant candy store. He thinks if he gives out enough free lollipops to all the other nations, they will repay his generosity with respect. This appeasement approach always fails because it never satisfies aggressor nations.

 

Last year, the White House headed a deal that gave Iran $100 billion in economic sanctions relief. A few months ago, the U.S. gave payments to Iran, totaling $1.3 billion. The money was said to be for the settlement of old deals from the 70s, but anyone with common sense knows it was for the release of five hostages.

 

All this money has not turned the mullah's of Iran into our friends. It has given them more impetus to flex their collective muscles. Currently they are working to capture a fresh batch of hostages. They are also harassing our ships in the Persian Gulf; four such incidents have been reported in less than a month.

 

In the most recent incident, the USS Firebolt was shadowed by seven Iranian vessels. Three of the vessels came within 500 yards and shadowed Firebolt for eight minutes. Then one of the Iranian vessels broke off and raced in front of Firebolt and "came to a stop directly in front of the ship" at a range of 100 yards, according to the official.

 

The most embarrassing encounter we've had with Iran is the January detainment of our American sailors. One of our ship's boats inadvertently entered Iranian waters due to navigational errors. The Obama Administration tried to claim that when Iran detained American sailors to just help them out.

 

A most precarious and demeaning situation emerged when the Iranians forced the sailors-at gun point, to make statements on camera which violated articles 13 and 17 of the Geneva Convention. The Iranians think this was such memorable event that they are building a statue of American sailors groveling on their knees.

 

The Russians have also been harassing our military forces. Last week a Russian fighter jet carried out an intercept of U.S. spy plane flying over the Black Sea. A U.S. Defense official said that there were multiple interactions between the two aircraft, and called the intercept by the Russian jet "unsafe and unprofessional." The incident lasted about 19 minutes and the Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter came within 10 feet of the US Navy P-8 surveillance plane.

 

While Russian jets are doing barrel rolls over our recon jets, we have the Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter nagging Moscow; telling them to not "interfere with our democratic processes." This was a reference to the FBI investigation into allegations that Russia hacked into computer systems of the Democratic National Committee.

Russian President Vladimir Putin knows that it's difficult to be absolute about hacking so he has been able to mockingly deny that his government had any involvement in the hacks. In one interview Putin said, "It's important" the contents of the DNC emails were made public.

 

The level of disrespect for America has risen to the point that Obama himself is having to deal with it. On his trip to the Group of 20 summit, Obama had a very awkward start to the meeting. The Chinese would not allow a staircase to be driven to the main doorway on Air Force One, forcing him to exit from a door in the plane's belly.

 

White House officials attributed the dispute to inexperienced, overzealous security officials rather than any premeditated effort to humiliate Mr. Obama. But the images of Chinese guards shouting at reporters and hassling the president's national security adviser, Susan E. Rice, are hard to explain away.

 

The chaotic arrival ceremony in China was a minor blip when compared to the verbal abuse Obama received from Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines' president, Duterte, said Obama was the "son of a whore"-when he learned that the American president was going to asking him about the killing of drug dealers. The ugly personal outburst forced Obama to cancel the meeting.

 

The status of America has fallen so far that people don't even realize the greatness of our past. After World War II, the U.S. had an economy that was larger than all other nations combined. Even though Bible prophecy made no clear mention of the U.S., many end-time writers find the need to include Uncle Sam in prophecy.

 

Thanks partly to Obama, there is no need to wonder about America's prophetic role. After the Rapture, the president will have the well-earned privilege of standing with those left behind to experience hell on earth. He can then stand in the front row of a group photo op at a future Group of 20 (G20) meeting, and own all of what he has purchased when he sold out America.

 

"Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein; and he that rolleth a stone, it shall return upon him. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Prov. 26:27; Gal. 6:7).