Worldview With Amir Tsarfati: Squarely In The ‘Birth Pangs’
Shalom from what has been a very stormy Israel! Rain, hail, and snow have all taken their turns these past few days, while high winds have brought down trees in various locations. Finally, the moisture moved on, but it has left many higher elevations with a beautiful blanket of white. Apparently, our weather system temporarily forgot that we are a coastal Mediterranean country.
What a week this has been! Watching the aftermath of the major earthquakes in Turkey and Syria and their many aftershocks has been gut-wrenching. I’ll talk about it in more detail below, but here I want to focus on the big picture. This massive natural disaster has been eye-opening in two major ways.
First, it contrasted the culture of life in the Middle East with the culture of death in the West. Why were so many children killed, hurt, or trapped in Turkey and Syria? Because in the Middle East, children are highly valued. Abortion is rare and the idea of allowing a child to die either inside or outside of the womb without the greatest effort being taken to save it is anathema to the society. Compare that to the laissez faire attitude toward unborn children in the West. If a mother feels that the child will be inconvenient to her life, killing it is not only acceptable but in many circles it is applauded.
Second, the earthquakes have reminded the church that we are squarely in the “birth pangs” that Jesus spoke of to His disciples in Matthew 24. In the last three years, we have had a global pandemic that has killed nearly seven million people. We are seeing a WWII level military conflict in eastern Europe that has claimed hundreds of thousands of casualties. And we are seeing an increase in strength and frequency of earthquakes, including last week’s temblors in Turkey that will likely see well over 20,000 dead by the time all the missing are found. But, if you think that what you have seen thus far is overwhelming, just wait. Dr. Ata Richard Elias from the Lebanese University in Beirut has said that one more shift of the Arab plate would erase Lebanon off the face of the map.
I’m not saying all this to frighten you. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, then you should have no fear. I am telling you this to remind you that the time of Jesus’ return is coming soon. What we are experiencing now will pale in comparison to what those left behind at the rapture will endure. Use this moment as motivation to share the truth with your friends and family members who have not given their lives to Christ. As we look around, it is quite evident that the time is short. Do it today!
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Rescue Efforts
A near continuous series of aftershocks are still bringing down buildings and at least one rescue crew has been lost to a collapsing structure. When it comes to the ugly, it is not surprising to find Iran in that role. For years, Iran has been secretly shipping weapons into Syria for its own military and to supply its terrorist militias. Now they have a window of opportunity that they are taking full advantage of during which they are bringing in war materiel disguised as relief supplies knowing that Israel cannot touch it.
Iran Shows Ballistic Missile with a Special Message to Israel
Last week, I told you about the brilliant Israeli operation that used quadcopter drones to precisely target a piece of machinery in a nuclear facility in Isfahan, Iran. Apparently, the ayatollahs are a little upset about the incident. This week, they displayed a ballistic missile in its launcher in Isfahan upon which was written the Hebrew words, “Death to Israel”. Hmmmm, I wonder who that’s for….
Russian Frigate Armed with Unstoppable Missile Prepares for Another Exercise
A couple weeks ago, I wrote about the Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov which had conducted a training exercise centered around the firing of a hypersonic Zircon missile. Now it has been announced that the ship will participate in another Zircon firing drill, this time as part of a military exercise which will include Russia, China, and host country South Africa.
Finland Sticks with Sweden
Finnish Defense Minister Mikko Savola put to rest Monday the speculation that his country might try to join NATO without fellow Nordic nation Sweden. At a conference in Oslo, Savola emphasized the importance of the two nations entering the alliance together. It will be interesting to see if the aftermath of the earthquakes in Turkey affects in any way President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ongoing veto of the nations.
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