WORLD AT WAR: 1.13.24 - Why Not Nuclear?

Why Not Nuclear? � Terry James - https://terryjamesprophecyline.com/2024/01/08/why-not-nuclear/ Reading Salem Kirban�s novel, 666, many decades ago, I was somewhat incredulous that he portrayed the Ezekiel 38�39 Gog-Magog attack on Israel as he did. The author had itthat the Russian-led coalition came down into the area on horseback�and with more or less primitive weapons, exactly as the prophet described. There were no modern-day weapons. The reason only primitive weapons were used, he gave as a new heat-ray development of some sort. I can�t remember the exact technology. The heat-ray technology, a laser ofsome sort, I suppose, heated up the metal and fuel, making the advanced weapons�the tanks, aircraft, even the hand-held weapons�too hot to handle, I guess. So the force had to invade using mostly wooden or non-heat-affected weaponry. Neither human flesh norhorseflesh could be affected by the weapon, as I remember. This article is intended to look a bit into why Ezekiel�s Gog-Magog prophecy does in fact seem to say, on the surface at least, that there one modern weapon will be absentfrom the invading force�s repertoire. The force doesn�t use nuclear weapons, according to the prophecy. The force seems to be strictly conventional. Many have conjectured that this is because the Gog leader has in his mind the evil thought to come and take �great spoil� from Israel. Petroleum and natural gas, it is thoughtby many�myself included�might be the chief spoil on which the invaders place their crosshairs. Thermonuclear weapons would: 1) destroy any and all things in their path, and/or would contaminate things for centuries with radiological contamination; and 2) igniteall petroleum/gas assets except, perhaps, for those underwater in the Mediterranean. Israel now has vast such fields, and this is, some believe�again, including me�the reason a Russian leader would want to plunder those assets. Israel almost certainly is moreand more to be supplying all of Europe, while Russian oil and gas seems to be a diminishing commodity�especially since the obviously American-inspired, and perhaps carried out, destruction of the Russian underwater pipeline some years ago. Another important matter in looking at the question of why no nuclear weapons� usage during the Gog-Magog assault is the current situation with regard to Iran�s uranium enrichmentprogram. This is of utmost concern to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has vowed that Iran will not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapons arsenal�or even one bomb. It�s a matter, literally, of life and death to the Jewish state, according to Netanyahu and most all of the IDF general staff. We who believe God�s prophetic Word is absolutely Infallible know that Israel will never be destroyed�by any weaponry brought against it�nuclear or otherwise. But, apparently,for all the Israeli Defense Force people we know about, they don�t hold the same view. I�m sure there are some who believe Israel is invincible due to God�s promises, but for the most part those in charge of Israel�s defense look through a nonspiritual prismin their planning and concerns. To that point, consider the following: Iran recently tripled its enrichment of uranium to 60%, reversing a slowdown earlier this year, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported on Tuesday. Tehran has �increased its production of highly enriched uranium, reversing a previous output reduction from mid-2023,� said the U.N. watchdog, summarizing a confidential reportsent to member states and obtained by Reuters. Iran is enriching uranium up to 60% at the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP) in Natanz and at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), which is located deep in a mountain,according to the report� Iran already has enough enough high-enriched uranium, if enriched further to 90%, to make three nuclear bombs, Reuters reported, citing the International Atomic Energy Agency�stheoretical definition� Uranium enriched to 60% purity is just a short technical step away from 90%, considered weapons-grade� Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi warned in September that Jerusalem will have no choice but to act if Iran enriches uranium above 60% purity. �If Iran moves to enrich uranium above 60% and we identify it�and there is no possibility that we won�t, that the world would not recognize it�the result is that Israel wouldact out of necessity,� said Hanegbi. �There would be no choice� (�IAEA: Iran accelerates production of near-weapons-grade uranium,� 12/26/23, JNS) Iran�s nuclear centrifuges are, it is said, deep in the Bushehr Mountains to protect against attacks. Israel has in the past inflicted cyberattacks that disrupted Iran�s progressin doing their nuclear production work. The Bushehr facilities are also used to hide progress from the AIEA investigations, as the above report in its full scope indicates. We have written previously that Bible prophecy says this area of Persia (Iran) will be so devastated that people will have to scatter to places far away. Is this nuclear contaminationfrom an attack Israel is almost certainly about to launch? That would explain why Iran, as part of the Gog-Magog coalition, would be without nuclear weaponry. But Russia would continue at that time to have its arsenal of nukes, itseems. So it remains a mystery why there is apparently no advanced nuclear-type weapons in the coming Ezekiel 38�39 assault on God�s chosen nation. Maybe Kirban will be proven factual with his fiction. However, my own thought is that, as God will intervene to save Israel from the Gog-Magog forces, He will cause any andall such thermonuclear weaponry that might be launched toward Jerusalem to stray from Israel�s direction and instead land on the Magog environs and on the isles, as those areas are indicated in the prophecy to suffer �fires� of some mysterious sort. And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD. So will I make my holy name known in the midstof my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. (Ezekiel 39:6�7) Here, I believe the Holy Spirit urges me to appeal to you if you are a nonbeliever. Jesus is the answer to all of your anxieties, to all of your worries. He is willing andready to forgive all sin that separates you from God the Father in Heaven. Simply do the following. I have put it in today�s English, rather than the King James Version. (If you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart (your mind and spirit) that God has raised him (Jesus) from the dead, you will be saved. Forwith the heart men and women believe and are made righteous by God, and with your mouth confession is made that saves you from sin and its consequences, which separate the soul of unbelievers from God for eternity. (This is my paraphrase of Romans 10:9�10) Don't mess with Israel: Bible tells of destruction for those who do – Robert Anthony - https://www.wnd.com/2024/01/dont-mess-israel-bible-tells-destruction/ The extreme and irrational reactions by the nations around Israel, a nation defending itself from a brutal terrorist act, prove that this is more than simply politics as usual.All things considered, it's clear there is a spiritual battle raging around this tiny and young nation. Just as the Bible predicted over and again throughout its prophets, it's amazing such a small and lightly populated nation could bring the world to thebrink of World War III! Look at the facts: North Korea just launched a succession of artillery at the South. Serbia is about to restore the draft for war with Kosovo. Azerbaijan and Armenia as stillvery close to full-scale conventional war. The Muslims are slaughtering innocents in Nigeria. Worse yet, the Muslims in Sudan just slaughtered thousands in small villages in out of the way places. China and India are still in a hot-border dispute. India and Pakistan have a long-running border dispute. Syria still has a civil war. Turkey just attacked thousands of Kurdsin Syria and Iraq. China told President Biden to his face that they will take back Taiwan this year. Iranian proxies are attacking U.S. bases almost daily. Yemen (another Iranian proxy) is attacking ships near in the area. Russia has invaded Ukraine, withoutany sign of repenting, and every day it seems another Muslim nation makes political and/or military advances against the tiny nation of Israel! The Bible foretells that in the last days, Israel will be the epicenter of many of these global events, as if to say, "All eyes will be on Israel!" It's amazing to considerthat of all these conflicts, the world's attention is in fact fixated foremost on Israel, right now! As terrible as the conflicts all were over the past couple decades, no conflict has brought the world into such strife and division as this current situationinvolving Israel. The "winnowing fork," as clearly prophesied throughout the Bible, remains God's Israel. As Israel continues to be revealed as God's land of holy prominence and eternal heritage, let the nations take note and even be warned. Students of war should take the timeto study Israel's defense in the Six Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur victory they had in defending themselves, outnumbered, in 1973. The outright miracles God did for Israel throughout those wars, delivering them, should make any enemy of Israel think long and hard before attempting to wipe her "from offthe face of the earth." Any nation throughout antiquity that attempted such a feat has been totally and utterly removed from the world. One story in particular I have enjoyed involves God's people during the reign of King Hezekiah. (You might enjoy reading the story for yourselves. The prophet Isaiah, wholived this story with the king, testifies of all that happened in his book, chapters 36 and 37.) In short, the Assyrian king – who had just absolutely demolished the 10 tribes to the north, some estimating as many as 20 million Israelites slaughtered – marchedon to Jerusalem with 185,000 troops, an army that had never lost a battle! King Hezekiah was well aware of all of these facts as he watched the Assyrians surround the walls of Jerusalem with men, weapons and machines of war. Wisely, the king sought the LordGod by His prophet Isaiah. Hezekiah agreed to turn all Jerusalem back to their God and His commandments and practically asked Isaiah to inquire of the Lord, to see if God would save them from certain destruction! Isaiah inquired of the Lord and returned to the king with His response, chapter 37, vv. 33-35: "[The king of the Assyrians] shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrowthere, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it. By the way that he came, by the same he shall return. … For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake." Understand the odds against Judah; its armycouldn't have been much more than 20,000 – and how few of them were actually men of war?! As history tells, Assyria had just destroyed Judah's city of Lachish. There was absolutely nothing stopping them from taking Jerusalem, until the Lord said, "I will defendMy Jerusalem!" And modern archeology testifies to the perfect accuracy of the whole Biblical tale. Here is an article I wrote on the subject with a great video presentation: "The AncientSite of Nineveh Proves the Bible to be True!" What happened to the Assyrians? Why did they disappear from history? Why was Babylon able to take over their entire empire? An empire that was undefeatable for decades ifnot centuries! What the Lord did for Jerusalem and King Hezekiah also completely demolished the Assyrian empire. Read what happened next, chapter 37, verse 36, "Then the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote [killed] in the camp of the Assyrians 185,000:and when they arose in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses." The king of the Assyrians returned to Nineveh having lost the entirety of his army. Certainly, as modern archeology confirms, it would not be long until a competitor nationwould overthrow Assyria entirely and reign in their stead. Babylon came to power on the heels of God's great overthrow of Assyria, since it was defenseless, totally and completely without an army! There is another story wherein God fought for the Southern Kingdom, without the people having to lift a single sword, spear or bow! Read 2 Chronicles 14:9-15. A million Ethiopianscame against King Asa and the armies of Jerusalem. Asa called upon the Lord his God for help, and the Lord showed up in force! Verse 12 says, "The Lord smote [killed] the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled." God wiped out a million-manarmy for His people, and they spoiled their lands greatly and took back to Jerusalem incredible amounts of wealth. These stories and others: Joshua and Jericho, Moses and Pharoah, David and Goliath, etc. should serve as a warning to the enemies of God and His Israel. The Bible foretellsthat God will bring the armies of the nations in the end to "the valley of decision" and there the Son of Man will come, riding upon a white horse with the armies of heaven following after Him, and there will be a great victory as the Lord sets up His kingdomon the earth to rule and reign for a thousand years. If some are having a difficult time with the reality of the Living God, I encourage everyone to look at the archeological finds [Seeseveral articles written about the archeology] proving the Bible's authenticity and accuracy. Be warned, all you nations, "For he that touches [Israel] touches the apple of [God's] eye"! And "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God!" (Zechariah2:8 and Hebrews 10:31) Wisdom and prudence say, Let the nations reconsider their advance, position and/or assault against what is God's. Amen. ------------------------------- Living Alongside Adversaries Who�s Greatest Aspiration Is To Eradicate Your Nation And People � By Tim Moore - https://harbingersdaily.com/living-alongside-adversaries-whos-greatest-aspiration-is-to-eradicate-your-nation-and-people/ In the classic musical, Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye looks to heaven and exclaims, �I know, I know. We are Your chosen people. But, once in a while, can�t You choose someoneelse?� Most of us have never been viscerally hated for who we are. We have not lived alongside people who proclaim their greatest aspiration is to eradicate our nation and our families.Welcome to the reality of Israeli Jews. On October 7th, the long-declared intention of Hamas was carried out with murderous results. For a few traumatic hours, a few thousand Hamas terrorists and other Palestinianopportunists rampaged in southern Israel. They massacred over 1,400 men, women, and children, wounded scores more, and kidnapped 242 people�dragging them back to Gaza and imprisoning them in an underground warren of terror tunnels. Even now, the fate of thosehostages remains maddeningly unclear. To understand the biblical and prophetic implications of this attack�and the ensuing War in Gaza�we need to consider the who, what, when, where, and why. Who The terror organization behind this most recent atrocity is Hamas. The word �Hamas� is an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Isamiya (Islamic Resistance Movement). It emergedin the 1980s as a spin-off of the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine. Palestinian cleric Sheikh Ahmed Yassin brought the militant activism of the Muslim Brotherhood from Egypt to the West Bank and Gaza after the Six Day War in 1967. Following the first Intifada (launched by Yassir Arafat in 1987), Yassin asserted Hamas� political influence�initially standing in opposition to both Arafat�s PalestinianLiberation Organization and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad but demonstrating a willingness to engage in dramatically more violent attacks against Israel. In 1988 Hamas published its charter promising a �very great and very serious� struggle against the Jews.It committed itself to vanquishing the enemy in order to �raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine.� The single-minded fixation of Hamas�along with Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Islamic State (or ISIS)�to annihilate the Jews has at times led to pitched rivalries with theirfellow Muslims. That is why Hamas competed with the Fatah (the political wing of the Palestinian Authority) for control of the Gaza Strip in 2005 when Israel unilaterally withdrew its military under pressure from the Bush Administration. Following Arafat�sdeath, the PA was no competition for Hamas� more extreme ideology. As it consolidated power, Hamas militants murdered Fatah leaders. Tellingly, a majority of Palestinians in Gaza affirmed Hamas� radical leadership, handing Hamas 56% of the seats in their Gazanparliament. Almost immediately, Hamas demonstrated its intention to incite more violence against Israel. It quickly drew the ire of even Arab countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia,and Jordan. Egypt had firsthand knowledge of the radical Muslim Brotherhood and its destabilizing influence in its own country, and did not want any part of an even more dangerous organization. Fast-forward to this past October. Some in the West expressed shock that Hamas had squandered millions in aid intended to benefit the people of Gaza in pursuit of its waragainst Israel. While Gazans live in squalor, Hamas militants amassed thousands of rockets, built 300 miles of terror tunnels, and prepared to launch its all-out attack on Israel. But Hamas spokesman Taher El-Nounou was quite candid when he confessed, �Hamas�sgoal is not to run Gaza and to bring it water and electricity and such. I hope that the state of war with Israel will become permanent on all the borders, and that the Arab world will stand with us.� Although fraught with internal divisions of their own, the major Arab nations around Israel have declined to adopt the radical position of Hamas. In fact, they have made itrather clear that they would like to see Israel excise this infectious cancer. Exceptions have included Syria�a long-standing and rabid foe of Israel, Yemen, and Qatar. Qatar has been particularly duplicitous throughout, because they allow the string-pullingheads of Hamas�Ismail Haniyeh, Moussa Abu Marzuk, and Khaled Mashal�to live in luxury and security. American news outlets have reported that those three Hamas leaders are worth over $11 billion. They have enriched themselves while relegating the Palestinianpeople to refugee camps and poverty, even as they funnel millions toward terror against Israel and the West. But as evil as Hamas is, it is not alone. Hezbollah has overrun south Lebanon and has even more weapons, more fighters, and more support from the financier of most MiddleEastern terrorism today: Iran. From a biblical perspective, Hamas and Hezbollah would consider themselves Arab organizations. As such, they trace their lineage back to Abraham�s son Ishmael. In Genesis16:11-12, God told Hagar that her son would be a: �wild donkey of a man� and that: �his hand will be against everyone.� To this day, that prophetic word lives on in an oft-quoted Arab proverb: Me against my brothers. Me and my brothers against my cousins. Me and my family against the tribe. Me and my tribe against the world. What Many of the details of October 7th are well-established. In a surprisingly coordinated attack, Hamas militants pierced the security fence separating Israel from Gaza and rampagedthrough several Israeli towns and villages. They quickly overwhelmed a local military outpost and police station, rendering the civilian population virtually defenseless. Many people have speculated on how Hamas could plan such a complicated mission without the vaunted Israeli intelligence organizations getting wind of the plan. But Hamas� operational security was exceeded only by their audacity and blood-lust. Utilizing drone technology, paragliders, sea-borne craft, and motorcycle-mounted gunmen, Hamas terrorists first blinded the electronic monitoring equipment and then began their murderousrampage. An inevitable Israeli investigation will determine just how such an intelligence failure occurred. From a military perspective, it is obvious that Israel�s reliance on high-techgear and smug self-confidence in the face of constant boastful but unfulfilled threats had led to complacency. There is another uniquely Western attitude that was certainly at play: an inability to recognize that the enemy is as ruthless as their words wouldindicate. So, when the first wave of militants blinded the IDF�s local surveillance equipment (and reports are already being circulated that women IDF soldiers monitoring that equipmentwarned of a possible attack but were ignored), following waves were able to range throughout the region of Israel surrounding Gaza with no resistance. What has also become obvious in recent weeks is that scores of Palestinian civilians streamed through the breaches in the border fence to engage in atrocities. Some of themost horrific mutilations of dead Israelis was at the hands of those radicalized Gazans civilians. Once again, it is difficult to understand hatred that is incited from birth. We cannot conceive of teaching our children that their greatest aspiration should be to die whilekilling Jews. But that is the undeniable ideology of those who cheered when Hamas terrorists brought dead, wounded, and helpless people back to Gaza from their assault into Israel. When This latest war began on October 7th�exactly 50 years and a day after Egyptian and Syrian forces launched the Yom Kippur War�but the reverberations continue to this day. Itis likely that the War in Gaza will continue for some time. For its part, Israel has been clear about its intention to destroy Hamas�a feat that will take months or years to accomplish (if it can be done at all). What complicates every war Israel has fought is the pressure that is brought to bear by the world at large. In 1948, the world did not intervene when Israel was threatenedwith annihilation by five Arab armies. In 1956, Great Britain and France did not keep Israel from bearing the brunt of Egypt�s attacks even though they had instigated the war in a secret pact with Israel. In 1967, the world did not feel any compulsion to intervene while Abdul Nassar was falsely claiming to be devastating the Jewish nation. But it forced Israel to stop the warafter six days when it realized the forces of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan had been defeated so soundly. When it became obvious that Israel had the upper hand, the United Nations insisted on a cessation of hostilities. Even in 1973, the United States only intervened once it became apparent Israel was in such dire straits that it was considering a nuclear option. And the rest of the worldonly became concerned and demanded a ceasefire when Israel turned the tide against Egypt and Syria and was driving toward Cairo and Damascus. This war is no different. The outpouring of support for Israel from the West has already waned dramatically. America and its European allies are quite alarmed at the possibilityof this conflict widening to encompass the entire Middle East. And they are all mired in internal protests from loud and violent Muslim and Progressive agitators. Our own President Biden, who declared �America stands with Israel� when they began their ownjust war, has wavered in his support due to political pressure from Leftists in the Democratic party. [The Squad Stands with Hamas] By mid-November, I became personally aware that the Biden Administration was attempting to stop the transfer of defensive gear like bulletproof vests and helmets to Israelicitizens. So much for standing with Israel. Prophetically, we know that the remaining Jewish diaspora will be motivated to return home to Israel. This war may spark a mass Aliyah. [Aliyah = �Going Up�, a Jew returningto Israel] But we also know all the nations of the world will come against Israel in the End Times. Rising Antisemitism in the West is providing the motivation for the diaspora to return, and the rapidly shifting sands of political expediency demonstrate whythe nations will turn against God�s chosen people when they are fully regathered to their ancient homeland. The accelerating pace of world events is yet another sign that we are living in the End Times. The wars forecast in Scripture may materialize very soon�and in rapid succession. But this moment in time also demonstrates that the ramifications of this war extend far beyond the borders of Gaza or Israel. ---------------------------------------- Will The Assassination of The Brother-In-Law of The Leader of Hezbollah Take Us Into The Next Chapter Of World War 3? - by Michael Snyder - https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/will-the-assassination-of-the-brother-in-law-of-the-leader-of-hezbollah-take-us-into-the-next-chapter-of-world-war-3/ How is this cycle of escalation going to end? Each day, either Hezbollah or Israel is escalating matters to a dangerous new level. A war between the two parties has alreadybegun, and at this point I don�t see any way to avoid a full-blown regional war that will result in tremendous death and destruction. Many had been hoping that cooler heads would prevail in 2024, but instead this new year has started with a series of veryalarming escalations� In the last week alone, an Israeli airstrike has killed a Hezbollah commander in Lebanon, Hezbollah struck a sensitive Israeli base with rockets and Israel killed a seniorHamas militant with an airstrike in Beirut. Each strike and counterstrike increases the risk of the catastrophic war in Gaza spilling across the region. In the decades-old standoff pitting the U.S. and Israel against Iran and allied militant groups, there are fears that any party could trigger a wider war if only to avoidappearing weak. A U.S. airstrike killed an Iran-backed militia leader in Baghdad last week, and the U.S. Navy recently traded fire with Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. We are so close to the edge now. Is there still any hope that we could avoid the unthinkable? It is being reported that the Biden administration is working very hard to prevent �a full-blown war from erupting�� President Biden has dispatched his top aides to the Middle East with a critical objective: Prevent a full-blown war from erupting between Israel and the Lebanese militantgroup Hezbollah. Israel has made clear it views as untenable the regular exchange of fire between its forces and Hezbollah along the border and may soon launch a major military operation inLebanon. �We prefer the path of an agreed-upon diplomatic settlement,� Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Friday, �but we are getting close to the point where the hourglasswill turn over.� After everything that has happened, the Israeli government will not be satisfied until all Hezbollah forces are north of the Litani River. And Hezbollah will never withdraw north of the Litani River willingly, and so the IDF will be used to drive them back. Needless to say, once the IDF moves into southern Lebanon events will start to move very, very quickly. On Monday, a senior Hezbollah commander that was reportedly the mastermind behind the missile attack on Meron Air Force Base in northern Israel was killed by an Israeli strikein southern Lebanon� An Israeli strike on south Lebanon today killed a senior commander in Hezbollah�s elite Radwan force, escalating fears that the conflict between Israel and Hamas could spiralinto a wider Middle East war. Wissam Hassan Tawil, the deputy head of a unit within the Radwan force, died alongside another Hezbollah fighter when their car, a Honda SUV, was targeted in a strike on theLebanese village of Majdal Selm. He was the highest-ranking Hezbollah member to be killed since Israel and the Lebanese group began exchanging cross-border fire following Hamas� October 7 attacks. But this wasn�t just some random Hezbollah military leader. It is being widely reported that he was actually the brother-in-law of Hassan Nasrallah� The top Hezbollah commander Wissam Hassan Tawil was killed in a roadside bomb attack targeting his car in southern Lebanon today. Tawil was the brother-in-law of the head of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah. Up to this point, Nasrallah has been hesitant to pull the trigger on a full-blown war with Israel. But now a member of his own family has been assassinated. So what will he do now? More Hezbollah fighters are dying with each passing day. In fact, we are being told that a total of 130 Hezbollah fighters have died so far� Since Hamas launched its unprecedented terror attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, there have been almost daily exchanges of fire along the Israel-Lebanon border between Hezbollahmilitants and Israeli forces. At least 175 people have been killed in Lebanon, including 130 Hezbollah fighters, according to the AFP news agency. At least nine soldiers and four civilians have been killedin northern Israel, according to officials in the country, and thousands have been evacuated from their homes in border communities due to the ongoing fighting. Sadly, this is just the very beginning. The war in the Middle East is still only in the very early chapters, and so much death and destruction are ahead. Meanwhile, the situation on the border between North Korea and South Korea has gotten so tense that the South Koreans have actually ordered the evacuation of Yeonpyeong Island� South Korea has ordered civilians on the western border island of Yeonpyeong Island to evacuate to shelters, officials said Friday, amid apparent signs of a military provocationby North Korea. The emergency evacuation order was given at 12:02 p.m. and again at 12:30 p.m. on Friday at the request of the South Korean military, according to the local county office. I don�t think that North Korea is on the verge of invading just yet, but if the U.S. is distracted by multiple conflicts elsewhere in the world the North Koreans may see anopportunity to make a move. The war in Ukraine is also heating up, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly identified the U.S. and other western powers as the real enemy of Russia� Russian president Vladimir Putin has claimed the West is the real �enemy� as his invasion of Ukraine approaches its second anniversary. The former KGB operative, who is seeking re-election in March, claimed forces in western countries including the US and Britain were working to destroy �Russian statehood�� and providing weapons to Ukraine to ensure the world�s largest country suffered a �strategic defeat� on the battlefield. While speaking to a wounded soldier at a military hospital, Putin claimed that �Ukraine itself is not our enemy�. He added: �The point is not that they (the West) are helping our enemy. They are our enemy. We are living in a time of wars and rumors of wars, and the U.S. military may be required to fight more than one major war simultaneously. Is our military prepared for that? Of course not. In fact, the size of the U.S. Army has fallen to the lowest level since 1940� By the end of 2023, there will be only 452,000 active-duty soldiers in the US Army, the smallest force since 1940, Defense News recently reported. In this vein, the international military news outlet pointed to recruiting shortfalls in the U.S. Army that could result in 3,000 Army Special Operations troops being cutbefore the end of this year. Once upon a time we had the greatest military machine on the entire planet. But at this stage the U.S. military has been transformed into a politically-correct joke that is really good at conducting diversity seminars and pride marches. Now World War 3 has begun, and I have a feeling that we are going to pay a very great price for allowing our military to decline so precipitously. -------------------------------- Red Sea Chaos: Is The Aggression of Yemen�s Houthis Rebels Prophetically Significant? � By Mark Hitchcock - https://harbingersdaily.com/red-sea-chaos-is-the-aggression-of-yemens-houthis-rebels-prophetically-significant/ Ever since the Hamas invasion of Israel, the Houthis in Yemen have been firing daily ballistic missiles and suicide drones at Israel, in addition to attacking ships in theRed Sea. The Houthis stand in solidarity with Hamas. They insist that when Israel withdraws from Gaza, they will stop these attacks. While there are isolated Iran proxies In Iraq and Syria, the three main groups doing the bidding of Iran are Hamas in Gaza, which Israel is attacking now, Hezbollah in Lebanonand the southern portion of Syria, and the Houthi rebels located in Yemen. Who Are The Houthis? An article published in late December by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) states, �The Houthi movement�s ideology is deeply rooted in antisemitic, Islamic fundamentalist,anti-American sentiment, as reflected in the slogan on its flag�� The slogan on the Houthi flag reads: �Allah is great, death to the USA, death to Israel, curse the Jews, victory to Islam.� That pretty well summarizes what they�re all about. AJC further noted that �the Houthis are an extremist Shia-Islamist movement and terrorist army.� Only about 15% of Muslims in the world are Shiites, and about 85% are Sunnis. There are only three nations in the world that have a majority of Shiite Muslims�Iraq, Iran,and Bahrain. The Houthis are part of this Shiite wing of Islam. �Backed by Iran, this organization controls approximately one-third of Yemen�s territory and more than two-thirds of the country�s population,� the article continues, �Ithas emerged as a prominent player in the Israel-Hamas war.� �In recent weeks, Houthi terrorists have fired near daily ballistic missiles and suicide drones at Israel and ships in the Red Sea � most of them intercepted by Israel�s multi-layeredair defense system or U.S. warships in the Red Sea,� the AJC described. There have been about 20 attacks on vessels in the Red Sea. If you look at the map, you will see the Suez Canal at the top of the Red Sea, and down at the very bottom, thereis a very narrow strait called �the Gate of Grief� or �the Gate of Tears.� The Houthis are firing on the ships in that area and disrupting global maritime travel and trade. Just Wednesday, the BBC reported that the Navies of the U.S. and the U.K. �repelled the largest attack yet on Red Sea shipping.� NPR similarly stated that the Houthis� latestaction was the �largest-ever barrage of drones and missiles targeting shipping in the Red Sea.� All of this is stoking fear of a wider conflict. NBC News on Tuesday quoted two diplomats from NATO countries, who said that �strike plans against Houthi bases, boats, and weapons in Yemen have already been drawn up.� NATO already has plans regarding the bases and the different places they�re going to hit in Yemen if these attacks are not stopped. Approximately 10% of the world�s shippinggoes through this hotspot. These attacks are very disruptive to commerce and, it is believed, can create inflation. All of these Houthi actions are directed against Israel. Any ships that are related in any tangential way to Israel are the primary targets. Is Yemen Mentioned In Bible Prophecy? It�s interesting that Yemen, where the Houthis are located, is likely the area referred to in the Bible as �Sheba.� That probably rings a bell with many who have heard ofthe Queen of Sheba, who came and visited King Solomon. Some believe that Sheba may be in Saudi Arabia, but most commentators, scholars, historians, and geographers believe that Yemen is the region in which ancient Sheba was located. There are nine books and twenty-three verses in the Old Testament that mention Sheba. The area was also referenced in the New Testament, when Jesus mentions the Queen of Sheba,and other places in the Gospels. The first time that Sheba is addressed in the Bible is back in Genesis chapter 10, with the table of the nations that were scattered from Babel. The last time she was mentionedin the Old Testament is in Ezekiel 38:13, as part of this Gog Magog war. Ezekiel 38 says that when these Gog Magog nations�Russia, Iran, Turkey, Libya, and Sudan�invade Israel in the end times, there are some nations that are going to sit on thesidelines and issue a kind of lame protest to what�s happening. Those nations are identified as Sheba, Dedan, and the young lions of Tarshish. Dedan is likely Saudi Arabia and the other more moderate Arab and Gulf states. The young lions of Tarshish are presumably the nations of Western Europe. Sheba could be partof Saudi Arabia, but it�s probably Yemen. If that�s true, then something is going to have to happen in Yemen to neutralize these Houthi rebels. As mentioned earlier, if the Houthis keep making these attacks in theRed Sea, NATO has stated that they are prepared to take them out. There may be a lot of twists and turns before we get to the end, but Yemen is going to be a much different nation in the end times than they are today, becoming neutral or even on the Israeliside in the Ezekiel 38 war against the Jewish State. Any discussion of Sheba or modern Yemen is not complete unless we look at a couple of passages in the Old Testament. King Solomon wrote two Psalms, one of which is Psalm 72,which looks at the great and glorious golden age of Israel when Solomon reigned. Writing this Psalm, he goes beyond himself, looking at the ultimate �King�s son,� who will be the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, who is going to rule the world. He writes, �The kingsof Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.� This is a foreshadowing of the coming millennial reign of Christ. Isaiah 60:1-6 says, �Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darknessthe people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they cometo thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentilesshall come unto thee. The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord.� You know, when they came to worship the baby Jesus, they brought gold, which speaks of His deity, frankincense, Which speaks of His perfect life, and myrrh, which is usedfor embalming bodies, speaking of His death. You�ll notice here in the millennial reign of Christ when they come, it says they bring gold and incense. There�s no myrrh. Jesus died once, never to die again. We look forward to that day when the nations will stream to the land of Israel to worship the King of kings and Lord of lords. Sheba today in Yemen are firing ballistic missiles and drones into Israel, but the day is going to come when they�re going to bring gifts to the land of Israel to worshipthe Messiah. What a reversal that is going to be, and we pray that it will come soon. The first event that will trigger all of these is the rapture of the church. We have every reason to believe it could happen very soon. I pray that we�re ready for that event. ---------------------------