Feb 14, 2005
Nuclear Nonsense
In what is already one of the worst kept secrets of the atomic age, North Korea announced for the first time that it has nuclear arms and rejected moves to restart disarmament talks. The communist nation claims the weapons are needed as protection against an increasingly hostile United States.
The world community's handling of North Korea proves that a prolonged policy of appeasement does not work. For years the West provided the Koreans with free fuel oil and financial aid in exchange for a promise not to pursue a nuclear program. We even promised to build the them a light water reactor, one that would not produce bomb-grade material.
From the very beginning I could tell North Korea had no intention of ending its pursuit of nuclear weapons. All the negotiations were part of a carefully orchestrated plan to buy time while its scientists worked on the project.
I don't see why North Korea would want to abandon its nuclear program when it is getting all this attention from the United States, Russia, the European Union, China, Japan South Korea, and the United Nations. When is the last time Zambia was mentioned in a US presidential speech on foreign policy?
The simple fact is that nuclear weapons mean instant respectability. The lesson being presented is that nukes are a ticket to being treated as an equal. If Zambia wants to be invited to Washington DC for negotiations, it better start building a reactor.
The appeal of being a member of the nuclear club is part of the problem. South Korea and Japan have the capability to produce nuclear weapons, but have chosen not to for the sake of global stability. The need for their own nuclear deterrent may cause them to reassess their position.
After reading some of the commentary on North Korea's declaration, I can see the natural desensitization process at work. Some analysts have said the damage is not irreversible because the North most likely has a few bombs and there is no indication it has a weapon compact enough to fit on top of a missile.
There is no indication that the Pyongyang government is going to rest on its current accomplishments. In the future, I'm sure we will see more bombs and nuclear warheads that will fit on missiles. Eventually the West Coast of America will be within range of those missiles.
If the end times truly are just down the road, the mistakes being made today in nuclear proliferation will set the stage for calamities to come. In the case of North Korea, there is clear indication that the world's lack of concern is digging its own grave. Here are few examples of the spirit of unconcern:
Chinese leaders have been urging the rest of the world, and especially the United States, to show more patience with North Korea. They base their approach on the argument that it was unclear whether North Korea had developed nuclear weapons. Of course, China's caution now seems foolhardy in light of North Korea's admissions that it has weapons.
Russia is very dismissive about North Korea's nuclear program, only saying it was "respectful" of their concerns. Russians, under the Soviet area [should that be "arena"?], are the ones who exported four VVER-440MW reactors to the Koreans. [check that closely]
European nations such as France and Germany are too busy selling technology that supports the production of nuclear weapons to be concerned about the consequences of their actions. France has a history of transferring vital technical information to North Korea, and Germany has provided them with material support.
It seems the only way the world will recognize the danger of allowing rogue nations to develop nuclear weapons is a demonstration of their usage. If such a device were used against a major city, the magnitude of destruction experienced in the 9/11 attack would quickly be diminished. Such an event is unthinkable, but regrettably, we are moving toward the possibility that it could happen.
Fox News, George W. Bush and Prophecy
Not often do we see a social trend headed in a favorable direction. Every time I watch the news, I see the world seem to be slipping deeper into the sludge pool of iniquity. However, I've been following one positive development for some time in the area of the people who present us with the news.
Launched in 1996, the FOX News Channel has become the darling of conservative Christians. Over the years, Fox's ratings have soared to the point that it is now the king of cable news. Many cable companies have switched to offering Fox News, and the increased interest in this news network shows no sign of abating.
Much of the ratings rise at Fox News has come at the expense of CNN. In one recent week, Fox had 2.8 million viewers for its top-rated Bill O'Reilly's program, while CNN only had 800,000 viewers for its top primetime show. During the average programming day, Fox outranks CNN by triple the number of views. In third place, MSNBC only draws 500,000 viewers at its peak hour.
The rise of Fox is based on very simple demographics. Because the vast majority of the news media is liberal, a network with a conservative leaning has a huge competitive advantage. More than half of the nation regards itself as being conservative, yet 95 percent of the media is liberal. Fox doesn't have to be great to attract large numbers of viewers.
The US military has long been a haven for conservative-minded people, and it's no secret that the liberal-leaning CNN is unfriendly to the American fighting man. Just last week, CNN executive Eason Jordan quit amid a furor over remarks he made in Switzerland. Jordan said he believed several journalists who were killed by coalition forces in Iraq had been targeted. While traveling through several Middle East bases, I've been in dozens of facilities with large screen TVs, and they always seem to be tuned to Fox News.
The rise of Fox has not gone unnoticed by the liberal establishment. CNN founder Ted Turner has called the network a "propaganda voice" of the Bush administration and compared Fox News Channel's popularity to Adolf Hitler's rise in Germany before World War II.
In reality, Fox does not have all that much influence. In the US only about 150 million people keep abreast of the news. With around 2.4 million viewers, Fox only has 1.6 percent of the public’s ear - the big boy channels like ABC, NBC, CBS, and PBS are still in the viewership driver's seat.
The rantings of Ted Turner remind me of when Saddam Husein, while still running Iraq, claimed in his last election that he had received 100 percent of the vote. The need for total control is one of the signs of despotism. The liberal media believes it needs 100 percent of the TV audience in order to maintain a balance of power. It is the only way it can counteract the perceived right-wing bias.
The liberal mindset has always opposed Christian values. Over the years, believers have made a terrible mistake of thinking the battle is a Democratic vs. Republican issue. Because the media influence is only part of the problem, for some reason, the press is excused as only being a reflection of our social disintegration. On judgment day, when everything is revealed, I am convinced the press and the Hollywood elite will be given credit for their roles is weakening the morals of our nation.
With the general trend moving towards the fulfillment of prophecy, it would seem to be something of a contradiction to have the emergence of Fox News at this late stage. Many people are asking the same question about George W. Bush's reelection success. Rapture Ready constantly gets email from people in left field who speak evil of Bush. My partner, Terry, has frequently mentioned how this special hatred is aimed at Bush.
Because God has a common practice of revealing the truth before judgment is poured out, it is possible that the political shift is part of the Lord's final witness to the world. It is an even direr warning sign when God has to use a series of unconventional means to sound the alarm.
-- Todd
America the Mismatch-Maker
The new US Secretary of State has been thrust into the middle of a family feud right out of the starting gate. Dr. Condoleezza Rice, the Bush administration’s diplomatic best foot forward in the Middle East peace process, undoubtedly is a move made with the best of intentions. The President is determined to get a strong grip on the troubles in the region, and, particularly, on the matter of the ongoing problem involving Israel and the so-called Palestinians.
I say “so-called” because the term "Palestine" is of modern vintage, chosen by the diplomatic community to define the region. The name is derived from a word meaning “land of the Philistines.” The Bible called the area the land of Canaan before the invasion of Joshua. The name it is given in Hebrew is eretz Israel, which means land of Israel. The area called Palestine is the whole region encompassing the Holy Land, so-called, many believe, because three major religions revere that geographical area. It is the Holy Land, however, because it is the chosen land for God’s chosen people. The problems have been greatly exacerbated over the centuries by Satan’s throwing religious fervor into the mix. The fanatic Islamics keep the pot of hatreds boiling, despite the fact that most of the international community –especially the majority of nations that make up the United Nations--blames the tiny Jewish state for all that is wrong in the region.
Without wanting to oversimplify –but having to do so because of the necessity of brevity-- the current problems that threaten regional and world peace there boil down to a family feud between the sons of Ishmael and the sons of Isaac. That incident of Abraham and Sarah getting ahead of God’s will for producing a promised heir to Abraham was, of course, further fueled by deceptive dealings between Isaac’s and Rebecca’s offspring, Jacob and Esau. Intermarriage between the future generations of Ishmael’s line, with the line of Esau, served to increase the turmoil. To perhaps again oversimplify, the Bush administration’s attempt to bring the Jews and the Arabs together is like trying to make a match between the Hatfields and McCoys during those two famous feuding families’ most hate-filled years. The bottom line is that it will take a supernatural effort to get them together. Actually, it will take two supernatural efforts.
The American presidential administration’s efforts, joined by the efforts of the international community, to pave the “Road to Peace” can serve, at best, to set the stage for the peace that will eventuate between Israel and its enemy Arab neighbors. The first such peace arrangement, prophetically scheduled, will be made by the great world leader, who becomes known as the “man of sin,” and “the beast,” when he sits in the Temple of God, declaring that he is God (2 Thes. 2:4).
He is Antichrist, who comes on the scene, symbolically in Revelation 6:2 riding a white horse. He is “the prince that shall come” of Daniel 9: 26-27. He will confirm a seven-year covenant of peace, essentially bringing these two families –Israel and Arab--together in a marriage of sorts. But, God Almighty sees things differently –much differently!
The Bible likens Israel to Jehovah’s wife. She is a wayward wife, to be sure. But, He will bring her back to himself, and she will transgress no more. However, when she agrees to the marriage of peace, performed by none other than Satan’s minister, Antichrist, God’s anger and fury will overflow. Thus will begin the seven years of tribulation.
God says of that covenant of peace the man of sin will oversee between Israel and her enemies: “And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then
ye shall be trodden down by it” (Isa. 28:18).
Dr. Rice’s efforts, no matter how well-meaning, will be a futile attempt to strongly urge Israel toward the table of peace. The mission, as all such missions, will not be a matchmaking effort, but an attempt at mismatch-making. The same is true of the effort that will be made by the prince that shall come, Antichrist. His will be a supernatural effort, but it will end with seven years of great trouble for Planet Earth. The campaign called Armageddon will come from that false peace, leading to the point that, as Jesus said, if He didn’t return at a certain point, all flesh on earth would die.
It is, of course, Jesus Christ himself –the Prince of Peace—who will initiate the other supernatural attempt at peacemaking between Israel and its distant family, the children of Ishmael, Esau, etc.
God will approve of and personally assure that peace for 1,000 years: the millennial reign of His Son, King Jesus!
--Terry
