Signs of the Times. April 20 2021

Three situations that could spark World War III

There are three situations in the world which could explode into major wars.

1. Russia, Ukraine

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called on NATO and key member states to hasten his country’s membership of the western military alliance in response to a growing buildup of Russian forces on his country’s borders.  He spoke to NATO’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, on 6 April, and urged for Ukraine to be put on a pathway to future membership to halt the long-running conflict in the eastern Donbas region.  The situation is incendiary with more than 80,000 Russian troops along Ukraine’s eastern border, including tanks, artillery pieces, armoured transports, and support vehicles.  In response President Biden sent two US warships into the region.

Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard gave a terrifying warning on Fox News claiming that a war with Russia is currently dangerously close.  She hinted that a nuclear exchange is possible and asked:

Fearful of this possibility, Biden then backed off, making a phone call to Putin and cancelling the mission of American ships in the Black Sea.  Russia then upped the anti by closing the Kerch Strait to Ukrainian ships, denying them access to the Azal Sea and imposing a naval blockade on the Ukrainian ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk.  This Russian act is a major violation of the freedom of navigation guaranteed by the Convention on the Law of the Sea. According to the Convention, Russia must not obstruct or obstruct the sea voyage through the international Straits to the ports of the Sea of ​​Azov.

Russia is now escalating not only on land but also at sea. It transports ships from the Caspian Sea and reinforces its military forces in the Black Sea-Azov region without international law. In Donetsk, meanwhile, Russian forces are fortifying buildings and areas with sandbags in preparation for war in urban areas.  At the same time, the military was ordered to prepare hospitals and administrative buildings for a possible armed conflict according to an official briefing from the Donbas authorities.Video after video of Russian tanks, military vehicles and troops being moved toward the conflict zone have been posted on social media, and the Ukrainians have responded by making similar moves.  If the Russians launch a full-blown invasion, the Ukrainians will be totally outmatched, and they will ask the United States and NATO to intervene. 

2. China, Taiwan.

The Chinese communist regime is accelerating its plans to invade Taiwan, an expert warns, as Beijing ratchets up military manoeuvres against the island.  Twenty Chinese military aircraft—including four nuclear-capable H-6K bombers, 10 J-16 fighter jets, two Y-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft, and a KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft—entered Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on March 26, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence. It was the largest incursion ever reported by the ministry.

The Biden administration has said its commitment to Taiwan is “rock-solid.” But according to Soong Hseik-wen, from Taiwan’s National Chung Cheng University, how serious the US administration is in defending the island remains to be seen, especially given that Biden himself has never used the word “threat” to describe the CCP.

Biden has instead framed the regime as America’s “most serious competitor.”

Soong Hseik-wen, from Taiwan’s National Chung Cheng University said he foresees the United States and China engaging in small-scale military conflicts in the near future, especially around two Taiwan-controlled islands in the South China Sea—Dongsha and Taiping. 

Chinese vessels are swarming Whitsun Reef of the Philippines in the South China Sea, and China’s air force is flying almost daily through Taiwan’s air-defence identification zone. Chinese troops for almost a year have been dug in deep in Indian-controlled Ladakh in the Himalayas. Two large aggressors are threatening to break apart neighbours and absorb them.

The Biden administration has issued warnings to both Moscow and Beijing, but neither looks impressed. American attempts to de-escalate flashpoints are seen in Russian and Chinese circles as failures of resolve.  At least at this moment, those adversaries are right to scoff at the new U.S. leader.

The Chinese are especially bold. They describe their flights near Taiwan as “combat drills.” At the same time, they are sending large ships close to Taiwan’s waters. The Liaoning, their first aircraft carrier, recently steamed along the east side of the island in an especially provocative gesture.

The Global Times, an unofficial Communist Party tabloid used by Beijing to signal new policies, on April 12 posted a video of Hu Xijin, its editor-in-chief, warning that Beijing would overfly Taiwan — in other words, fly into Taiwan’s sovereign airspace — to “declare sovereignty.”

Threats like that start wars. Chinese leaders speak provocatively because, among other reasons, they do not believe the United States or others will come to Taiwan’s rescue.

3. Israel, Iran.

ISRAEL REVEALS IT HAS THE ABILITY TO ‘COMPLETELY DESTROY’ IRAN’S NUCLEAR PLAN.

This article deals with Israel’s security concerns in relation to Iran and its nuclear programme and the new US policy towards Iran.  It suggests Iran is on its way to building a nuclear bomb and that Israel could attack Iran’s nuclear facilities inside Iran. It has a number of questions put to Maj. Gen. Tal Kalman, a former fighter pilot, and a member of the IDF General Staff.  Here is one of them:

Q: Let’s discuss the military option.

A: I’ve been dealing with this for 25 years. I know the plans from the tactical level to the systemic and strategic level where I am today. [In recent] decades it was always in gear. During the first years of the deal the level of attention to this dropped somewhat, but over the past year we’re back in fourth-fifth gear.

Q: So one should ask if Israel has the ability to militarily thwart Iran’s nuclear plan. To attack and completely destroy it, like in Iraq in 1981 and Syria in 2007.

A: The answer is yes. When we build these capabilities, we build them to be operational. It’s not that there aren’t many strategic dilemmas, since the day after Iran can go back to the plan, but the ability exists. Definitely.

It is known that Netanyahu’s cabinet discussed such an operation in January.  On April 13 an attack hit the Iranian nuclear facility at Natanz attack, 50 metres underground, destroying most of the facility.  It is believed this was a sabotage attack directed by Israel which has destroyed thousands of centrifuges creating nuclear fuel and damaged “most of the enrichment facilities.”  Iran has vowed revenge on Israel. An article in Israel Today says Israel and Iran are now at war in all but name (more on this in our Israel Desk section).

Conclusion. 

Any one of these three situations could set off a major war.  Jesus said there would be wars and rumours of wars, nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom in the last days.  In Revelation 6 the second horseman of the Apocalypse takes peace from the earth.

We pray that the Lord will hold back these situations from erupting into full scale war which would be dreadful for all concerned.  The possibility of such things happening is another sign that ‘the coming of the Lord draws near.’

Vatican embraces New Age

The Vatican is planning a forum to deal with global problems facing humanity, particularly health concerns and the environmental crisis.  Titled “Exploring the Mind, Body and Soul: Unite to Prevent and Unite to Cure,” the forum will be held online from May 6–8 and “will bring together the world’s leading physicians, scientists, leaders of faith, ethicists, patient advocates, policymakers, philanthropists and influencers,” the Holy See Press Office announced. 

It will host a celebrity lineup of highly controversial speakers who promote abortion, pansexuality, Hindu Vedic meditation, New Age spirituality, alternative medicine and yoga, alongside credible medical experts.  The presenters include health and happiness guru Deepak Chopra, Buddhist evangelist Thupten Jinpa, Sufi spiritualist Asim Yusuf, Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry, Mormon Elder William K. Jackson, self-declared atheist psychologist Paul Bloom and pro-abortionist Chelsea Clinton. The Vatican has also invited Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla and Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel — both pharmaceutical companies manufacturing the COVID-19 experimental vaccines — as well as chief medical advisor to the U.S. president and lockdown zealot Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Also featured is patron of Population Matters, Dame Jane Goodall, who believes that “population growth underlies just about every single one of the problems we’ve inflicted on the planet” and “if there were just a few of us, then the nasty things we do wouldn’t really matter and Mother Nature would take care of it.”  (In other words, it would be good for the environment if we drastically reduce the world’s population by arranging for the death of a few billion people).

The Vatican press office confirmed Pope Francis will climax the conference with a video message to the participants.   

A roundtable on “Bridging Science and Faith” aims at exploring the relationship of religion and spirituality to health and well-being, including the relationship between mind, body and soul and the deeper meaning of human existence is expected to be a highlight of the forum.  The term “Mind, Body and Soul” is a standard designation for New Age spirituality and is used by major bookstores to categorize sections separate from “Christianity.” The “Mind, Body and Soul” and “New Age” nomenclatures are also used by Amazon to classify books by a number of the Vatican conference speakers. 

Repentance and holiness are out and New Age mysticism is in, as far as this new programme for church growth is concerned.  This follows the trend of the Vatican under Pope Francis to embrace all manner of anti-Christ ideologies, including Islam, in the search for a one world religion and government.  In 2018, the Vatican invited pro-LGBT pop star Katy Perry to speak on Transcendental Meditation at its fourth global health conference. Perry, a promoter of Planned Parenthood, reportedly said she had sold her soul to the Devil.  In 2015 she was the star attraction at the US Super Bowl final watched by millions on TV, blatantly appearing as the Woman riding the Beast.

The progress towards the unveiling of ‘Mystery Babylon the Great’ continues apace. 

Woman rides the Beast.  Katy Perry at the US Super Bowl final.

CCP Has Taken Over Islamic Countries, Muslim Scholar Abdulhakim Idris Warns

The Chinese communist regime is committing genocide against Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang region, yet Muslim countries still remain largely silent, as they have become colonies of China, according to an expert.  Beijing has set its sight on Islamic countries in the Middle East and Central Asia, as they are crucial to its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, also known as One Belt, One Road), which seeks to revive the ancient “Silk Road.”  Since 2013, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has made the BRI a centerpiece of its plan to grow its geopolitical influence. The initiative pours billions of dollars into building roads, railways, ports, power plants, and telecommunications infrastructure around the world. 

Although China’s BRI has promised to bring economic development to poor countries, so far it has introduced new colonialism, according to Abdulhakim Idris, an Islamic scholar and Inspector General of the World Uyghur Congress. Speaking at a virtual panel on April 19 hosted by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation and Campaign for Uyghurs, Idris said Beijing is leveraging its economic power to create a diplomatic advantage and using its political influence for security and military purposes.

“The CCP has taken over most Islamic countries,” he warned.  He likened the Chinese regime to “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” and accused it of hiding “its crimes with propaganda.”  Idris is the author of a new book, “Menace: China’s Colonization of the Islamic World & Uyghur Genocide,” that exposes the extent of the Chinese regime’s power over the Islamic nations and the Western world.  He said that most Islamic countries remain silent over genocide in China despite having historically strong bonds with Uyghur Muslims. These countries are following the orders of the Chinese regime and backing Beijing’s position on the affairs related to Xinjiang and Hong Kong in the U.N. Human Rights Council, he said.  The communist regime has detained more than 1 million Uyghurs in internment camps and subjected them to forced sterilization, forced abortion, torture, forced labour, and the removal of children from their families.

The BRI encompasses 139 countries, including China. They account for 40 percent of the global economy and 63 percent of the world’s population.  The BRI has contributed to a substantial external debt buildup in many of these countries and made China a major global lender. Beijing’s lending practices have amplified debt vulnerabilities in poor countries.

BRI’s massive construction projects are financed mainly through Chinese local government and state-controlled institutions. The initiative has been perceived as a “debt trap,” raising the risk of economic distress in borrower countries. China is the only winner in this economic welfare program, Idris said, as Chinese firms and workers are taking the lion’s share of infrastructure projects in developing countries.

“You can look at Pakistan to understand what happened to those who accepted this colonial order,” Idris said. “Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has admitted that the future of his country’s economy is now dependent on China.”  The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a collection of infrastructure projects in Pakistan valued at $62 billion, caused a balance of payments crisis in the country, necessitating a bailout program from the International Monetary Fund.  According to Idris, Beijing is also exporting its repressive regime mainly to the Islamic governments of Central Asia and the Middle East.

Information from The Epoch Times

Could this development have a connection to Revelation 16.12?   Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.

Microchip to detect Covid.

US Department of Defence medical researchers have developed a microchip that can detect COVID-19 after being inserted under an individual’s skin.  The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) — a top-secret Pentagon unit established during the Cold War — created the revolutionary technology, and revealed it on CBS news. 

“We can have that information in three to five minutes,” infectious disease physician and retired Army Col. Dr. Matt Hepburn told CBS correspondent Bill Whitaker. “As you truncate that time, as you diagnose and treat, what you do is you stop the infection in its tracks.”

Hepburn likened the microchip to a vehicle “check engine” light.   “It’s a sensor,” Hepburn told Whitaker. “That tiny green thing in there, you put it underneath your skin and what that tells you is that there are chemical reactions going on inside the body and that signal means you are going to have symptoms tomorrow.”

Scientists at DARPA believe their projects are critical to preventing future outbreaks.  “We challenge the research community to come up with solutions that may sound like science fiction,” said Hepburn, adding that he hopes to “take pandemics off the table.”

Another sign of the times.  See Revelation 13.16-18.

Global warming and freezing weather.

Boris Johnson has announced that radical new climate change commitments will set the UK on course to cut carbon emissions by 78% by 2035.  Hitting the targets will require more electric cars, low-carbon heating, renewable electricity and, for many, cutting down on eating meat and dairy.  For the first time, climate law will be extended to cover international aviation and shipping.  This is being done to make Britain a leading light in the Climate Change agenda, as we are made to cut down the use of fossil fuels to save the world from global warming.

Meanwhile unusually cold weather hit much of Europe in April bringing heavy snow to Hungary, Switzerland’s coldest spell in three decades, devastating the region’s flora and fauna.  As of April 16, England is still on for its 16th coldest April since 1659.  Scotland saw a low temperature of -9.4C (15F) on April 12 (at Tulloch Bridge in the Highlands) – the coldest ever recorded for the date in books going back to the 1800s.  A lack of rain is also occurring, with a mixture of frost at night and no rain, making for very bad conditions for plant and crop growth. 

The historic April chill has been declared an “Agricultural Disaster” in France, resulting in a looming fruit and vegetable shortage.  The frost episodes earlier this month have devastated French crops; as a result, the country’s Minister of Agriculture, Julien Denormandie, has said “French fruit may be scarce this summer.” Vine growers have lit lamps near their vines to heat the air around the crops in an effort to save the harvest, but it may be lost.  According to Daniel Sauvaitre, arboriculturist and winegrower in Charente, “each region (of France) has been affected,” with many different crops suffering. From apricots and cherries, to table grapes and plums, “there will be almost nothing,” laments Roch, who adds that the Rhône valley and the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, “are areas that had never seen such cold temperatures this time of year.”

Meanwhile a powerful Antarctic front has brought early-season snow to Australia’s southeast.  The cold invaded Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia, bringing freezing conditions, low-level snow, and the first frost of the year to many in the east.  Across vast regions, “temperatures are four to eight degrees (Celsius) below average for this time,” Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Jackson Browne told Daily Mail Australia, whose agency is describing the ongoing conditions as an “Antarctic blast.”  Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain saw substantial snowfall, down to around 600 meters (1,970 feet).

These unusual conditions follow extreme cold recorded across much of the northern hemisphere in the past winter, with sea ice growing in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.  The latest data, for March, revealed that Earth’s average temperature is now below the 30-year baseline. Nevertheless we continue to be bombarded with information on the media about the dangers of global warming, presenting this as the greatest threat to human survival.  There are powerful forces in government, media and education who need this issue to promote their one world agenda and mere facts (like the weather is rather cold) won’t be enough to change the direction they want to take us on.