You can receive the news elsewhere — I have received massive amounts of news from our own news bureau (which receives news from all over the world), and, of course, have spent many hours between writing and doing television, watching the various news channels, principally Fox and CNN, along with others.
But what is BEHIND the news; what may happen next; and what Bible Prophecy says about global events will not be a part of your daily fare.
First, will the US retaliate, and if so, against whom, where, and when?
The answers are difficult, speculative, and impossible to claim any accuracy. HOWEVER, Israeli intelligence believes that IRAQ may have financed the terrorists. They say that a multi-national group of terrorists such as those which carried out the attack; the sophistication of it, the timing, the logistical planning, seems far beyond even the capabilities of Osama bin Laden, even though they believe he could have been the mastermind.
If the US government believes Iraq was complicit (buried in the avalanche of news was the alleged shoot down of a US aircraft enforcing the "No-fly zone" in Iraq), and if both Iraq and Afghanistan become targets in the next days or weeks, what will be the likely outcome?
Such an attack may well be exactly what Saddam Hussein wants. He is no doubt, at this moment, moving about by night from one or another of his dozens of hiding places, just as are the cowardly "Taliban" leaders, the religious fanatics who rule Afghanistan. Should cruise missiles begin impacting Iraqi military and government installations once more, Saddam might use this as a pretext to launch SCUD missile attacks against ISRAEL! Certainly, the US military planners, and the Israeli government understands that this would be the logical fallout.
But if the SCUDS contain chemical or biological warheads, the outcome would be FAR DIFFERENT than during the Gulf war! This time, there would be no holding back of the Israeli Air Force, and it is not beyond the realm of possibility that they would drop nuclear weapons on Baghdad, and other cities in Iraq, or on Kabul, or all of the above.
In such a widening war, SYRIA might start sending missiles (she possesses dozens of Chinese-made "Silkworm" missiles and many Russian-made weapons) against Israel.
There is a prophecy about Damascus, which, while it had an earlier "typical" fulfillment, is nevertheless set in the time frame of the time of the end. God says, "The burden [the prophecy concerning] of Damascus [Capital of Syria]. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
"The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.
"The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim [Britain], and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel [which is prophesied to be completely bespoiled], saith the LORD of hosts.
"And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin [both Ephraim and Manasseh], and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean" (Isaiah 17:1-4). A little later in this intriguing chapter, God says, "Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
"The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters [the sounds of many airplanes, tanks, trucks, missiles being launched; a "rushing" to battle]: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
"And 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" (Isaiah 17:12-14).
Is this a prophecy that Damascus will be reduced to rubble? It is difficult to come to any other conclusion!
IF the United States should attack BOTH Kabul and Baghdad, you may see just such a scenario develop, for Israel would no longer use the incredible restraint she used when SCUDS fell on Tel Aviv during the Gulf War.
In such a scenario (which is, remember, only speculative), ALL of the Arab states would be involved, as would be their supporters and clients. A widening war in the Mideast would ultimately involve RUSSIA and EUROPE!
America’s Incredible Self-Deception
For decades, Americans have been led down the primrose path of insisting upon foisting upon third world countries OUR "values." Commencing with Jimmy Carter’s attempt to insist upon a Bible-belt, fundamentalist "human rights" agenda; lecturing third world countries from the point of view of CHRISTIAN values, America has attempted to view the world through the rose-colored glasses of "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
In our much-vaunted "open" society; our open borders, our freedoms; our suspicion of any kind of "takeover" by a military government; our dozens of conspiracy theories; the continual harping about the "New World Order" can be found the paranoia which tends to reject any interference with freedom whatsoever. In this, the terrorists find their Mecca of opportunity. Because America has rapidly become a melting pot, as has Britain over the centuries, and because our nation is now host to MILLIONS of people from hundreds of countries; Afghans,
Pakistanis, Algerians, Palestinians, Syrians, Iranians, Saudis, Yemenis, Indians, Koreans, Chinese, Vietnamese, Laotians, Russians, --- the list is virtually endless — nations bent on our destruction can send "seed" against future terrorist operations as much as ten, fifteen, or twenty years in advance.
These people, feeding daily (on my machine on which I am typing, I can instantly tie in with web sites in Iraq if I choose) on virulent propaganda against "The Great Satan," are groomed, prepared, trained, and made ready for the time when they are called upon to strike.
We are not necessarily being assaulted by those who penetrate our borders only days prior to their attack, as in the case of the terrorists who were intercepted many months ago, attempting to enter from Canada, and who had bomb-making materials in their possession.
Now, the terrorist may live just down the street; perhaps he is a cab driver in Boston (as were some of Osama Bin Laden’s relatives), or a policeman, or an airlines pilot.
In a sense, our very freedoms are a threat; we are host by our own petard; we are in the catch-22 situation of being unwilling to give up our freedoms; of being terribly paranoid and suspicious of any kind of a "national identity card," or of fingerprinting, or even, in many cases, of giving out our Social Security Card numbers, or home addresses, and yet, we want the FBI, CIA, and local law enforcement authorities to instantly find, and arrest, those who commit acts of terrorism.
We simply cannot have it both ways.
Much of our hand-wringing over our lack of HUMINT (human intelligence) stems from the Iran-Contra days, when self-righteous, breast-beating congressmen sternly chastised Colonel Ollie North, and tried to tie President Reagan into the "arms for hostages" deal with Iran and the Contras. I remember shouting at my television set: "Can anyone tell me why the Congress of the United States WANTS TO SEE A COMMUNIST GOVERNMENT IN NICARAGUA?"
Because, by its very nature, covert intelligence operations include lining up informants, and include penetrating illegal cells, whether drug-runners or terrorists, and because such people are inevitably "unsavory characters" like the man Ollie North paid (Gorbanifar, an Iranian) and because of the Bible-belt fundamentalist, self-righteous concept of ethics and fair play (how can we dare to "dirty our hands with people like this?), America has, by default, been stripped of covert operations, and then wrings its hands when we cannot accomplish a seemingly simple act, such as GOING IN TO AFGHANISTAN AND BRINGING BIN LADEN OUT!
The Israelis had no such compunctions when they arrested Adolf Eichman in Argentina; operating inside a sovereign country, spiriting a legal citizen out, returning him to Israel, and the hang man’s noose.
Americans simply cannot apply their Christian philosophies to GEOPOLITICS!
It doesn’t work!
Millions resent the "Old Testament" God, Who obviously told His people Israel to WIPE CERTAIN SOCIETIES OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH! God told Israel, "But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee:
"That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God" (Deuteronomy 20:17,18). In self-righteous judgement of God Himself, millions of church-going, professing "Christians" ABHOR such a command! They have no idea that the member of Divine Elohim who GAVE the command is the One they call Jesus Christ (John 1; Hebrews 1)! When you see little children capering in the streets of Gaza, Hebron, and other Palestinian towns, waving Palestinian flags, handing out candies, shouting with glee, clapping — children from 6 to 10; from 13 to 19 --- what comes into your mind? Have these children been completely PROGRAMMED by their parents, teachers, imams and "holy men?" Have their LEADERS deliberately shaped their minds, until their minds are SO PERVERTED with hatred that they have no regard whatsoever for human life! Are they INCAPABLE of feeling remorse for upwards of THIRTY THOUSAND men women and children being crushed, burnt, blasted, suffocated to death?
Today, there are many, many hair-shirted hand-wringing Americans who will be OUTRAGED if the US military bombs Kabul or Baghdad, or other towns and cities, if any civilians are hurt! "Why should we stoop to the level of those terrorists?" they cry.
Yet, the polls also indicate that there is enough outrage in our country just now that a large number, perhaps even a majority, would not vote (if a plebiscite were held today) to stay the government’s hand, but let the bombs begin to fall.
The bottom line is that unless America were truly a GODLY country; unless we were also GOD’S country; a commandment-keeping, law-abiding, truly Christian society, (which we are not) then it makes no sense for those in government to attempt to apply Christian values in dealing with non-Christian, hate-filled, vicious killers who want to see all of us dead!
Another poignant example is the utter stupidity of our government openly committing itself to refraining from trying to assassinate an evil leader or head of state. Telling the likes of Bin Laden, or Maomar Kadaffi, or Saddam Hussein, or the Taliban in Afghanistan that they HAVE IMMUNITY is utterly ridiculous!
Now we know (as I strongly suspected, and said so yesterday) that the aircraft which went down in Pennsylvania was intended to target the White House! Now, we know that the terrorists also targeted Air Force One, and George W. Bush, the President of the united States. These vicious killers are not motivated by any Bible-belt mentality! It is utterly stupid, at the national level, and in the sense of geopolitics, to give vicious killers like Saddam Hussein immunity from a possible assassination! WILL the government have the guts; the courage, even clandestinely, to change this ridiculous policy? Read 1 Samuel 15, and see how God commanded Saul, the leader of the government to kill Agag, king of the Amalakites. Saul felt sorry for Agag, and spared him, contrary to God’s commands. Notice what God’s prophet, Samuel did (verses 32,33). It was this transgression of Saul’s which caused God to remove him from his office.
Do Not Underestimate Them
Surely, now that America has been shocked to the roots of its very being we will no longer underestimate our enemies. There are those, among them "Newsmax’s" national security expert, Colonel Stanislav Lunev, a Russian, who believe there will be even greater attacks; perhaps featuring chemical, biological, and even nuclear weapons.
"Newsmax" said Lunev called them and mentioned that Russia is still the number one sponsor of training for terrorist nations; that this horrific attack on America may be but the first in a wave of attacks.
I have written in the past about those missing "suitcase-sized" nuclear bombs which allegedly disappeared from Russia’s nuclear arsenal. I have also written how a terrorist, overflying a large city on a small airplane or helicopter, could dump only one small vial of virulent disease-carrying germs into the air, and cause the death of literally hundreds of thousands! I do not remind you of these warnings to make you paranoid, or cause any kind of panic! After all, God’s people are told that, when we see the Great Tribulation about to occur, we are to lift up our heads, because we know our redemption draws nigh!
Christ said it all revolves around JERUSALEM: "And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
"Then let them which are in Judaea [not Oregon, or Mississippi, or Australia!] flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
"For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
"But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
"And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
"Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
"And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
"And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh" (Luke 21:20-28.
One thing is sure. Your life and mine are going to be very DIFFERENT from now on. And, while it may be well and good to proclaim "I will not let these terrorists deter me from living a normal life" it is also nonsensical to ignore the possibility of yet even more horrible attacks, or to resent the imposition of greater restrictions on air travel, or the clamp down on security measures!
As I can, you may be sure I will be posting yet additional "Word From" messages here.
Meanwhile, I know millions are now beginning, at long last to WAKE UP! I know many are now, at long last PRAYING more than before! I HOPE that many will truly turn to God, repent of their sins, become CONVERTED (Acts 2:38), and be a part of God’s true church, and His WORK which is going out in this end time!
