Sound The Midnight Cry

"The Answer Is Blowing In The Wind"

The lyrics to the 1963 Bob Dylan song “Blowing in the Wind” have been echoing in my mind the past few days. Specifically, the part that asks, “How many years can some people exist, before they're allowed to be free?”

Now I know that the song is considered a protest song used during the heyday of the Civil Rights movement and anti-war demonstrations. However, the refrain “The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind” has been described as “impenetrably ambiguous: either the answer is so obvious it is right in your face, or the answer is as intangible as the wind”. I believe that the response to the former is more pertinent.

“Why would you be thinking about those words?” one might ask. It all started when I read this past Monday of another high-level meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Rice and PM Olmert of Israel. The report pointed out how there was an increased urgency to force a Middle East peace accord before President Bush leaves office in January and Israeli PM Olmert has to step down next month because of the legal problems he is facing with certain indictments to be handed down any day now.

Again you might ask, “Why would this be a bad thing. Don’t we want peace?” To which I would respond, “Yes, but at what cost.” Let me explain.

For several years now, the U.S. has pressured Israel to give up land to terrorist groups in the exchange for peace. Israel has done so many times only to be told by those same groups that they surrendered property to that they will never grant Israel peace. Each time, the U.S. has urged more concessions on Israel with the hopes that peace can be found. Each time, the concessions are not enough and more is demanded.

Now some will question that the U.S. can influence that kind of pressure upon Israel. However, considering that our country is Israel’s number one ally and that virtually all their military hardware comes from us, that is a strong bargaining chip in this ‘peace’ process.

So what does any of this have to do with Bob Dylan music? Glad you asked.

Living in South Louisiana, all eyes are fixed upon Hurricane Gustav as it approaches the Gulf of Mexico. Those of us that lived here in August 2005 cannot help but remember it was this same time frame that Hurricane Katrina formed and hit the Gulf Coast as the costliest storm in U.S. history. And here’s where I think it gets interesting.

During that same time frame, Israel under pressure by the U.S., forced the evacuation of Israeli settlers in Gaza and Northern Samaria in a land for peace deal. President Bush congratulated PM Sharon at the time for bringing about a decisive move towards peace. Within days, the U.S. was evacuating thousands from the city of New Orleans which to date has not been restored. Interestingly, those forced to evacuate in Israel are still living in refugee camps as the land and money promised them to re-settle has yet to be given them—and there is still no peace in Middle East.

The question is whether one can consider it a coincidence that another hurricane is heading to the U.S. at the same time that Secretary Rice is in Israel pressuring that country to divide the City of Jerusalem [Israel’s capital] and give half away in another land for peace exchange.

Also of interest is the origin of the name “Gustav” – the name of the hurricane. It means “staff of the gods”. Interestingly, the word "staff" used throughout the Bible almost always means “a rod—for chastening”.

As the song asks, “How many times can a man turn his head, and pretend that he just doesn't see? The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind.” Maybe God is trying to tell the U.S. something?

“Did You Hear Something?”

It sounds like science fiction, but apparently it’s hot enough to become a real “buzz among teens”—and I mean that literally. I’m referring to a cell phone ring that adults can’t hear.

An invention, known as the Mosquito, originally marketed to keep teens from congregating in front of stores has now become the secret ringtone that teens are using to get calls and text messages in class or other places where their phones are officially supposed to be “off.”

It was marketed as an ultrasonic teenager repellent, an ear-splitting 17-kilohertz buzzer designed to help shopkeepers disperse young people loitering in front of their stores while leaving adults unaffected.

Someone figured out that if that sound couldn’t be heard by adults, why not make it into a ringtone. That way it becomes like a secret password for an exclusive club. I would be willing to wager that it wasn’t an adult that figured this out!

“So what’s the point” one might ask? In the realm of bible prophecy, there are new events happening every day that relate to the fulfillment of future events.

For the past two weeks, the growl of the Russian Bear could be heard around the world but no one seemed to be listening. As I write this article, the stock market has seen oil spike almost $6 a barrel in just a few hours. When they asked analysts their opinion as to why, several of the remarked that when Russia invaded Georgia no one seemed to be listening—it was at that point a non-event. However, all of sudden, the world is sitting up and taking notice that something bigger seems to be taking place as Russia signs a missile deal with Syria. A Russian flotilla led by the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and including the Russian Navy’s biggest missile cruiser Moskva and at least four nuclear missile submarines is scheduled to dock at the Syrian Mediterranean port of Tartus. Syrian President Assad is reported to have approved a plan for the Tartus port’s conversion into a permanent Middle East base for Russia’s nuclear-armed warships.

In 1991, the West rejoiced at the fall of the Soviets as it seemed that Ezekiel’s scenario was wrong or we were misreading the signs of the times.

Ten years later, President Bush “looked into the soul” of Vladimir Putin and found a ‘Christian’ dwelling there. However, another ten years finds that Putin has installed himself as Russian leader for life. Russia has returned to totalitarian rule, and Putin has made no secret of his intention to restore the old Soviet domination under Russian rule.

Ezekiel 39:8 says, “Behold, it is come, and it is done, says the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.” So I ask you again— “Did you hear something?”

“The Russians Are Coming!”

Last Friday, August 8th, I woke up and made my cup of coffee and sat down at my computer to take a quick glance of world news. When I read the headline, “Russia Invades Georgia” I was totally confused. Of course, being half asleep might have had something to do with it [hence, the need for my strong cup of coffee].

I first thought it must be a joke as I questioned, “What would Russia want with Atlanta or Macon?” My mind immediately flipped back to 1966 to a movie with the same headline: “The Russians Are Coming!” It was about a Russian submarine that runs aground of the coast of New England. The crew comes ashore trying to find a boat to tow the sub to deeper water and the villagers think they are being invaded. The tagline was, “It's A Plot…to make the world die laughing!”

Well, this present day plot doesn’t have anyone laughing. It is obvious that Russia has been planning this invasion for some time and the problems in neighboring South Ossetia were simply an excuse to make its move. Add in the fact that the world’s attention is focused on Beijing, China and the world Olympic competition didn’t hurt Russia’s plan.

I believe the real issues can be identified in three main areas:

• First, is the fact that Georgia’s leadership rebuffed Moscow when it broke away and aligned itself with the United States. U.S. military advisors are in Georgia as that nation has applied for membership with NATO. Russian wants to show Georgia as well as the other breakaway republics that NATO isn’t going to help them so why not align their governments with them.
• Second, since it achieved independence in 1990, Georgia has been the only obstacle in Russia's path to exercising full control over oil supplies from Central Asia to the West. The headlines noted from day one of Russian planes trying to bomb the oil and gas pipelines that supplied the West [the only pipelines in that area Russia didn’t own or control]. In response to the Russian invasion, British Petroleum, which owns the pipelines, announced that it will close them. In the future that same oil and gas will either be shipped through Russia, or through Georgia under the control of Russian "peacekeeping" forces permanently stationed in Gori. The West now has no option other than appeasing Russia if it wishes to receive its oil from the Caucasus.
• Finally, noting how close Azerbaijan is to Iran, the Russians are assuring the Iranians of Moscow’s readiness to confront the U.S. As one analyst noted, “by invading Georgia the Russians are exacerbating the global energy crisis by strengthening all anti-American forces in the Middle East.”

According to the prophet Ezekiel, there will rise in "the latter times" Gog [a leader] of Magog [Russia] and an alliance of nations consisting of the former breakaway republics and an Islamic coalition of nations led by Iran, will eventually launch an invasion of Israel. [Note: Georgia gives Russia a direct path to Israel]

Once again, we see pieces of the prophetic puzzle coming together. And once again, we are reminded that Jesus is coming soon!

“Between a Rock and a Hard Place”

I just finished teaching this past week a Bible prophecy conference in Marksville,  Louisiana. One of my subjects dealt with the issues of Syria and the present day concerns and happenings in that country in the light of the Bible.

Interestingly, this past week came the report of a mysterious assassination of a high-ranking Syrian general. Eyebrows were raised when it was learned that Damascus tried hard to the event quiet. However, on August 2nd, the Jordanian news site, Al Bawaba, released the story. They reported that Syrian Brig. Gen. Muhammad Suleiman was killed on his yacht by a seaborne sniper in the Syrian port city of Tartus.

General Suleiman had access to every Syrian state secret and plan. He was a close confidante to the president Assad and was entrusted with a number of highly sensitive security and intelligence issues. Listed high on the list was the managing the transfer of weapons transfers for the Lebanon-based Shiite group, Hezbollah.

Supposition for his death is being leveled at Hezbollah for his support of the Syrian-Israeli peace negotiations. The reasons for getting him out of the way are varied but more than likely have to do with his control of the arms supply from Syria to Hezbollah [which Hezbollah would not want stopped] and Hezbollah’s desire to stop any peace talks.

As these events unfold, behind the scenes Iranian president Ahmadinejad met with Syria’s president Assad. Reports of Syria trying to detach itself from Iran has caused some disconcert for Iran. The Iranian leader privately conveyed to Assad that it has the means to undermine the Syrian regime if it goes too far in its negotiations with Israel. It is known that there are a number of covert Iranian and Hezbollah intelligence sources in Syria that are could be used to initiate assassinations and incite problems for that nation.

Given that the Lebanese government this week unanimously approved a policy that gives Hezbollah the “right to arms and to continue their efforts to liberate territories under Israeli control” giving credibility to that terrorist group, raises more concerns for Syrian president Assad. He finds himself with Iran on one side pressuring to not back away from its commitment to old allies like Iran and Hezbollah. On the other side of the issue, Syria’s desire to secure itself from a constant Israeli military threat and gain back the Golan Heights has been Assad’s goal from the first day he took power in Syria.

Isaiah 17 tells us that something unthinkable will take place between Syria and Israel with the end result of Damascus being obliterated overnight.

Knowing the pressure that Syria’s surrounding neighbors can bring to bear and the assassination of one of its generals this week; I’m inclined to believe that Assad is definitely between a rock and a hard place. No matter what the outcome, it cannot be good!