Sound The Midnight Cry

“The Elephant in the Room”

The “elephant in the room” is an English idiom for an obvious truth that is being ignored. It is based on the fact that an elephant in a small room would be impossible to overlook.

This past week the U.N. took action to try and get everyone’s attention away from the “elephant in the room”—Syria’s chemical weapons. On September 20, weeks after an accident exposed Syria’s chemical weapons program and an Israeli air strike exposed a North Korean-Syrian nuclear initiative, the International Atomic Energy Agency adopted an Egyptian-sponsored resolution declaring the Middle East a “nuclear weapons free” zone. The resolution would require Israel to dismantle its existing nuclear arsenal. To no one’s surprise it was pushed through by a 53-nation Arab bloc with only the United States and Israel opposing it and 47 ‘courageous’ abstentions including Australia and Canada.

Why was this resolution pushed to the forefront for U.N. action? What better way to deal with the “elephant in the room?” Consider the following:

• Israeli commandos seized nuclear material of North Korean origin on a secret military site in Syria.
• This was done with U.S. approval.
• Immediately after the Israeli bombing Syrian officials flew to Pyongyang, the North Korean capital coordinating their response.

Under normal circumstances, Assad’s government would be demanding that the U.N. Security Council take action against Israel’s ‘unprovoked’ attack. But it isn’t. Damascus has repeatedly threatened a military response to the attack. It’s been almost a month since the bombing and not a sound from Damascus. Curious? Not really.

Most of the world doesn’t know what Syria smuggled in on that North Korean freighter. But Israel knows. And Syrian President Assad knows that Israel knows. It’s the proverbial, “Don’t think I don’t know what you think I don’t know.” It is one thing for Israel to suspect Syria has weapons of mass destruction and it’s another for Israel to know there is a nuclear weapon an hour’s drive from its border. They cannot afford to leave anyone alive in Damascus to give the order to fire it. They will not allow anyone to do in six minutes what Hitler took six years to do—annihilate six million Jews!

To say that tensions are high would be an understatement. Three times this week Israeli jets have been alerted and scrambled to the Syrian border. It appears that the prophecy in Isaiah 17 may soon come to pass.

Meanwhile, the church in the USA is vastly asleep and in a spiritual coma. Consumed with how they can “be blessed” and accumulate more, they are unaware of the signs pointing to the return of Jesus Christ. They are even more unconcerned with those people around them that have no clue what lies on the horizon. I pray that the Holy Spirit sound a clarion call to alert his people to declare that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

“Between a Rock and a Hard Place”

We’ve all heard the phrase “between a rock and a hard place” used in describing being caught between two unsatisfactory options. The phrase originated around 1921 from a 1917 dispute between copper miners and the companies for they worked. When the miner’s demands were not met, the company deported many of the workers. They were faced with bad working conditions or losing their jobs; hence, a rock and a hard place.

This past week, the Lekarev Report stated, “Syrian president Bashar Assad is caught ‘between a rock and a hard place’ over whether or not to retaliate for Israel's air attack on a WMD research facility in his country on Sept. 6. For a number of reasons, it appears that he may be forced to retaliate.”

Several Middle East news sites have reported that Assad is feeling isolated by the surrounding Arab media and Muslim leaders. Except for Iran no other country has condemned the Israeli raid inside Syria and not one has expressed support for the Syrian leader or government. Add to that with every day that has passed since the successful Israeli raid, the louder the voices from his own public and army urging him to fight back.

Thursday, a senior official in the ruling Syrian Ba'ath party said there was growing consensus among the Syrian leadership for the need to launch a military response. The official stated the Syrian Air Force had been placed on high alert. Tuesday it was reported that U.S. intelligence agencies have stepped up monitoring of Syria and Israel for signs of a new military confrontation. Wednesday, Jane’s Defense Weekly reported that an explosion at a Syrian military complex in July which killed 15 soldiers was a bid to arm a chemical warhead. Syrian defense sources, said the blast occurred as Syrian weapons experts, with Iranian backing, were attempting to activate a 300-mile-range "Scud C" missile with a mustard gas warhead. The sources said dozens of Iranian missile engineers were killed along with the 15 Syrians.

All these elements are pushing Assad to a hazardous decision. He cannot ignore the circumstances piling up to induce a military coup to depose him. Within his government, the 'war party' is definitely gaining the upper hand of influence. And the last thing he wants is to be the last president of the dynasty founded by his late father. Once again, the proverbial rock and the hard place.

I taught a few months ago how the next event in bible prophecy could very well consist of the destruction of Syria’s capital, Damascus. Isaiah 17 predicts that Damascus would one day face utter destruction and will come at a time when Israel is in great peril. The Bible is more current that today’s news!

All of this points to the biblical truth that tells us that when we see these things happening, to know that the return of Jesus Christ is right around the corner. When that day is revealed, Revelation 6:16-17 says: “They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” Now that’s between a rock and a hard place!

“Blood Moon Rising”

August 28, 2007, had very revealing headlines: “A Blood-Red Moon Rises over North America, Olmert Offers Temple Mount Sovereignty to the Palestinians, Olmert and Abbas Meet on Israel's Land and Jerusalem, Bush Says Iran's Actions Could Lead to a Shadow of a Nuclear Holocaust.”

These were the news headlines on the day of a total lunar eclipse that produced a “blood-red” moon, the second one in seven years with a connection to the Temple Mount.

A total lunar eclipse/”blood-red” moon occurred on July 16, 2000, while U.S. President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat were at the Middle East Summit at Camp David. The sticking point that caused the summit to fail had to do with who would have sovereignty over the Temple Mount — the Israelis or the Palestinian Arabs.

During this year's total lunar eclipse/”blood-red” moon of Aug. 28, 2007, that rose over North America, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert offered the Palestinians sovereignty over the Temple Mount. What was so incredible about the timing of this offer is that it didn't take place days, weeks or months after the “blood-red” moon but on the very same day. In other words, the Temple Mount’s sovereignty was a central focus during total lunar eclipse “blood-red” moons in 2000 and 2007.

The Old and New Testaments speak of a blood-red moon prior to Jesus Christ's return. Joel 2:31 and Acts 2:20. The Jewish Talmud (book of tradition/interpretation) says, “When the moon is in eclipse, it is a bad omen for Israel. If its face is as red as blood, [it is a sign that] the sword is coming to the world.”

The 21st chapter of Luke says: “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars...when these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” I know that for some it will sound absurd but I’ll ask it anyway: “Could it be that God is trying to tell us something?”

Total-eclipse “blood-red” moons are rare. The next total-eclipse “blood-red” moon will occur on Feb. 21, 2008. Having another total eclipse this close to a previous one is extremely rare; to say the least. Until then, those that call themselves Christians cannot shirk their responsibility to boldly share what the Scriptures are telling us…that Jesus Christ is coming soon!

“Watch The Birdie!”

Years ago, photographers would tell their photo subjects to “watch the birdie”. Photographers would actually use a small bird in a small cage as the focal point for the person they were photographing instead of the camera lens. This was to gain their attention towards the camera and not be distracted by the other things going on around them. Well, this past week I believe that we had a little bit of governmental “watch the birdie” going on.

Headlines Wednesday touted, “Nuclear warheads mistakenly flown on B-52, landing at Barksdale AFB.” I thought to myself, “There is no way this happened as reported. There has to be more to this than meets the eye.” My father flew B-52’s for many years and served as a Wing Commander for a B-52 group. I contacted him to get his feedback on this story as reported. He confirmed what I thought that with procedural policies [among other things that he could not disclose] there was “no way that that crew didn’t know they were carrying these warheads.” So what’s the real story behind this? Let’s see if we can look at the bigger picture.

Since August 1, Russia has been making a coordinated strategic effort to reestablish itself as the evil empire it once was under the former Soviet Union. It began with Russian submarines in the Arctic claiming the oil- and natural gas-rich territory as its own. Then on August 19, Russia teamed with China in a 6,500-man joint military exercise on Russian soil. On August 22, President Putin announced Russia would become the world's largest producer of military technology and aircraft. He announced a seven-year, $200 billion rearmament plan to develop new generations of missiles, planes and perhaps aircraft carriers to rebuild Russia's arsenal. Putin's Russia is behind the nuclear expansion of Iran and the arming of Iran and Syria, both considered sponsors of terrorism by the United States and other Western nations.

Prior to Putin's world aircraft domination announcement, Putin also announced the resumption of the Soviet Union's Cold War practice of flying long-haul missions to areas patrolled by NATO and the United States. On August 17, Britain's Royal Air Force jets scrambled to intercept Russian bombers over the North Atlantic.

Could it be that while the Russians were airborne over the Arctic with 12 of their Tu-95 Bears loaded with nuclear cruise missiles in an ”exercise” the United States sent up our own B-52H with nuclear cruise missiles just to “exercise” a similar capability for President Putin? It’s a simple game of “Show me your cruise missiles and I'll show you mine.”

So the prophecy clock continues to accelerate toward the Ezekiel 38 prophecy where Russia will lead Iran and a Muslim confederacy against Israel. It says they will “ascend and come like a storm … like a cloud to cover the land … to take a spoil, to take a prey” (v. 9).

The Church is called to understand the times in which we live. It cannot afford to “watch the birdie” and be distracted from what the Scriptures are telling us…that Jesus Christ is coming soon!