As the startling events continue to unfold in North Africa and the Middle   
   East -- the latest being the United Nations' invention in the nation of   
   Libya, as well as widespread protests in Syria and the Syrian government's   
   violent reaction to the same -- I would like to once again remind my readers   
   of what Jesus said in the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew,   
   which is also repeated by Mark in the Gospel of Mark. Concerning some of the   
   events which would precede the end of the known world, Jesus said in part:   
      
   "And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled:   
   for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet."   
   Matthew 24:6, KJV   
      
   While many Christians remember that Jesus said that widespread war would be   
   one of the signs of the Endtime, what I find even more interesting is the   
   fact that He said "wars and rumours of wars". Both the historical record, as   
   well as the Biblical record, reveal that wars have been a part of the human   
   struggle since the Book of Genesis. For example, in Genesis chapter   
   fourteen, we find the Patriarch Abraham aligning himself with some of his   
   friends in order to liberate his nephew Lot and his kin, who had been taken   
   captive by the Babylonian  -- Shinar -- and Elamite kings. Consider this:   
      
   "And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of   
   Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations; That these   
   made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab   
   king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is   
   Zoar. All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the   
   salt sea. Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year   
   they rebelled. And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings   
   that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the   
   Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, And the Horites in their   
   mount Seir, unto Elparan, which is by the wilderness. And they returned, and   
   came to Enmishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the   
   Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezontamar. And there   
   went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah,   
   and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they   
   joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim; With Chedorlaomer the king of   
   Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and   
   Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five. And the vale of Siddim was   
   full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there;   
   and they that remained fled to the mountain. And they took all the goods of   
   Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. And they   
   took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and   
   departed. And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew;   
   for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and   
   brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram. And when Abram heard   
   that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in   
   his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he   
   divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them,   
   and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. And he   
   brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his   
   goods, and the women also, and the people."   
   Genesis 14:1-16, KJV   
      
   As I point out in a number of my political articles, there is rarely ever a   
   justifiable reason to engage in war. As the Bible informs us, most wars   
   result from greed, a lust for more power, or some other selfish motivation;   
   and then the oppressed classes choose to fight back in order to regain what   
   has been lost. Some wars are even fought as a result of wounded pride, or   
   some sports events.   
      
   But returning to the Lord's words, He said "and rumours of wars". If there is   
   one thing that the Gospels reveal about Jesus, it is that He certainly knew the   
   evil heart of man. Thus on one occasion He said:   
      
   ". . . For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,   
   adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit,   
   lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil   
   things come from within, and defile the man."   
   Mark 7:20b-23, KJV   
      
   Rumours of wars is obviously one by-product of the evil heart. We all know   
   what a rumor is. According to Apple's built-in Dictionary utility, a rumor   
   is "a currently circulating story or report of uncertain or doubtful truth".   
   In short, a rumor may or may not be true, and only honest investigation will   
   reveal which it is.   
      
   While we could interpret Jesus's words as meaning that He was referring to   
   claims of wars which may not even really exist -- I believe this tactic is   
   used in British author George Orwell's "1984" -- I suspect that the Lord may   
   have been inferring something deeper by His words; in other words, the war   
   propaganda machine.   
      
   Let's face it; war propaganda is all around us today, and is as old as war   
   itself. For example, in the latest events in Libya, mad Colonel Moammar   
   al-Gaddafi claims that no civilians have ever been killed, while the rebels   
   claim that dozens and hundreds of civilians have been killed throughout   
   Libya. Gaddafi insists that there have been no protests in Tripoli and that   
   the people love him, while at the same time, news journalists discover   
   telltale signs of protest in certain neighborhoods of the city. On one hand,   
   Gaddafi claims that the rebels are simply doped up terrorists who are   
   supported by al-Qaeda, while the Western powers and the rebels themselves   
   claim that they are freedom fighters.   
      
   In the tug-of-war that is war, one side claims certain victories, while the   
   opposing side says that it just isn't so. We see these very same tactics   
   being employed in nation after nation all across North Africa and the Middle   
   East at this current time, and it has been like this with every war that has   
   ever been fought throughout the world -- "wars and the rumours of war". This   
   tactic -- war propaganda -- is obviously meant to confuse people, and to   
   obfuscate the facts on the ground for the sake of tactical and strategical   
   advantage. Jesus most certainly knew it, and He prophesied that it would   
   happen.   
      
   So the point of this post is this: Don't believe everything that you hear   
   and read, because everyone has to exaggerate the truth in order to win   
   public support. The United Nations and Western powers have to convince us   
   that they are winning and achieving their objectives -- with few human   
   casualties -- lest we turn against them; and the oppressed classes have to   
   exaggerate the level of violence and deaths, so that the world will come to   
   their aid. It is psychological warfare, propaganda and manipulation through   
   and through on both sides of the fence.   
      
   As I have said before, personally, I am convinced that there is a hidden   
   force at work which is influencing the ongoing events in North Africa and   
   the Middle East. Given the suddenness and scope of these events, I simply do   
   not believe that they have occurred naturally and on their own. It is as if   
   the pressure cooker has just suddenly blown its lid off, and all of the   
   seething anger within has been liberated.   
      
   While it is no doubt true that the oppressed classes of some nations are   
   suddenly realizing that if they don't act now, by rising up against their   
   repressive leaders while the momentum is strong, and while they still have   
   the world's support, it will never get done, I still think that there is   
   more going on here than what at first meets the eye.   
      
   In fact, I have been waiting and watching to see if and how soon the Syrians   
   would likewise rise up against Bashar al-Assad. Considering the murderous   
   acts of his father -- Hafez al-Assad -- in years past, it is no surprise   
   that it took the Syrians this long to reach the point where they are willing   
   to publicly protest and demand change in Syria. As you have probably already   
   heard, Bashar al-Assad has chosen to follow the very same pattern as other   
   Middle Eastern tyrants, and has resorted to violence in order to quell the   
   public protests. If the recent events in other Middle Eastern nations is any   
   indication, al-Assad is merely hastening his own downfall by taking such a   
   violent approach.   
      
   So, while there may possibly be an invisible human hand at work here which   
   is influencing all of these recent events, I remain convinced that above and   
   beyond that, there is a Divine Hand at work. For reasons which are only   
   known to Him, I believe that God Himself has chosen this particular time for   
   these events to unfold, in order that His Divine Purposes might be   
   accomplished.   
      
   Just remember what Jesus said. Despite the wars and rumors of wars, "the end   
   is not yet."   
      
   Finally, please be mindful of the fact that nations don't help out each   
   other just to be nice. There is always some hidden objective. Ultimately   
   there is always some price to pay; either an economic price, or a military   
   price, or a strategic price; something. The Iraqis have discovered this, and   
   the Libyan rebels will no doubt find this to be true as well.   
      
      
      
   Jeff Snyder, SysOp - Armageddon BBS  Visit us at endtimeprophecy.org port 23   
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