The prophet Hosea warned that you reap what you sow. He said that if you sow the wind, you'll reap the whirlwind. (Hosea 8:7)
In many ways, America and the West are reaping what we've sown -- but more tornado than whirlwind. We encouraged (and funded and armed) the Islamic "opposition" in Syria, now we're facing that same evil force on steroids! And now they're opposing us.
Not only does ISIS control 35,000 square miles of territory across Syria and Iraq, it has global ambitions. And these guys seem to make good on their threats.
This has caused the United Kingdom to raise its terror threat warning to the second highest level: "Severe." That means that "an attack is highly likely."
Even in the USA, various security agencies, both state and federal, have issued warnings indicating that the intelligence community is expecting some sort of imminent attack on the homeland.
This is happening against the backdrop of another anniversary of the 2001 terror attacks on New York and Washington. For Americans, December 7 represents Pearl Harbor andNovember 22, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. But only with 9/11, did we name the event for the day.
For us, 9/11 signifies the horrible events of a day long past. But for terrorists, it's a holy day -- a day to celebrate a past successful attack and a day to launch new ones. This year, America approaches the anniversary of that awful day having acquired some new global enemies and with a new "blood in the water" kind of weakness drawing predators our way.
Even King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is anxious enough that he issued his own warning: "If we ignore them, I'm sure they will reach Europe in a month and America in another month...."
And America makes a big, inviting target. Especially since we've decided to leave our borders open and inviting to anyone who wishes to walk in. Texas Governor Rick Perry recently noted that among those crossing the border illegally in the last few months,"We've seen historic high levels of individuals from countries with terrorist ties...."
And here's what makes this situation even more dangerous. ISIS (as well as the other terror groups that are competing for the spotlight to enhance their recruitment and fund-raising chances) knows that if they can make a big splash against the United States, young Muslim men by the tens of thousands will begin to stream to the Syrian and Iraqi desert to join in their deadly cause.
To them, it's a matter of "striking while the iron is hot." They think that if they can be bold enough, they can achieve a checkmate with the US in just a few dramatic moves. That belief is probably not true, but the conviction is real. And it's the "belief" that makes them dangerous.
Oklahoma's Senator James Inhofe warned: "We're in the most dangerous position we've ever been in as a nation."
And this is just against an enemy force of less than 50,000 men. What if we were facing an enemy with an army of millions that had nuclear weapons?
Apparently, we are!
President Obama's foreign policy of self-declared weakness and demonstrated vacillation has encouraged the development of the current crisis in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has rightly discerned that he will face no opposition to his latest drive to resurrect a new version of the old Soviet Union.
That's partly why Russian forces are now on the ground in eastern Ukraine. And it's also why Putin feels he can casually warn the world: "It's best not to mess with us ... I want to remind you that Russia is one of the leading nuclear powers."
Now a rule of thumb for world leaders is that everything they say is going to be heard and studied. That's why, if you're a major world leader, you don't say it if you're not willing to do it. Of course, President Obama has turned that rule of thumb on its head, and that's part of the problem.
But we've no reason to suspect that Vladimir Putin doesn't mean what he says. And, to my knowledge, he's the first major world leader -- at least in decades -- to casually and publicly bring up his nation's nuclear prowess as a veiled threat. For me, that alone is a major sea change.
Despite what my critics say, I have never claimed to be a prophet. But I can read the Bible and I can read the news. And I'm telling you that we are closing in on some very dark times.
Now, more than ever before, it is essential that you stay spiritually strong. Stay in prayer. Stay in the Word. Learn God's promises that will supply your needs for the coming crises. Confess all your known sin and pursue God's will so that you can remain in fellowship and be empowered by the Holy Spirit to survive these days and even lead others to Christ.
Folks, I truly believe we are in the home stretch. All of the signs that were predicted by the ancient prophets are now in full display. And, most importantly, they're appearing with ever-increasing frequency and intensity.
With all of today's baffling and seemingly illogical geopolitical developments that leave us scratching our heads, it's becoming easier to see how the fantastic events of the Bible's "end-times scenario" can actually come true.
We're there. Get ready.
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