WORLD AT WAR: 3.26.22 - Perilous times indeed

Perilous times indeed - Bill Wilson � www.dailyjot.com Much of what is carried by the news media about the Russian invasion of Ukraine is propaganda controlled by either side, or by the military industrial complex and their puppets who sadistically want war for profit. The rhetoric spewed from the mouths of leaders is far more telling about the perilous times in which we live. Russian President Vladimir Putin has hinted at the use of nuclear weapons. Reuters reports that former Russian President and now Russia�s Security Council Deputy Secretary Dmitry Medvedev said the US has stoked �disgusting� Russophobia and that �Russia has the might to put all our brash enemies in their place.� This is very similar to how the Soviets ran their mouths during the Cold War. MEMRI TV carried a January 14 interview of Russian Duma member Yevgeny Alexeyvich Fyodorov saying that the US thinks Putin is bluffing when he makes tough statements. He said, �Until there is a physical demonstration of (Moscow�s) determination, America will perceive the positions of Russia and (Putin) as a bluff. So they need a demonstration. The most convincing demonstration would be the physical destruction of America�s defense Department facilities�we could demonstratively strike the test range in Nevada with a ballistic missile�If we create risks for US territory, say, a risk of 10,000 casualties, from a strike of even a weak missile, then the US will perceive this as a threat of 10 million casualties.� He said there would be no retaliation strike because of America�s weak mentality. Putin further said during a televised video conference that he will conduct a cleansing of Russian enemies within the country. He said, �Any people, and particularly the Russian people, will always be able to tell apart the patriots from the scum and traitors and spit them out like a midge that accidentally flew into their mouths. I am convinced that this natural and necessary self-cleansing of society will only strengthen our country, our solidarity, cohesion and readiness to meet any challenge.� The words of Russia�s leadership are chilling reminders of Soviet-era communists, when communism was responsible for the deaths of over 100 million people during the 20th Century. They have an appetite for death. Ukraine�s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy Wednesday appealed to the US Congress for more aid to fight off the Russians who he labeled terrorists. He said, �This is a terror that Europe has not seen, has not seen for 80 years and we are asking for a reply, for an answer to this terror from the whole world.� He received a standing ovation and a commitment from Joe Biden to send $14 billion to Ukraine in aid and arms, calling Putin a �war criminal.� Given the rhetoric of the leaders and the aggression of Soviet era communists, escalation of this war is unfortunately inevitable. People will push for more American involvement and US leadership is not equipped to navigate these rough seas. 2 Timothy 3:1 says, �This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.� Indeed, Pray and fast for peace. Evil minions are working hard toward destruction. ------------------------------------ The Reality Of What Is Really Happening On The Ground In Ukraine - by Michael Snyder - http://endoftheamericandream.com/the-reality-of-what-is-really-happening-on-the-ground-in-ukraine/ Why can’t the mainstream media just tell us the truth? When it comes to the war in Ukraine, getting accurate information has proven to be rather daunting. From the Russian media and pro-Russian sources, we are getting an endless stream of Russian propaganda, and I suppose that is to be expected. On the other side, the mainstream media in the western world is often just regurgitating Ukrainian propaganda and repackaging it as “truth”. For example, an article that was bring widely circulated earlier today says that the Russians “could buckle in 10 days” and it claims that the Ukrainians are inflicting catastrophic losses on the Russian military. Day after day, we are being told that the Ukrainians are on the verge of victory, and of course that is complete and utter hogwash. The Russians continue to win more territory, and the Ukrainian military has been suffering defeat after defeat. But the Ukrainians want to project a positive narrative, because that gives them the best chance of enlisting outside help. Personally, the people that I feel really bad for are all of the innocent Ukrainians that are stuck in the middle of this conflict. Millions are needlessly suffering, and so let us hope that the shooting will end soon. Most Americans don’t realize this, but the Russians are actually offering to end the conflict if six major conditions are met… 1.NoNATO membership and a neutral position. 2.Russianshould be the second official language of Ukraine, with laws prohibiting itabolished. 3.Recognize Crimea as Russianterritory. 4.Recognize the independence of Donetsk andLugansk. 5.Demilitarization of Ukraine and abandonmentof weapons that could be a threat to the Kremlin. 6.Banning of ultra-nationalist parties andorganizations in Ukraine. But you won’t hear much about this on the major cable news channels, will you? And that is because it doesn’t fit with the narrative that they are currently pushing. I definitely understand the desire of many people to root for the underdog, but the reality of the matter is that the Ukrainian armed forces are greatly outmatched. On the eastern front, the Russians just flattened the town of Avdeevka and essentially wiped out the Ukrainian 95th Airmobile Brigade… The big news of the day is that the Russian forces finally decided to, shall we say, change pace, and by all account the intensity of the artillery, aerial bombing and missile barrage which hit the Ukie forces in the town of Avdeevka was absolutely unprecedented and following this barrage the LDNR forces broke through 8 kilometers of just about the most heavily defended sectors in the entire theater or operations. The Ukrainian 95th Airmobile Brigade (one of the most combat capable unit of the Ukrainian Army!) was defending this sector. According to reports, this entire brigade was basically wiped out. The truth is that what the Russians just did to Avdeevka could be done to every single major city in all of Ukraine. The Russians possess immense conventional firepower, and in this case it appears that they were trying to send a message to the other Ukrainian units that are now essentially encircled in the “cauldron” in the east… So, not only did Russian encircle the entire Ukrainian forces in an operational cauldron, she then proceeded to cut that single force into two smaller cauldrons (but both still contained in the bigger, operational, cauldron) and now as a show of force, she destroyed the most combat capable Ukrainian unit in the most heavily defended town. The “message” here is clear: we strongly encourage you to lay down arms or else… Meanwhile, we may be about to see a new major operation in the south. According to multiple sources, a Russian naval task force appears to be heading toward the Odessa area for a potential amphibious landing… Russian Navy ships can be seen in satellite imagery approaching the Ukrainian Coast. The Sentinel 2 satellite image, taken at 11:47 local time, shows at least 14 vessels. The vessels were found by Naval News with the help of Damien Symon, an independent defense analyst. Preliminary analysis of the vessels suggests 3 groups. Two are made up of combatants, and one has several landing ships. The landing ships appear to have sailed directly from their staging position off the Crimean coast. Analysts are searching the imagery for more vessels. Over in Mariupol, the Russians are using devastating tactics that they employed during the two Chechen wars… Rockets rained down on Mariupol, a port city on the Sea of Azov of about half a million people, over the weekend targeting residential blocks and systematically flattening suburban areas of the city. During the two Chechen wars, rather than sending troops to try and take the city, the Russian army simply flattened it with sustained shelling and then just marched in across a sea of rubble. This is why the Russians have only encircled most of the major Ukrainian cities that they have approached so far. It is essentially siege warfare. The Russians are cutting off supply routes, and they will relentlessly pound opposing forces until they either surrender or are wiped out. It isn’t a fair fight, and the death toll is rising with each passing day. Fox News reporter Steve Harrigan just returned from Ukraine, and this is his assessment of the conflict… I think for me, Ukraine is a done deal. It’s flattened and they lost. Sadly, that is a very accurate assessment. But the western media is still encouraging Americans, Canadians and Europeans to volunteer to fight with the Ukrainian military. Of course this isn’t anything like the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. When you go to war against Russia, you can be suddenly killed by a cruise missile while you are sleeping… THREE British ex-special forces troops are feared to have been killed following a deadly Russian airstrike on a base close to the Polish border. It is believed they died instantly in the cruise missile blast which reportedly killed several more than previously through – possibly well over 100 – according to the Daily Mirror. Insiders have said the three men were not part of the foreign fighters unit that was being trained at the Yavoriv base on the edge of the border with Poland. It remains unclear which branch of special forces they had served in. And once you get over to Ukraine, there is a very good chance that they may not ever let you leave. If you doubt this, just listen to this testimony from someone that was miraculously able to make it out of the country. WATCH – LISTEN Those that are pro-Russia get upset with me because I am not cheering for the Russians to win. And those that are pro-Ukraine get upset with me because I am not cheering for the Ukrainians to win. But this is not a game. I was strongly advocating for peace before the war erupted, and I am strongly advocating for peace now. So many are needlessly dying, and the longer this war stretches on the more likely it is that it will lead to a global nuclear conflict. And if a global nuclear conflict happens, billions of people could die. So I am not ashamed to be rooting for peace. Unfortunately, leaders on both sides are making very foolish decisions, and so I don’t expect the shooting to end very soon. --------------------------- Investing in Evil – Todd Strandberg - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ In the summer of 2003, Vladimir Putin flew to London on a special mission: cementing Russia’s business ties with the West. Now that Russia was free of Communism, many companies saw the opportunity to make huge amounts of money from an untapped market. Putin donned a white tie and tails to dine with Queen Elizabeth II. He sipped iced vodka with 700 bankers and business executives. And during an energy conference with Prime Minister Tony Blair, he watched the British company BP sign a commitment to invest $6 billion in a Russian oil and gas venture. “Our priority is the step-by-step integration of Russia into the European and world economy,” Putin told the conference, stressing Russia’s desire to double its economy and attract investment in high-tech and aerospace sectors, too. Such cooperation, he said, three years into his presidency, would be “a great investment in strengthening Europe’s stability.” Nearly 20 years on, those deals and plans lie in ruins as Western governments and companies isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. BP, Shell, and ExxonMobil have said they will abandon multibillion-dollar investments in energy. Banks and insurance companies worldwide are cutting transactions with their Russian counterparts. Investors could be forgiven for giving their money to a nation that was free of Communism. When it became clear that Putin was a dictator, they should have looked for the door. They foolishly thought they could work with a tyrant and suffered a great loss for their mistake. Any money invested in Russia is now trapped. Moscow is blocking foreign investors, who hold tens of billions of dollars worth of Russian stocks and bonds, from exiting. Russian companies were also barred from paying dividends to overseas shareholders. The Russian stock market has been closed for several days. People need to keep in mind that the Russian stock market closed in 1917 and didn’t open up until 75 years later. At any point, Putin can have a company nationalized, wiping out the stock value of shareholders. The value of Russian ETF funds that are still trading in the West has seen huge losses. The Dow Jones Russia GDR Index is an index designed to track the top Russian Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs). The index plunged a mind-boggling 97% in just a few days and wiped out $572 billion from the market value of 23 stocks, including Gazprom PJSC, Sberbank of Russia PJSC, and Rosneft PJSC. One of the most widely traded ETFs is VanEck Vectors Russia fund that trades under the stock symbol of RSX. It traded at $33 right before the invasion and quickly dropped to $5 as Russian troops moved in. I’m shocked to see that many investors are buying up these Russian stocks. They are lured in by PE rations at one-tenth of US stocks. The people buying these stocks are hoping that peace will return and these stocks could go up many folds. Stocks like Gazprom would seem to be a good investment with vast resources and a near-monopoly in the natural gas business. However, the stock has done poorly since it became a public company in 2006. Nearly all the Russian ETFs have gone down since their IPO. Investing in Russia is investing in evil. The nation is run by a tyrant that has pocketed hundreds of billions from bribes and fraud. The oligarchs that run the companies use them as their personal debit cards. In the past week, dozens of Western companies have closed their operations in Russia. The Russian government has proposed nationalizing these shuttered foreign-owned companies. Toyota, Nike, and IKEA didn’t take their factories with them when they closed up shop. The abandoned inventory, property, and investments worth billions are just a free gift to the Russian government. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Western nations have pumped about $400 billion into Russia. These so-called investments have only benefited Putin and his cronies. When BP made that $6 original investment into Russia, it poured another $19 in over the years and now has to write off the whole $25 billion. I like to think that the West has learned a valuable lesson in realizing the danger of investing with a dictator. We lost equal amounts of money in the 70s and 80s by investing in South American nations that were run by military dictatorships. Things would get tough, and we would have our investments nationalized. The same scenario would play out again in the same nation a dozen years down the road. Greed has a special power to blind people to even the most obvious financial danger. “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10). ------------------------ Praise Of Zelenskyy Highlights The Global Hunger For A Worldly ‘Savior’ - By Breanna Claussen - https://harbingersdaily.com/praise-of-zelenskyy-highlights-the-global-hunger-for-a-worldly-savior/ Volodymyr Zelenskyy has garnered much praise over the past few weeks for his strong leading of the Ukrainians amid invasion from Russia and his refusal to go into hiding despite Russian assassination attempts. The now seemingly famous line is, “I need Ammunition, not a ride.” Ukraine is in great need of support. Russia is mercilessly attacking them under the dark and scheming leadership of an emboldened Vladimir Putin bent on war. Respect for Zelenskyy’s actions was and is warranted. As a Christian, seeing a leader take a hands-on approach in war has brought to mind Biblical accounts of kings accompanying their armies into battle, a way of doing things that has been long lost in the modern age. However, as the world’s praise has risen to an out-of-control level and information about his ties to the World Economic Forum emerged, a point was reached in which many Christians began to become cautious about the Ukrainian leader. To understand the reason for this concern, we need to go back to the Bible, which describes a future leader of a global government that will emerge and be viewed as a savior of the world. Scripture refers to Him as the lawless one, and the “anti-Christ” (Rev. 13, Daniel 7, 9:27, 2 Thes. 2, 1 John 2:18). In a recent “Prophecy Roundtable” alongside Amir Tsarfati, Barry Stagner, and Mike Golay, Jan Markell stated that amid a vacuum of leadership in the world, Zelenskyy might be a person Christians should cautiously keep their eye on. “Right now, the world lacks a leader. We don’t have a leader in our White House. We don’t have a leader in Europe, really. I believe the world is longing for somebody that they can look to as a hero, a Mr. Fix-it,” she explained. “Along comes a very obscure person; actually, he was an actor at one time, and in the last three years, he became Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a very intriguing fellow. I’m very captivated by him, and I think the world is captivated by him as well.” “There’s talk that he’s an antichrist candidate; we don’t know that,” she underscored. “Look, people said Emmanuel Macron was an antichrist candidate, and he’s sinking in the sunset really fast, so I think we have to be careful of even saying things like that.” Who the Antichrist will be is a mystery and will remain a mystery in the time prior to the Rapture of the Church; therefore, too much speculation is largely un-useful and stirs dangerous conjecture. 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 KJV – “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming” (emphasis added). Markell added that it is unlikely Zelenskyy will be alive for very long considering the bounty Russia has placed on his life. “My goodness, the goal of the Russians right now is to bump him off. How on earth might he be protected? That would be a God thing,” she maintained. “But I think folks should keep an eye on him.” “If he does survive and if he were to rise in power somewhere, just keep an eye on him,” she concluded. One piece of news that well summarized the over-the-top praise and certainly won’t diminish the stirs of Zelenskyy as a possible “antichrist candidate” came in the form of a song written about the leader titled, “Can One Man Save The World?” The song’s lyrics, written by John Ondrasik, read: “Nail or carry up his cross, I don’t know but he’s got everyone thinking, yeah, he’s got all of us thinking, Can one man save the world?” Does this song mean that Zelenskyy is the future anti-Christ? Of course not. Similarly, The Economist’s magazine cover depicting Emmanuel Macron walking on water with the words “Europe’s Savior?” does not mean Macron will fill the prophetic role. Both demonstrate, however, that the Christ-rejecting world is growing in its hunger for a worldly savior, and the true Antichrist is waiting in the wings to fill that wicked role. The Gospel truth and Good news is that one man did save the world. God Himself became a man through His precious Son, Jesus Christ. Christ placed upon Himself the sins of the entire world so that by Faith in His identity, sacrifice, and resurrection we can be saved and inherit eternal life. 1 John 4:14 KJV – “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” --------------------------------- Is Psalm 83 a Possible Key to Ezekiel 38:8? - By Dave Hubley - https://www.raptureready.com/2022/03/16/is-psalm-83-a-possible-key-to-ezekiel-388-by-dave-hubley/ In the past few weeks, there has been a considerable uptick in interest/speculation, etc., about the Gog/Magog invasion of Israel spoken of in Ezekiel Chapter 38 and 39. Given recent activities, it is no surprise. I have been a student of Bible prophecy for over two and a half decades, and in that time, I have read much in the way of different interpretations of the “when,” not “if” about these verses. While I am in the camp of those who believe this invasion will not happen prior to the Rapture, this article will deal with a rather intriguing verse dwelling in the midst of Ezekiel 38. That is to say, verse 8. Ezekiel 38:7-9 “Get ready; prepare yourself, you and all your company gathered around you; you will be their guard. 8 After a long time you will be summoned. In the latter years you will enter a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and all now dwell securely. 9 You and all your troops, and many peoples with you will go up, advancing like a thunderstorm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.” I think it is clear that Israel has not been “dwelling securely” since the time of the height of Solomon’s kingdom. Neither has Israel ever fully recovered from war. In fact, they must be constantly preparing for that very reality. If you were to travel there today, you could not help but notice that the Israelis are ever on a war footing. In worldly terms, Israel is under a constant existential threat. Every day, every night, every minute. Even since the rebirth of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948, there has been no respite. Since the time of Solomon, the warning the Lord gave to the Hebrew peoples in Deuteronomy 28:64-67 has continued unabated, with varying intensity, depending on world conditions. “Moreover, the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth; and there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone, which you or your fathers have not known. Among those nations you shall find no rest, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul. “So your life shall hang in doubt before you; and you will be in dread night and day, and shall have no assurance of your life. In the morning you shall say, ‘Would that it were evening!’ And at evening you shall say, ‘Would that it were morning!’ because of the dread of your heart which you dread, and for the sight of your eyes which you will see.” The Lord indeed has, and is still, bringing about all that He promised due to the intransigence of His people. It should be carefully noted here that while this discussion relates to the Jews, by no means would ANY OTHER PEOPLE have behaved any differently or any “better.” Now let us examine verse 8 of Ezekiel 38 as it may be seen in light of Psalm 83: verses 1-8. Psalm 83:1-8 “O God, be not silent; be not speechless; be not still, O God. See how Your enemies rage, how Your foes have reared their heads. With cunning they scheme against Your people and conspire against those You cherish, saying, ‘Come, let us erase them as a nation; may the name of Israel be remembered no more.’ For with one mind they plot together, they form an alliance against You—the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites, of Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek, of Philistia with the people of Tyre. Even Assyria has joined them, lending strength to the sons of Lot.” There are many who believe that this imprecatory prayer is simply that. But there are many who believe that this is a war yet future. It is from the position that it is an actual future war that this author will seek to pose a consideration that makes some sense of verse 8 in Ezekiel’s prophecy. The “nations” specifically mentioned in verses 6 and 7 above are, for the most part, immediately surrounding the modern-day state of Israel. While the names have changed, the various origins, ethnic groups, etc., that comprise the countries that are Israel’s modern-day neighbors still exist today, along with the mindset that has always been present throughout history. In the hearts of the leaders of these countries (not every citizen), there is a burning hatred for the Jews, and the conditions described in verses 2-5 above are alive and active. Nothing has changed. Politically, things may occasionally seem peaceful, but nothing has really changed. If – and I emphasize IF – a war was to break out between the Psalm 83 nations and Israel, and Israel was to achieve a complete victory with the perception that they “did it by their own power, technology, and skill,” and they were to annex these lands and feel that they (Israel) were “invincible,” would it be possible that they might feel that they would finally be secure? That they might drop their guard? This precedent has existed before. After the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel became complacent, even overconfident, and was almost overrun in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War. They had dropped their guard. Their enemies pounced, and they were in serious trouble at the beginning of the war. I spoke with an IDF soldier when I visited Israel back in 2012, and he said that they (the IDF and the Israeli people) were tired of the constant daily pressure and threats of annihilation. “We just want peace,” he said. I believe him. I can see where they would almost accept peace without careful examination of the conditions around them and even fail to consider the prophecies present in their own Old Testament scriptures. I would suggest that this condition, were Psalm 83 to become a reality, would be one of the only situations that could explain this seemingly mysterious verse (38:8) residing in Ezekiel’s prophecy. It also might explain why the countries listed as the allies of Magog in the Ezekiel prophecies do not appear to include any of the countries that immediately surround Israel at present. It might also offer an explanation for one other prophecy that I have pondered over the years. Isaiah 17:1 and 14) “1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap…. 14And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.” This prophecy appears to indicate that the destruction of Damascus will occur in a single night. Could this prophecy be encased in a real Psalm 83 war as a result of Syria (or Iran through Syria) employing chemical or biological weapons? Could Israel annex all of Syria, resulting in the loss of the warm water ports that Russia has invested so heavily in, as well as massive Russian casualties? Could this, along with Israel’s vast, newly discovered resources, constitute the “hook” of Ezekiel 38:4? I have wondered about these things for many years. In the closing chapter of the book of Daniel (12:4), we read: “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” This can mean both general, technological knowledge (which is certainly true today), but as with many prophecies in God’s Word, it can have a dual meaning. That is to say, it can also indicate a more complete understanding of hitherto unclear prophecies like a lifting fog. I suspect that we will soon see. A word of caution: We can speculate and wonder about these prophesies, but we must always remember: God is the final arbiter of prophecy fulfillment. It is His signature. Isaiah 46:9-10: “Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure.'” A parting plea: For anyone who may read this article who has not come to salvation in Jesus Christ, I offer this plea in hopes that you have come looking for answers to the blitzkrieg of uncertainty regarding everyday life that surrounds us all in this period that is the end of the end of days. You can be saved from the consequences of ignoring God and denying that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life by coming to Him under His terms. And what are His terms according to His Word? Genuine repentance Confession of sins Belief that Jesus Christ paid your death sentence for you on the cross To acknowledge that you are unable to pay that debt To believe that Jesus is the Way, the only Way, that God has established by which humans may be saved from the consequences of their sin and rebellion If you do this and you genuinely mean it, you will receive the free gift of eternal life guaranteed by God’s own Word. John 5:24: “Truly, Truly, I say to you that he who hears my words and believes the One who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed from death to life.” Pro Salvator Vigilans To contact me: canoeman96@gmail.com --------------------------------------- Siege And Squeeze: The Mainstream Media In The West Doesn�t Understand Russian Military Tactics In Ukraine - by Michael Snyder - http://endoftheamericandream.com/siege-and-squeeze-the-mainstream-media-in-the-west-doesnt-understand-russian-military-tactics-in-ukraine/ The Russians are employing the exact same tactics that we witnessed in Syria and during the two Chechen wars, but the mainstream media doesn�t seem to understand this. Up to this point, the mainstream media has used the fact that many major Ukrainian cities have not yet fallen as evidence that the war is not going too well for Russia. But the truth is that the Russians did not intend to recklessly send their forces into dense urban areas immediately. That is something that western military leaders do way too often, and it is a way to get thousands of troops needlessly gunned down. Instead, the Russians are encircling the largest Ukrainian cities. A perimeter is established which cuts off all food and supplies, and then the circle is slowly but surely squeezed tighter as the �cauldron� is relentlessly pummeled by Russian firepower. It is essentially ancient siege warfare adapted for modern times, and the Russians have previously used such tactics with devastating effectiveness� The siege is a military tactic popularized in medieval times and designed to crush a population through starvation and violence, allowing an attacking force to spare its own soldiers the cost of entering a hostile city. Instead, civilians are the ones left to die, slowly and painfully. Putin has refined the tactic during his years in power, first in the Chechen city of Grozny in 2000 and then in the Syrian city of Aleppo in 2016. By the time those two sieges were over, Grozny and Aleppo were both totally leveled. Now �siege and squeeze� is being employed against a number of the largest Ukrainian cities simultaneously, and that includes the capital of Kiev� As the number of people driven from the country by war eclipsed 3 million, large explosions thundered across Kyiv before dawn from what Ukrainian authorities said were artillery strikes, as Russia�s assault on the capital appeared to become more systematic and edged toward the city center. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said barrages hit four multi-story buildings in the city, killing dozens of people. The shelling ignited a huge fire in a 15-story apartment building and spurred a frantic rescue effort. The good news for the Ukrainians is that Kiev has not been entirely encircled just yet. But the situation is much more dire in Ukraine�s second-largest city� In Kharkiv, Ukraine�s second-largest city, time is elastic. It�s close to the border with Russia and the nightly shelling from Russian artillery and warplanes gives no rest. The past two weeks have seemed like an eternity, yet peace can be remembered as if it were yesterday. In a frozen landscape on the city�s north-eastern edge, 21-year-old Lieutenant Yevgen Gromadsky stands with hands outstretched. There are trenches dug in nearby. �Outgoing,� he says, lifting his right hand to accompany the thump of fire from his positions. �Incoming,� he says, and his left hand ticks up. With a crump, Russian shells are fired from their positions 900m away across snow-covered fields. Let us pray for peace in Ukraine, because countless more people are going to die in the weeks and months to come if this conflict drags on. Perhaps the best example of �siege and squeeze� right now is the southern city of Mariupol� Russian forces have successfully encircled Mariupol and are conducting daily assaults on the western and eastern outskirts of the city. Russian air, missile, and artillery strikes continue to target residential areas and civilian infrastructure to force the city to capitulate. Russian forces have encircled the city to a depth that will likely prevent the defenders from breaking out and prevent Ukrainian efforts to relieve the defenders. Russian forces will likely be able to capture Mariupol or force it to capitulate despite strong Ukrainian defenses. The Russian capture of Mariupol will free up Russian forces, likely including large portions of the 8th Combined Arms Army, to threaten Ukrainian defenders along the line of contact in Donbas with encirclement or alternatively reinforce a Russian offensive toward Mykolayiv and Odesa. This assessment assumes that the defenders in Mariupol will run out of ammunition and/or water at some point in the relatively near future. I think that the Russians feel a particular sense of urgency to �finish the job� in Mariupol because of the Azov Battalion and other forces that are based there. If you have been following the situation in Ukraine for an extended period of time, then you know exactly what I am talking about. If the Russians are planning to agree to a ceasefire in the not too distant future, it is likely that they would like to wipe out the Azov Battalion and their allies before that happens. And right now Mariupol is being pounded like no other major city in the entire country� Each airstrike and shell that relentlessly pounds Mariupol � about one a minute at times � drives home the curse of a geography that has put the city squarely in the path of Russia�s domination of Ukraine. This southern seaport of 430,000 has become a symbol of Russian President Vladimir Putin�s drive to crush democratic Ukraine � but also of a fierce resistance on the ground. In the nearly three weeks since Russia�s war began, two Associated Press journalists have been the only international media present in Mariupol, chronicling its fall into chaos and despair. The city is now encircled by Russian soldiers, who are slowly squeezing the life out of it, one blast at a time. The Russians said that one of their goals was to �demilitarize� Ukraine, but way too many civilians are dying. Millions upon millions of Ukrainians are deeply suffering because of a war that the politicians started, and that isn�t right. And ultimately this conflict in Ukraine could spark a much broader war between the western powers and Russia. If that happens, it would be way too easy for things to �go nuclear�. In fact, even the Secretary General of the United Nations is warning that nuclear war is �now back within the realm of possibility�� U.N. Secretary General Ant�nio Guterres said Monday that the prospect of nuclear conflict is �now back within the realm of possibility� after Russian President Vladimir Putin raised the alert levels of the country�s nuclear forces last month. In remarks to reporters, Guterres called Putin�s move a �bone-chilling development� and said further escalation of the war in Ukraine would threaten all of humanity. �It�s time to stop the horror unleashed on the people of Ukraine and get on the path of diplomacy and peace,� he said. Stopping a nuclear war is in all of our interests, because a nuclear war would mean the end of civilization as we know it. But instead of pursuing peace, leaders on both sides just continue to escalate matters. This didn�t have to happen. Politicians on both sides should have been able to sit down and find a diplomatic way out of this mess. But now war is here, and nothing will ever be the same again. ----------------------------------- Ukraine and the Devaluing of Human Life � Jonathan Brentner - https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/https/jonathan-brentner-g8fgsquarespacecom/config/2022/3/17/ukraine-and-the-devaluing-of-human-life Many have written about the possible prophetic significance of Russia�s invasion of Ukraine, but what strikes me the most is the devaluing of human life that�s evident on both sides of this conflict. I realize that such disregard for life has been a part of wars throughout history; it�s full of genocidal accounts committed by evil people yielded to the devil. Who else could inspire such atrocities? What we see today is worse than anything before because the devaluing of human life is more widespread than ever before. In America, we murder 1.1 million babies each year, 63.6 million preborn children since 1973. According to the World Health Organization, the number of abortions worldwide each year stands at about 73,000,000. This worldwide genocide is barbaric and demonic. The Lord will severely judge this shedding of innocent blood (Psalm 75:8). What should we expect from world leaders and governments that have a long history of advocating the killing of preborn babies? Why are we surprised at their tendency to disregard human life in many other areas? Concerning the war in Ukraine, it�s clear that human life matters very little to Vladimir Putin; his tactics are brutal and demonstrate a total disregard for the welfare of the Ukrainian people, to say the least. As for the west, I see a similar contempt. Now that Putin is exacting a heavy toll of death and causing a humanitarian crisis not seen since WWII, America and the rest of Europe seem content to let the war continue amid great human suffering; they have yet to take seriously Putin�s demands for peace or intervene in a meaningful way to stop the killing and suffering. On March 16, 2022, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, pleaded with the U.S. Congress and President Joe Biden to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine. Putin has said that such an action would widen the scope of the war and lead to a nuclear confrontation with the west. Why is Zelenskyy asking the U.S. take such action and risk a nuclear war that would lead to the deaths of millions of people? Does any of this make sense? A CLASH OF GLOBALISTS The battle in Ukraine is shaping up as a clash of globalists seeking to acquire power in the coming New World Order. Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a graduate of Klaus Schwab�s school for global leaders as are many other government leaders in Europe. A member of the Ukraine legislature stated on Fox News that her country was also �fighting for the New World Order,� which aligns with the World Economic Forum (WEF ) training that Zelenskyy received under Klaus Schwab. They are fighting for more than just the survival of their nation. An insightful article appeared in the Canada Free press written by Ray DiLorenzo who is presently affiliated with the Stand Up America Foundation founded by Maj. Gen. Paul E. Vallely (Ret). Zelenskyy is not the hero. Like Biden, Zelenskyy is a puppet of the New World Order, taking orders from the globalist elites in Davos, not allowed to make peace with Russia, lest Russia�s sanctions are removed. Russia has been negotiating with Ukraine to get civilians out of cities under siege to little or no avail. The Ukraine government, while sabotaging talks, will not allow any Ukrainians to escape to Russia or Belarus, threatening to shoot them if they try.[i] Those in control of the U.S. government are likewise devoted to the ideals of the WEF, which strives to enslave the world under a tyrannical Marxist world order that currently flies under the banner of benign-sounding terms such as the �Great Reset� and �Build Back Better.� On the other side we have Russia, China, and perhaps Iran. I believe Russia/China alliance is fighting for their version of a new world order or perhaps a greater role in the coming �Great Reset.� Vladimir Putin is also a graduate of Klaus Schwab�s school for young global leaders. However, Putin vigorously opposes the LBGT agenda and has no tolerance for the BLM or ANTIFA, which is probably another reason why the left hates him. I�m not defending him or his demonic killing of people in Ukraine, only pointing out differences in the visions for the future of the world. Putin has long wanted to annex Ukraine, but he also believes he is fighting a regime infiltrated with Nazis. Ray DiLorenzo had this to say about the strange behavior of the West in regard to the war in Ukraine: The West seems to want conflict with Russia while Ukraine is doing their best to make it happen. . . .The New World Order (NWO) globalists want Putin to rot in Moscow while elites like Soros arrange regime change.[ii] I agree with the above observation. The globalists need a destabilized word in order to bring about the Great Reset. They cannot �build back better� until the current order of our world lies in ashes and they offer their solution. THE PERIL FACING US Regardless of where the conflict in Ukraine takes the world, the unwillingness of either side to compromise has already led to dire predictions for the remainder of 2022 and beyond. Here is what Michael Snyder recently wrote about food crises created by the war in Ukraine on his blog, The Economic Collapse: Previously, I have written about how global agricultural production is going to be down all over the globe in 2022 because fertilizer prices have started to spiral out of control. In fact, in Africa alone it is being projected that enough food to feed 100 million people will not be grown this year because of the outrageous cost of fertilizer. Well, guess what? It turns out that Russia is one of the biggest global exporters of fertilizer� Even before the war erupted, some types of fertilizer had doubled in price, some had tripled in price and some had actually quadrupled in price. A few weeks ago, I shared what one industry insider told me about fertilizer prices. He warned that many farmers all over the U.S. simply will not be able to grow corn this year because it will not be profitable due to soaring fertilizer prices. And now fertilizer prices are likely to go much higher. This really is a nightmare. Six months down the road, we are likely to see food riots all over the globe. I believe he is correct, unless both sides quickly agree to a peaceful resolution, both the war and the sanctions on Russia will lead to a critical worldwide lack of food that will negatively impact all the nations of the earth. Even with a sudden end to the hostilities, it might be too late to avoid the impending food calamities predicted for later in 2022. Leo Hohmann shared this quote on Telegram: �Ukrainian farmers - who produced a record grain crop last year - say they now are short of fertilizer, as well as pesticides and herbicides. And even if they had enough of those materials, they can�t get enough fuel to power their equipment, they add. �Ukraine and Russia are major wheat exporters, together accounting for about a third of world exports- almost all of which passes through the Black Sea.� Ukraine is a world leader in growing wheat and barley; many consider the nation to be the �breadbasket of Europe.� When we turn to the third horsemen of Revelation 6:1-8, what do we see as the key shortages? Wheat and barley (v. 6). Since we will be safely with the Lord in heaven before He opens the seals of Revelation 6, how close must our homegoing be if these predictions of famine materialize? Ronald Reagan often said this while he was president, �You ain�t seen nothing yet!� to depict the good things he had planned for the U.S. As for the wars and catastrophic events currently occurring across the planet, we might say the same thing regarding what lies ahead for our world after the Rapture. The elite globalists created the supply chain crisis and now with the war, vital supplies needed to grow crops will be in even shorter supply. The resulting famine and suffering will further their purpose of bringing in the Great Reset, which is all that matters to them. The suffering and death caused by their agenda does not matter to them; it�s all about achieving the power they crave. Far too many people ignore the satanic mindset of the globalists and those that wield great power throughout our world. If they can promote the slaughter of innocent preborn children, they are also capable of causing inflicting suffering and the deaths of millions, or many more, as long as it suits their agenda. OUR HOPE: REAL AND EXCITING For all of us who know Jesus as our Savior, please know that our hope does rest on things getting better in this tattered and dark world, but solely upon Christ and His promises to us. The Lord inspired Paul to assure the Thessalonians that they would not see the Lord�s wrath during the future day of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:1-10); this is also His promise to us. God�s judgments on sinful humanity will overtake the entire earth after the Rapture, but we will be safely with Jesus before the Tribulation period starts. We might suffer between now and the Rapture; the forecast food shortages will likely impact us, or those we love, if the Lord does not come for us soon. Whatever happens, we can rest in the absolute assurance that Jesus is coming to take us to the place He�s preparing for us in His Father�s house (John 14:1-3). It could happen today. We have a glorious future regardless of what we experience in this broken and evil world until then. The Bible assures us of a glorious eternity as we eagerly wait for Jesus� imminent appearing. Maranatha! Come quickly, Lord Jesus! My book, The Triumph of the Redeemed-An eternal Perspective that Calms Our Fears in Perilous Times, is now available on Amazon. It�s written to provide hope for the perilous times in which we live. Jonathan C. Brentner Website: Our Journey Home [i] Ray DiLorenzo, Putin vs. Zelenskyy - Part 2, Before We Descend Into the Abyss, March 12, 2022, on the Canada Free Press Website, https://canadafreepress.com/article/putin-vs-zelenskyy-part-2-before-we-descend-into-the-abyss [ii] Ibid. --------------------------------------