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IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Ukraine – It’s What People Don’t See That Matters – Jonathan Brentner - https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/https/jonathan-brentner-g8fgsquarespacecom/config/2022/4/2/ukraine-its-what-people-dont-see-that-matters
The current war in Ukraine is not a battle between the good and bad guys; it has everything to do with the setting up of a one-world government. Both sides favor a New World Order, but are they fighting for the same vision? Both Putin and Zelenskyy graduated from Klaus Schwab’s school for Young Global leaders. Schwab, founder and head of the World Economic Forum (WEF), promotes what he calls the Great Reset, which is a Marxist reordering of the world’s economy under one government. So how do we explain what’s happening in Ukraine? I believe the answer lies in what you will never hear on the mainstream media; it’s the unseen aspects of this war that truly matter. THE BATTLE FOR SUPREMACY IN THE NEW WORLD ORDER It’s clear that Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, remains committed to the Marxist Great Reset championed by his mentor, Klaus Schwab. Remember that a member of the Ukrainian parliament correctly stated that they were fighting for the New World Order. President Biden, an outspoken supporter of Zelenskyy and Ukraine, recently voiced his strong allegiance to such world governance; Though not a graduate of Schwab’s training, his administration is committed to the Great Reset. Vladimir Putin was once a devotee of Klaus Schwab. Peter Koenig, a geopolitical analyst and a former Senior Economist at the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), wrote this about Putin’s past relationship with Davos, the headquarters of the WEF: President Putin in his keynote address of the virtual “Davos” in 2021, boasted about his 30 years-old friendship with Klaus Schwab. Putin also attended Klaus Schwab’s academy for “Young Global Leaders” (YGL).[i] Koenig’s article contains a link to Putin’s 2021 address as well as several pictures depicting the close relationship between Putin and Klaus Schwab, which seems to have ended. Koenig also wrote this about the disappearance of Putin from the WEF website: All references and photos referring to this fact, disappeared from the internet. Putin’s name was erased from the WEF’s website. The WEF, alias Klaus Schwab, does not want the world to believe that he is associated with Putin. Obviously, such a relation doesn’t usually disappear overnight. It’s just no longer readily visible to the world at large.[ii] Confirmation of the rift between Putin and Klaus Schwab came to light on March 30, 2022, as Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov promoted a new and different World Order with China. Speaking ahead of meeting with meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Lavrov said this about Russia’s alliance with China, "We, together with you, and with our sympathizers will move towards a multipolar, just, democratic world order."[iii] The struggle is far more than a conflict between Putin and Zelenskyy. Putin has joined forces with China and now opposes the Great Reset championed by Klaus Schwab and many other globalists in the west such as those that control the Biden Administration. Of course, Putin desires to annex parts of Ukraine in order to create a safe buffer between NATO and Russia, but he’s also battling for the a New World Order in which Russian and China will have a much greater role than the globalists in the west desire. Ukraine has become the focal point in the battle for supremacy in world governance. Despite what we hear from the WEF and from the Chinees Foreign minister, neither side offers anything that even vaguely resembles freedom. Both seek to enslave humanity under a Marxist totalitarian government. GOD’S SOVEREIGN HAND OVER HISTORY Another unseen force at work is God’s sovereignty. Satan can only do so much through his minions until God says the time is right for the globalists to finish setting up the kingdom over which the antichrist will briefly rule. Putin possesses supersonic nuclear missiles that can destroy any city in the world. These rockets fly below radar so that the targeted cities will have little to no warning whatsoever before complete annihilation. Despite his frightening arsenal, and it’s indeed over-the-top terrifying, President Putin cannot violate God’s sovereign control of history as He sets the stage for the coming Tribulation. The Lord’s authority over history comforts me as I hear the threats of WWIII that have arisen as a result of the war in Ukraine. Nothing can happen apart from God’s appointed timing. If the Lord’s future judgment on the world involves Putin’s nuclear missiles, the Russian president will fire them when God allows and not one second earlier. The events in Ukraine, or anywhere else in our world, cannot spiral out of God’s control. There is absolutely no possible circumstance that would cause God to exclaim, “I didn’t see that coming!” He loves to predict future events from ancient times so that He receives all the glory due His name when His words prove true (Isaiah 46:8-13). What the Luciferian elite of our world fail to recognize is that in the end, God’s purposes will prevail as foretold on the pages of Scripture. We also find this blessed assurance in Proverbs 21:30, “No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord.” THE RESTRAINING FORCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Another aspect of God’s sovereignty is the unseen restraining work of the Holy Spirit. In 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8, Paul reminds his recent converts regarding what he had already told them concerning the antichrist, the man of lawlessness, and the work of the restrainer: And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The powerbrokers of this world cannot reveal their leader until the Lord removes the restraining force of the Holy Spirit, which happens at the time of the Rapture (2 Thessalonians 2:1-11). They only imagine that they possess some degree of control. Despite the rhetoric, it’s reassuring to know that God is restraining both Putin and Biden (or those who control him). The Luciferians are making great strides in preparing the world for the reign of the antichrist, but they cannot get past the restraining work of the Holy Spirit! After we go up to meet Jesus in the air, they will have more freedom. THE HOOK IN THE MOUTH OF GOG A variety of sources report that during its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has lost many soldiers and officers along with many tanks, helicopters, and airplanes. On the other side, however, it would seem that the Great Reset devotees have also not accomplished their objective in weakening Putin or minimizing his terrifying arsenal of weapons. With the losses in Ukraine, one might expect that Russia would refrain from any military action in the future. The Bible, however, tells us that God will put a “hook” in the jaw of Gog, whom many believe may very well be Putin, or perhaps his successor (Ezekiel 38:3-4). The prophet Ezekiel tells us that this alliance, led by Russian, Iran, and Turkey, will invade Israel in the future as a result of the Lord’s leading (Ezekiel 38-39). According to the prophet Ezekiel, this coalition will suffer a devastating defeat (38:17-23; 39:1-6). Once that happens, Russia and the other nations aligned with them will no longer possess any ability to resist the Marxist New World Order envisioned by Schwab and the WEF. PRAYER IS AN EFFECTIVE WEAPON Until the Lord calls us home, prayer will remain an effective weapon in battling Satan’s agenda in our world. The people of Ukraine need our prayers. The war has caused much suffering and incredible loss for them. This tragedy has impacted many believers, pastors, and missionaries who need our intercession for them. Pray also for the Jewish people as many of them seek refuge in the nation of Israel. As we contemplate the news coming out of Ukraine, it helps to remember what Jesus said about the character of Satan; our adversary murders, lies, steals, and destroys (John 8:44; 10:10). We see all these characteristics at work in this war. We live in an age of intense deception. The Ukrainians are caught in the middle of an epic power struggle in which the Luciferian globalists hope will lead to a deadly war between the United States and Russia. As I write, these elite powerbrokers are doing all they can to provoke this potentially nuclear conflict in hopes that it will enable them to setup their New World Order in the chaos that follows it. Keep these things in mind as you process what you hear about this war; the devil deceives and kills. THE GOOD NEWS The good news is that the Lord will come for us before the start of the Tribulation and the appearance of the antichrist upon the world scene. All of those in Christ will miss all of the wrath of the day of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11), this is the assurance of biblical prophecy Regardless of what happens during the rest of 2022 with wars, supply chain issues, and food shortages, we can be absolutely certain of three things: The Lord’s purposes will prevail over all the evil and deadly plans of the Luciferian elite for the world. Jesus is coming for His church in the very near future, perhaps today! After the Tribulation, Jesus will rule for a thousand years over the nations of the world and after that forevermore in the glorious eternal state. Jesus will setup a world kingdom in righteousness and justice. He will rule the world forevermore. Yep, you will not hear that on CNN or anywhere else on the mainstream media!! Maranatha! Come soon, Lord Jesus! My new book, The Triumph of the Redeemed-An eternal Perspective that Calms Our Fears in Perilous Times, is now available on Amazon. I wrote the book to give believers hope amid the violence, deception, and wickedness that confronts us each and every day. Jonathan C. Brentner — Website: Our Journey Home [i] Peter Koenig, Ukraine-Russia and the World Economic Forum (WEF). A Planned Milestone Towards “The Great Reset”? March 28, 2022, @ https://www.globalresearch.ca/ukraine-russia-wef-planned-milestone-towards-great-reset/5775575 [ii] Ibid. [iii] Daniel Greenfield, Russia Proposes 'New World Order' With China, March 31, 2022, @ https://www.frontpagemag.com/point/2022/03/russia-proposes-new-world-order-china-daniel-greenfield/ While You Were Distracted, International Elite Meet To Plan World Government – Derrick Broze - https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=5293 While much of the "mainstream" world has spent the last week obsessing over and debating the celebrity spectacle surrounding actor Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock, the international elite were meeting in Dubai for the 2022 World Government Summit. From March 28th to the 30th, corporate media journalists, heads of state, and CEOs of some of the most profitable companies in the world met for discussions on shaping the direction of the next decade and beyond. Anyone who cares about our future should ignore the tabloids and instead pay attention to this little known gathering of globalist Technocrats. Let's take a look at the speakers and the panels, starting with Mr. Great Reset himself, Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum. Schwab gave a talk entitled, Our World Today... Why Government Must Act Now?. "Thank you, to his excellency for enabling this initiative to define a longer-term narrative to make the world more resilient more inclusive and more sustainable," Schwab stated during his address. The use of the term narrative is important because in January 2021, Klaus and the World Economic Forum announced the next phase of The Great Reset, The Great Narrative. As with The Great Narrative event, the World Government Summit was also held in Dubai. As I wrote during the Great Narrative meeting: "While the political leaders of the UAE and Klaus Schwab may promote themselves as the heroes of our times, we should judge them according to their actions and the company they keep, not the flowery language they use to distract us. The simple fact is the UAE has a horrible record on human rights. The nation is known for deporting those who renounce Islam, limited press freedoms, and enforcing elements of Sharia law." During Schwab's short talk he also mentioned his pet project "the 4th Industrial Revolution," which is essentially the digital panopticon of the future, where digital surveillance is omnipresent and humanity uses digital technology to alter our lives. Often associated with terms like the Internet of Things, the Internet of Bodies, the Internet of Humans, and the Internet of Senses, this world will be powered by 5G and 6G technology. Of course, for Schwab and other globalists, the 4IR also lends itself towards more central planning and top-down control. The goal is a track and trace society where all transactions are logged, every person has a digital ID that can be tracked, and social malcontents are locked out of society via social credit scores. Immediately following Schwab was a panel which made no attempt to hide the goals of the globalists. The panel, Are We Ready for A New World Order?, featured Fred Kempe, president and CEO of the Atlantic Council since 2007, as well as an anchor for CNN and a former advisor to former US president George W. Bush. Before joining the Council, Kempe was a prize-winning editor and reporter at the Wall Street Journal for more than 25 years. In fact, the Atlantic Council had a fairly large presence at the World Government Summit, including appearances by Defne Arslan, senior director of the Atlantic Council IN TURKEY program, and Olga Khakova, Deputy Director of Global Energy Center of Atlantic Council. For those who are unfamiliar with the Atlantic Council, I first reported in May 2018 that Facebook had partnered with the thinktank connected to NATO. I wrote: "The Atlantic Council of the United States was established in 1961 to bolster support for international relations. Although not officially connected to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Atlantic Council has spent decades promoting causes and issues which are beneficial to NATO member states. In addition, The Atlantic Council is a member of the Atlantic Treaty Organization, an umbrella organization which "acts as a network facilitator in the Euro-Atlantic and beyond." The ATO works similarly to the Atlantic Council, bringing together political leaders, academics, military officials, journalists and diplomats to promote values that are favorable to the NATO member states. Officially, ATO is independent of NATO, but the line between the two is razor thin. Essentially, the Atlantic Council is a think tank which can offer companies or nation states access to military officials, politicians, journalists, diplomats, etc. to help them develop a plan to implement their strategy or vision. These strategies often involve getting NATO governments or industry insiders to make decisions they might not have made without a visit from the Atlantic Council team. This allows individuals or nations to push forth their ideas under the cover of hiring what appears to be a public relations agency but is actually selling access to high-profile individuals with power to affect public policy. Indeed, everyone from George H.W. Bush to Bill Clinton to the family of international agent of disorder Zbigniew Brzezinski have spoken at or attended council events." Less than 6 months after Facebook and The Atlantic Council announced their partnership, more than 500 FB pages were accused of being "Russian disinformation" and deleted. The pages largely consisted of anti-war, police accountability, and independent journalism outlets. These pages and journalists directly challenged the narratives spun by the Atlantic Council stooges. Dissecting the World Government Summit: Ukraine, SDGs, ESG, Blockchain, and AI While many of the names in attendance might be unfamiliar to a Western audience, the speakers are men and women who absolutely play a vital role in international geopolitics. Some of the featured speakers include: - António Guterres, Secretary General of United Nations, giving a talk tiled Is Our World Today... Our World of Tomorrow? - Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director General of World Health Organization - David Pekoske, Administrator of USA Transportation Security Administration - Dr. Kaitlyn Sadtler, an American immunologist and bioengineer and Stadtman Tenure-Track Investigator at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, part of the US NIH. She gave a presentation about Re-engineering Immunity with Next Generation Technologies - H.H. Sheikh Sabah AlSabah, Prime Minister of Government of the State of Kuwait - Jeon Hae cheol, Minister of the Interior and Safety of Government of the Republic of Korea - Supattanapong Punmeechaow, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy of Secretariat of the Prime Minister of Thailand - Mrs. Belinda Balluku is the Minister of Infrastructure and Energy of the Republic of Albania - Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo Secretary General of OPEC, speaking about "Oil and Gas in a Net-Zero World" The Russia-Ukraine conflict was also part of the discussions. Notably, Maxim Timchenko, CEO of DTEK, made an appearance. His bio states, "under his leadership, DTEK has evolved from a regional conventional energy company into Ukraine's largest private investor as well as leading energy company." The appearance of Mr. Timchenko should not be overlooked, especially because he appears in a discussion called Post-Crisis Ukraine: New Energy for a New Europe, featuring Olga Khakova of the Atlantic Council, and Paula Dobriansk, Senior Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School of Government of Atlantic Council. Again, the presence of the Atlantic Council should not be taken lightly. They are the representatives of the Western Bloc of the New World Order. The Russia-Ukraine conflict also factors into another panel title, Getting Off Russian Gas: Practical Steps for Europe, featuring more of the Atlantic Council goons, including Richard Morningstar, Founding Chairman of Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council, and Phillip Cornell, Senior Fellow of Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council. The World Government Summit also spent considerable time discussing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which form the core of the Agenda 2030, itself part of The Great Reset agenda. Some speakers discussing the SDGs include: - Dr. Mahmoud Safwat Mohieldi, the United Nations Special Envoy for the 2030 Finance Agenda, who is speaking on a panel about Arab Nations and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. - María Sandoval, First Lady of Colombia of Government of Republic of Colombia, discussed "The Role of Women in Achieving the SDGs". The first day of the summit was actually dedicated to the role women will play in rolling out the so-called New World Order and global governance schemes. Sandoval celebrated the fact that Colombian President Ivan Duque launched "the first national development plan that was directly aligned with the SDGs, and this of course was something that provided a wider spectrum for women to act react and participate in these achievements of the SDGs." - Catherine Russell, Executive Director of United Nations Children Fund, participated in a panel titled SDGs for Every Child The Summit also addressed the Environmental, Social, and Governance criteria (ESG) promoted by the UN in a panel entitled, Where does ESG Go From Here?. ESG investing is also sometimes referred to as sustainable investing, responsible investing, or socially responsible investing (SRI). The practice has become an increasingly popular way to promote the SDGs. The panel featured Neil R. Brown, Managing Director, KKR Global Institute and KKR Infrastructure. KKR Global Institute is the same organization that former US Army General and former CIA Director David Petraeus joined in 2013. Additionally, a panel entitled, Is the World Ready for A Future Beyond Oil?, featured H.E. Suhail bin Mohamed AlMazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure of Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure; H.R.H Prince Abdulaziz Al Saud, Minister of Energy of Ministry of Energy - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; and H.E. Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of Kurdistan Regional Government. Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence are a major piece of the Technocratic vision for 2030, so naturally there were several discussions on the use of blockchain, AI, and even 6G (the eventual successor to 5G technology). There was a discussion on blockchain technology in a panel entitled, The Future of Blockchain... A Perspective from Industry Pioneer, featuring Changpeng Zhao, Chief Executive Officer of Binance, among others. Other panels focused on De-Fi (decentralized finance) featured Jamie Crawley, Editor in Chief of CoinDesk, and Charles Hoskinson, Co-Founder of Ethereum. I have recently reported on Hoskinson's statements regarding the use of blockchain to implement ESG and SDG programs and the danger they pose to privacy and liberty. There was also a panel focused on the introduction of Central Bank Digital Currencies entitled, CBDCs and Stablecoins: Can They Co-Exist?. The CBDCs schemes being rolled out in nations around the world are a crucial component of The Great Reset. One panel focuses on a concept called Human Meta-Cities, which sound like a rebranding or updating of the so-called Smart Cities. The panel description states, "in a world of change and rapid technological development, we shed light on a new vision for planning future cities centered around human needs and aspirations. This new framework will help governments refine their role in planning the new world taking advantage of the digital transformation opportunities that are taking place." Another panel which makes clear the Technocratic dream was entitled, The Invisible Government: Eliminating Bureaucracy Through Technology. The description of the panel states: "Technology is creating new possibilities as it simplifies processes, enables instant feedback, and ultimately improves customer experience. In the public sector, digitalization and artificial intelligence are creating a new model of governance - 'invisible' governments that are more agile, responsive, human-centric, and data-driven. In this session, global policymakers and experts will share their bold vision and experience in utilizing technology to eliminate bureaucracy and innovate government services for the future." What goes unsaid in the panel description is that making the government "invisible" will actually lead to a world of no accountability for government and politicians. In reality, the Technocrats imagine a world where the tyrannical technological systems are invisible and the average person has zero recourse for preventing exclusion or punishment based on their social credit score. This is the world these Technocrats -- many of whom are unelected -- envision. The only way this vision will not come to pass is if the people of the world throw their televisions away, ignore the celebrity drama, and start exiting from these slavery systems. European Union Unveils New Strategy to Become a Global Power - by Soeren Kern - https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/18395/eu-global-power-strategy The European Union has published a new strategy aimed at transforming the 27-member bloc into an independent geopolitical actor on the world stage. The long-awaited "Strategic Compass" lays out an ambitious ten-year plan for the EU to develop an autonomous European security architecture. The goal is "strategic autonomy" — the ability for the EU to act independently of, and as a counterweight to, the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization — in matters of defense and security. The greatest advocate of strategic autonomy, French President Emmanuel Macron, said the objective is to make Europe "powerful in the world, fully sovereign, free in its choices and master of its destiny." In fact, dreams of strategic autonomy have been waylaid by reality. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has underscored the indispensability of the United States and NATO for European defense and security. In the face of Russian revanchism, most EU member states can be expected to oppose efforts to develop an independent European military capacity that undermines the transatlantic alliance. The 64-page policy blueprint — "A Strategic Compass for Security and Defense" — was originally commissioned in June 2020 by the government of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. An initial draft of the document, presented in November 2021, was significantly revised after EU member states were given the opportunity to submit requests for changes. The document was then hastily rewritten after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The 2022 Strategic Compass — which builds on the 2003 European Security Strategy, the 2016 Global Strategy, the 2020 EU Security Union Strategy and the 2022 Versailles Declaration — aims to "translate" the "common ambition" of European strategic autonomy "into actionable proposals." The document, which has been described as "a master military strategy document" and "the closest thing the EU could have to a military doctrine," seeks to "build a common strategic culture" to "contribute to the EU's credibility as a strategic actor." The Strategic Compass, also described as "an expression of Franco-German cooperation," is loaded with lofty rhetoric: "Europe's geopolitical awakening," "permanent strategic posture," "instruments of power," "weaponization of interdependence," "the return to power politics," "full spectrum of threats," "strategic convergence," "common strategic culture," "learning to speak the language of power," "quantum leap forward on security and defense," and "shape the global future," among many others. The key component of the Strategic Compass is the development of a so-called EU Rapid Deployment Capacity (RDC), a military force able to intervene in "non-permissive environments" anywhere in the world. (The term "capacity" is a politically correct substitute for the word "force," apparently to avoid giving the impression that the EU is seeking to build an army.) The document calls for the EU to be able to quickly deploy up to 5,000 troops — including land, air, and maritime components — for "crisis management missions" outside the bloc. The RDC is to become fully operational by 2025 and commanded by an institution called the "EU Military Planning and Conduct Capability." (The term "capability" is a politically correct substitute for "headquarters," as in "military headquarters.") On March 21, the day the Strategic Compass was published, Germany's hapless defense minister, Christine Lambrecht, announced that Germany would provide the entire 5,000-strong force plus heavy equipment for the RDC's first year. She was forced to backtrack after learning that the German military is so understaffed and underequipped that it is incapable of delivering that amount of personnel and equipment. The German Defense Ministry later clarified that Germany would supply a "core" of between 1,500 and 2,000 troops. The RDC concept — widely viewed as the foundation of a future supranational EU Army — replaces the existing EU Battlegroup concept. Created in 2007, EU battlegroups, battalion-sized formations consisting of 1,500 troops each, are paper tigers. They have never been deployed due to disputes over when and where they should be used, and over funding. The Strategic Concept does not explain why the EU thinks the RDC will succeed where the EU Battlegroup concept has failed. Another key element of the Strategic Compass involves implementation of Article 44 of the Lisbon Treaty (aka the European Constitution) which allows the EU to circumvent the unanimous consent principle during crises. The Strategic Compass states that the EU will "decide on practical modalities" for implementing Article 44, which has never been used. In practical terms, Article 44 would allow the EU to launch EU-flagged missions and operations without the consent of all 27 EU member states. In effect, such "coalitions of the willing" would be a back-door way for EU member states, such as France and Germany, to move ahead with military integration regardless of opposition from other EU members, such as those from Eastern Europe. Implementation of Article 44 will probably move forward during the French EU Presidency in the first half of 2022. The Strategic Compass also calls for:
The document further seeks to: "fill strategic gaps," "reduce technological and industrial dependencies," "promote rapid and more flexible decision-making processes," "strengthen command and control structures," "increase readiness and cooperation," "ensure greater financial solidarity," "spend more and better in defense," "develop cutting-edge military capabilities," and "invest in technological innovation for defense." In all, the Strategic Compass includes more than 40 goals in four "work strands" — "Act," "Secure," "Invest," and "Partner" — that are to be implemented by 2030. The EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, described the Strategic Compass as "a turning point for the European Union as a security provider and an important step for the European security and defense policy." He added: "This is only the beginning." Impact on NATO A key unanswered question is how the Strategic Compass will impact NATO, the only credible guarantor of European security. The EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, in a forward to the report, pledged that a stronger EU will "strengthen NATO" and be a "stronger transatlantic partner." Indeed, the document stresses the complementarity between the EU and NATO. The aim of EU strategic autonomy, however, is evidently to push the United States out of Europe so that the EU can assume its role as a "strategic power" and an independent pole in a "contested multipolar world." The push for Europe to achieve strategic autonomy from the United States is being spearheaded by Macron, who, as part of his reelection campaign, apparently hopes to replace former German Chancellor Angela Merkel as the de facto leader of Europe. Macron, who claims that NATO is "brain dead," argues that Europe needs its own military because, according to him, the United States is no longer a reliable ally. He cites as examples: U.S. President Joe Biden's precipitous withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan; the growing pressure on Europe to take sides with the United States on China; and France's exclusion from a new security alliance in the Indo-Pacific region. Even before Russia invaded Ukraine, many EU member states disagreed with Macron. Eastern European countries know that neither the EU nor France can match the military capabilities offered by NATO and the United States. Other countries are concerned about a panoply of issues ranging from financial costs to national sovereignty. Still others are opposed to creating a parallel structure to NATO that could undermine the transatlantic alliance. Many EU countries insist on respecting former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's famous "three Ds": no decoupling of European security from the United States and NATO; no duplicating capabilities and structures that already exist within NATO; and no discriminating against NATO members that are not members of the EU. The danger is that many of the pie-in-the-sky policy proposals in the Strategic Compass will divert and drain resources and finances from where they are actually needed: NATO. Case in point: NATO already has a rapid reaction force. The so-called NATO Response Force can deploy 40,000 troops (eight times more than the EU's proposed rapid reaction force) that are drawn from the same European militaries that the EU wants to use (21 EU member states are also members of NATO). If the EU's real concern is about security, why would it be trying to duplicate existing NATO capabilities? A logical course of action would be for EU member states to honor past pledges to increase defense spending as part of their contribution to the transatlantic alliance. That, however, would fly in the face of the folie de grandeur — the delusions of grandeur — of European federalists who dream of transforming the EU into a geopolitical "great power." Evaluating the Strategic Concept In an analysis — "The EU's Strategic Compass: Brand New, Already Obsolete" — Nick Witney, a senior policy fellow with the pro-EU European Council on Foreign Relations, wrote: "The product of many months of debate in Brussels, this effort to align the strategic thinking of 27 member states, each with its own foreign and defense policies, was meant to be a foundational document for a geopolitical EU. But, as a strategy conceived and largely drafted in the days before Russian President Vladimir Putin changed the world, the Strategic Compass has simply been overtaken by events.... "The Compass itself is full of the usual process-heavy gradualism, to be implemented over a decade and wrapped in conventional reflections on the dangerous world we live in and the ever-popular bromides about the EU's need to 'partner' with all and sundry.... "What really dooms the operational side of the Compass's agenda is, of course, the same thing that has crimped the EU's military aspirations from the beginning — the reluctance of top brass across Europe to take the enterprise seriously. NATO has always been where 'serious' military business is done, where they rub shoulders with (and are told what to do by) the mighty United States. The notion of EU intervention operations seems, by contrast, both amateurish and risky without the US to back them up. Now that NATO is rejuvenated and overhauling its whole defensive posture against Russia, no one will rush to stand up a new EU force." In an interview with Euronews, Isabella Antinozzi, an analyst with the European Council on Foreign Relations, noted: "The document devotes barely a line to outlining cooperation with the UK — which is striking considering how much of a key partner the UK is on matters of security and defense. This is, to me, a clear sign that relations between London and Brussels are completely strained." In an essay — "Grand Illusions: Partnerships in the EU's Strategic Compass" — Antinozzi added: "It is important for the EU to recognize that excluding the UK from European defense is likely to be both unrealistic and counterproductive. As such, any mixed feelings and wider political tensions associated with Brexit should now give way to constructive defense dialogue between the sides.... "Security and defence are versatile policy areas with the potential to help rebuild trust between London and Brussels. And ad hoc cooperation in these realms could provide a foundation for a better political relationship in the future." In an analysis — "Does the Strategic Compass Herald a Stronger EU in Security and Defense?" — Luigi Scazzieri, an analyst with the Center for European Reform, wrote: "The Strategic Compass is unlikely to end transatlantic and European debates about the EU's role in European security.... The EU's ambitions to be a military player endure and could create friction between EU member-states and the U.S., and within Europe, if they lead to competition for resources and personnel with NATO. There may also be disagreements if the EU expands its investments in defense capabilities, as funds would almost certainly be tied to strengthening the EU defense industry and therefore buying European rather than US equipment." The Brussels-based Center for European Policy Studies published an 11-page report — "The EU's Strategic Compass: A Guide to Reverse Strategic Shrinkage?" — which concluded: "The text has been substantially rewritten in the last month to emphasize the impact of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, revealing a newfound consensus on the danger Russia poses but also a lack of strategic foresight. This raises the question of whether the final document might contain shortcomings that could prove to be fatal. As it stands, the Strategic Compass may now be lopsided, downplaying the threat posed by China to the multilateral rules-based order vouched for by the EU and, despite being the talk of Brussels in 2021, the relevance to Europe of what will surely be the center of gravity in the 21st century: the Indo-Pacific. As such, the document essentially characterizes the EU's security and defense ambitions as that of regional — not a global — power." Nearing Midnight: Thief in the Night – By Terry James - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ Author’s note: This week’s Nearing Midnight article is one written some time ago. Never, however, has its subject been more time-appropriate than at this moment. With issues and events moving at accelerating swiftness, and in ever greater proliferation, we who name the Name of Christ must be constantly aware of the glorious fact that we could at any moment meet Him face to Face. –Terry No scriptural proof-text in God’s Word more clearly points to the first of the two phases of Jesus Christ’s second coming than does the following: “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:2). We who hold to the pre-trib rapture viewpoint are often accused of being deceivers. We are condemned by our detractors as leading astray Christians alive now –if they live to see it– who will be required to endure the tribulation, thus to wash their robes clean in preparation for inheriting God’s Kingdom. We are castigated for foisting upon innocent, gullible believers a “secret rapture” that will somehow lead these Christians to take the mark of the beast (Rev. 13:16-18). I’m not precisely sure of their “reasoning,” but I think they claim this because they are convinced that the ones who fall for the rapture viewpoint won’t be able to recognize Antichrist when he comes to power. We who teach the pre-trib rapture, so the accusation goes, would have falsely led these people to think the Church would not be here when Antichrist is on the world scene. Almost all who are antagonistic to the pre-trib rapture doctrine teach that the “elect” will have to endure part or all of the seven-year tribulation era. Those who hold to a post-tribulation rapture, or a no-rapture position, believe that Christ will come back at the end of the tribulation, at Armageddon. They hold to the notion that that is His only return in the second coming. There are other views of the second coming that have Christ returning when the earth is perfected and made ready, but we won’t go there in this essay. Let us look at only the pre-trib rapture and the post-trib rapture positions for the purpose of exploring what is meant by the “thief in the night” references in 1 Thessalonians 5:2 and 2 Peter 3:10. These two viewpoints–the pre-trib, and the post-trib–offer the greatest contrast to examine in consideration of the second advent of Jesus Christ, within the overall belief that rapture will, according to Bible prophecy, happen before Christ’s foot actually touches down on Planet Earth. The pre-trib view of rapture says that Christ’s second coming is in two phases, separated by at least seven years. The post-trib rapture view says that the rapture and Christ’s coming back to the Mount of Olives will occur almost simultaneously–certainly with no more than a matter of days separating the two events. The post-trib position says there is no “secret” rapture. Christ’s coming again will be fully seen in the heavens by all, including Christians who will be watching for Him to break through the darkness of that hour. We agree that the rapture of the Church (all born-again believers in Jesus Christ for salvation since the Church Age began at Pentecost) will be anything but a “secret”. The world will instantly go into cataclysmic chaos at the moment that stunning event takes place. The imagination is hard-pressed to fathom the ramifications of what will happen when millions suddenly vanish. Every child below the age of accountability will be gone in that mind-boggling instant of time. I am convinced that all babies (including those in the wombs of their mothers) will be instantly in the presence of Christ in the clouds of glory. Every corpse of every dead Christian will be raised to join with his or her soul to meet Christ in the air in that atomos of time. The rapture will be mystifying, and to some an inexplicable phenomenon, but it will not be a secret. It will happen before the eyes of a stupefied planet of left-behind earth-dwellers. This declaration that Jesus will call His Church to be with Him seems audacious to many. But, it didn’t seem so to the Apostle Paul. He was quite confident–even adamant—in his prophecy concerning the “mystery” he had been given by the Holy Spirit to instruct all believers down through the Age of Grace (Church Age). “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Cor. 15:51-52). He explains what will take place next, in that stupendous fraction of a second: “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:15-17). Jesus himself told of this “mystery” Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians 15:51. The Lord explains what happens after believers –both the bodies of the dead and those who are living– are caught up in the air to be with Him: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (Jn. 14:1-3). So, the rapture will take place. Believers and the bodies of those who died during the Church Age will be “caught up” in one single moment of time. “ALL,” not “some,” will go instantly to be with Jesus, who will then take them into heaven, where He has been preparing their dwelling places since He ascended from the Mount of Olives. Again, the pre-trib position on this joyous event is that it is imminent (could happen at any moment), and will happen before the tribulation period begins. The post-trib position says that it happens at the end of the most terrible time in human history, just as Jesus Christ is returning from heaven at Armageddon. The pre-trib view holds that it will occur at an unknown time. It will be a stunning, sudden, and unannounced-to-the-world-at-large break-in upon business as usual on Planet Earth. The post-trib proclaims that it will occur following all of the horrors of the judgments outlined in Revelation. The pre-trib view says that the world at large (left-behind earth-dwellers) won’t see it coming. The rapture will cause all left on earth to wonder what has happened. The post-trib view says that all eyes will behold Christ’s coming again to a hellish planet, and the living and dead saints will then be gathered to Christ. The defining thing to consider in thinking on the two diametrically different views of the rapture and second coming is wrapped up in the term “thief in the night”. The Apostle Peter again uses this mysterious term, first used by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:2: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Pet. 3:10). Peter is saying here that the day of the Lord–that time when God and His Christ, His Son, takes over this fallen planet—will begin like a thief in the night. It will be a sudden, catastrophic break-in upon a world doing business as usual. (Read Luke 17:26-29 to understand how things will be going along as usual when Christ comes back.) This description hardly fits the post-trib view, or any other view that says Christ will rapture His Church during a time of unprecedented trouble (Jer. 30:7; Matt. 24:21). This indicates that it will be a total surprise, because a thief in the night doesn’t announce his coming with great, cataclysmic fanfare. The break-in is swift, stealthy–a totally unexpected event. Peter foretells in these passages that the “day of the Lord” will then run its course, until the remaking of the heavens and the earth. The rapture will begin this “day of the Lord,” which will then run at least 1,007 years. This is the first phase of Christ’s second coming. The rapture occurs like a “thief in the night”. The second advent, when Jesus’ foot touches down on the Mount of Olives, is the second phase of His second coming. There are those who say with vehemence that it is blasphemous to equate Christ’s coming again as being like the break-in of a thief in the night. How dare we liken their Lord to a “thief”! Really? Here’s what Jesus, the Creator of all things, said about this matter: “But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matt. 24:43-44). Looks like a pretty good case for the Lord’s sudden intervention into the nefarious affairs of this increasingly wicked world, does it not? That thief-in-the-night moment could happen, literally, at any moment. Certainly, signals of the tribulation are beginning to come to pass. “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Lk. 21:28). Daily Jot: The propaganda Machine - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com Since barely making it back to the United States from missionary work in Ghana, West Africa under the 2020 travel ban, I have written well over 300 stories about the COVID 19 pandemic. Predictions and analysis of the trends regarding the disease, vaccine safety and efficacy, and government coercions and mandates have been true and documented. There have been a myriad of misrepresentations of safety, efficacy, treatment and side effects of both the disease and the vaccine. In all of this, irrespective of quoting the government’s own official sources, the Daily Jots about COVID continue to receive warnings on Facebook posts, for example, referring people to the “COVID 19 Information Center.” Following the links from these warnings involuntarily added to Daily Jot COVID 19 stories, readers are guided to information sources that are an all-out propaganda campaign about vaccine safety and efficacy. They quote the World Health Organization, various local health departments and the federal government selling the idea that there are relatively no side effects from the vaccine, where to get vaccinated, how vaccines are tested for safety, why kids should get vaccinated, etc. But there is not one—not one—reference to the VAERS reporting system or any scientific studies that provide information that suggests risk of any type associated with COVID 19 vaccines. And I bet this story will be flagged by Facebook as well. The propaganda machine goes against the concept of informed decisions. With only one side of the information being presented, how does anyone make an informed decision whether to take the vaccination? Even Pfizer’s report to the FDA in April 2021 cited 42,086 reports of 158,893 adverse events from the Pfizer COVID vaccine. Side effects on pregnant women (including abortions), heart conditions, blood clots, anaphylactic shock, and lack of efficacy were withheld from the public. The Appendix of the report listed 9 pages–472 lines and 2,072 words–of “Adverse Events of Special Interest.” The database indicated that 9.69% of the cases were fatal. Heart issues and blood clots were among the most prevalent. Yet Facebook and other corporate media platforms censor this information by refusing to publish or place warnings on it. There have been over 400 peer-reviewed scientific studies pointing out the risks of the vaccine and the failures of government-mandated treatments for COVID 19. A recent Epoch Times article cites “VAERS has been flooded with more than a million reports of various health problems and more than 21,000 death reports since the introduction of the vaccines in late 2020.” The CDC data, if one digs deep enough, often contradicts its claims of “safe and effective.” Yet the government continues to push the narrative. Point is, informed decisions about your personal health cannot be made without the full knowledge of data being made available. And that cannot happen if credible information is censored or suppressed. Christ said in Matthew 24:4, “Take heed that no man deceive you.” Your health and freedom are at stake. Daily Devotion: Right Thinking and Praying - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. —Philippians 4:7 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/right-thinking-and-praying/ - Listen If you want to overcome worry, it starts with right praying. The apostle Paul wrote, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7 NLT). Paul used a military term for the word guard. He was saying, “God’s peace will stand guard around your heart and protect you.” So when your mind is flooded with worry, you can say, “Lord, I cast all of my care upon You because Your Word tells me that You care for me, and Your peace will guard my heart and mind.” God’s peace will stand guard over the two areas of your life that cause worry: the heart, which represents our emotions and feeling, and the mind, which refers to our thinking. Not only do we need right praying, but we also need right thinking. Paul went on to say, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (verse 8 NLT). The Message puts it this way: “Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse” (MSG). What we think about ultimately affects what we do, so we need to remind ourselves of what is true. We all will have moments of despair, lapses of faith, and times in our lives when we don’t understand what is going on. That’s why we need to turn to the word of God. When we pray instead of worry and rejoice instead of panic, we will have peace. FROM THE HEART Let Us Make the Short Time We have Left, Count for ALL of Eternity! IF YOU HAVE BEEN BLESSED THROUGH THIS MINISTRY, THEN WE ASK THAT YOU WOULD PLEASE REMEMBER PROPHECY UPDATE IN YOUR GIVING - WE ARE TRULY, TRULY, THANKFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT WORTHY OF YOUR SUPPORT? One of the most reliable ways to determine if a ministry is worthy of your financial support is to examine its fruits. 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What on earth are you doing for Heaven's Sake? "Share in the Blessings and Rewards that will last Forever!" "Folks, it's all beginning to unravel. America is in more danger of falling than at any time in its history. But I believe Bible prophecy predicts this very decline. From this point on, we believers have to get serious. We are going to face discouragement, disillusionment and, most certainly, persecution in the time between now and the Rapture. But don't be discouraged or disillusioned. The coming turmoil will provide us unrivaled opportunities to share the good news of the Gospel. So be ready to share your faith and your hope with those who need Christ. 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