W W W W  World Wide Web Witness Inc.  Home Page   Contents Page for Volume  What is New

There have been some interesting developments in the world-at-war lately.

It is, to be sure, not the same old World War syndrome of the last century, whether the littler one in 1902, far from boring, the Balkan crises lurking before World War I :

• that 1914 catastrophic collision of advanced forces, making way for Communism, in 1917, with the rearguard of influenza in 1919, reputed to have killed more than did the war,
• not to mention its place as the vanguard of the systematic slaughter of some of the finest and noblest England ever produced, in years of muddy feet, swampy trenches,
• and demonstration that though man has magnificent healing properties embedded from the Creator of his design, which is His design, spare parts are not in general among them.

The frenzy of commerce led to the Depression followed by such an elevation of majesty in Europe, as to mirror the panache of Napoleon, himself apparently as noted earlier, slain by his own countrymen via poisoned drink, during his embarrassing English captivity. Napoleon ?  a fitting precursor, and the philosophic frenzies of Europe with its irrationalist motif from Darwin, Hegel and Nietzsche, soon had the tirades of Nazism colliding with the pompous verbosities of Communism. In the former, it was in effect,  a god of forces to rule by race; with the Communist, the scenario was for a  popularist power of divine proportions, to rule by laws inscribed into the universe by a forgotten hand, the actual one having inscribed the precise opposite. Naturally, Communism fell ignominiously in Russia, around 1991, just as Nazism had fallen, more ambitious but more meteoric in departure, in 1945. What is not true does not work, but it cannot; and it takes sometimes less, sometimes more time to show it.
 
 

The play continues. Now the Italy-Germany axis being gone, and Reagan's 'Evil Empire' = USSR thereafter to be dismembered, we have the George Bush 'AXIS OF EVIL', to which such objection is made on p. 10 of Feb 7's  Australian. Feeling, with many in Europe (op.cit. p. 7), that Iran is really on the reform track, or half-track, with religious domination receding from the totalitarian past, the writer has a distinctly non-glorying approach to the USA. This is not unusual. After all, to say no more, for all its blatant liberality to Europe after World War II, and its kindly intentions to many, the USA is now touting Islam, to some extent Judaism and Christianity in one of the most horrible pot-pourris of drain-filled rose water you could ever wish.

As the Psalmist puts it of Israel, doing much the same with other idols added to the word of the Lord, in its own day,

• "the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray" -

"Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone. Their drink is rebellion, they commit harlotry continually. Her rulers dearly love dishonour...",

and again,

• "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge, 'I also will reject you from being priest for Me.
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children..."

Often enough the new Islam-touting motif in US politics has come to the fore, the presidential prayer meeting complete with Baptist pastor, embracing 3 religions but directing to one God, which one of them abhors, the other denies^*1 . Moslem alliance makes it easy for bin Laden (comparatively) to escape, as who knows what customs of another religion, traditions and loyalties come into play, what money may have changed hands. Is then the unthinkable but eminently performable folly of World War II, which bequeathed a GENERATION of hostility and shame, to follow the actual war itself, in the obnoxious Cold War, to be repeated with variations on an original theme ?

Is the adversary simply to be changed ?

Is man to be trusted and not God ? Are people now to engage in the spiritual speciousness of the words of one US official who as reported earlier, advised that Moslems should not regard the US regime as infidel, for were they not all PEOPLE OF THE BOOK! Which book ? It is like saying to examinees, You are all people of the script!

Some of the script however is brilliant, some mediocre, some clottish. It is WHAT IS WRITTEN obviously, that matters, and the frank and rank denial of Christ involved in trying to assimilate goodness with a religion which utterly rejects His status, scriptural base, actual work of redemption, and indeed redemption itself, while putting ploys and pugnacities in place with blood not His, where He requires that they NOT FIGHT about Him (John 18:36), and warns of just such false prophets to come (Matthew 24:24): this is possibly the foulest thing the USA has ever done!

Again and again we receive mail telling us how great it is to have such a President as the USA now has. Certainly he has been decisive, vigorous, acting with despatch; but there is the prior question of DIRECTION in dealings which matters.

If someone sets off far ahead of the field in a car race, we are less than impressed if he has gone in the wrong direction. The new look America, is it trying to bait or trick God with its pagan rituals of "the spirit of harlotry" which in the Bible is seen to mean a religious adventurism, a synthetic spiritual syntax, a combination of trust in God with trust in whatever idol, such as Islam cf. More Marvels ... Ch. 4), may be to hand, politically convenient or advantageous! In the case of Egypt, in ancient times, there was another such mismanagement of political desire that compromised the name of the Lord.

Let us hear Isaiah on this topic (30:1-3a, 31:3):

"Woe to the rebellious children," says the LORD,
"Who take counsel, but not of Me,
And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit,
That they may add sin to sin:
Who walk to go down to Egypt,
And have not asked My advice,
To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh,
And trust in the shadow of Egypt.
"Therefore the strength of Pharaoh
Shall be your shame...

"Now the Egyptians are men, and not God;
And their hordes are flesh, and not spirit.
When the LORD stretches out His hand,
Both he who helps will fall,
And he who is helped will fall down:
They all will perish together."

This is the way when religions are mixed, quite like having a paramour when married, and finding her charms so undeniable that you even talk openly to your wife of the other party, and perhaps have a house-party together. It is vile. It is intolerable. God has often spoken in this allegorical way, and the book of Hosea is dedicated to its illustration through the prophet's actual marriage to a harlot, who has later to be redeemed: to bring it home, amidst appeals for restoration of the purity of worship of the Lord.

A State may have many religions in terms of the individuals within it; this is a far cry from officially taking lines on religion, on the State's behalf. This is rank denial and rebellion, when it has a pluralism of prayer, and commendation at the religious level! Will this shame ever be purged ? Will the USA arise to denounce it, or will it co-operate as the Allies did in World War II (with less enthusiasm for the idols of communism at that time), and be betrayed at the end, the power provided then assisting the iniquitous and heartless regime to its continued assault on humanity, and menace to "the West"!

Meanwhile, this sorcery with Islam does not help Israel. The rehabilitation of the exceedingly rich and monstrously poor 'Islamic world' of Bush's new thought, is like the stridency of a saw, in the midst of music. Shall liberty dower tyranny ? Is USSR  not enough to remember ? What you do should be in the NAME of what you are ? And what, in this case is that ? A State now sonorously intoning a name of one of the chief false prophets of all time, in direct and irrationalist tilt at Christ, with no evidence but passion, and no confirmation but its frustration. HE does not rule. His word does not hold; that of God does. It happens.

Is what has impoverished with delusion and corruption of power, deprivation of the poor in unspeakable ways by Moslem aristocrats, fitting successors to the most imposing elements of history's long past, deprivation in the utmost depravity of the very image-of-God status of women, who justly have it no less than does man, and is ruthless intrusion into politics until nation after nation is riddled with religious rule that is often fanatical, often involves the slaughter of thousands or sometimes many millions in 'holy wars': is this to be the new partner ?

To be sure, Bush's administration has made it clear that they hope better things for women. But does this alliance produce it ? Will these new, indefinite treaties and intimate dealings lead to reform ? Did money reform South-East Asia when it was poured in ? Or did Communism use the funds for its endeavours ? Does money convert the world ? Is it to be some new Mammon-Messiah ? Will sharing religions help any to find the truth ? Is a relativisation by implication to be a service to the absolute truth which is and can be God's alone ? (cf. SMR
Ch. 3, Barbs, Arrows and Balms   6  and 7,  TMR Ch. 5). Is the religion of the sword to be enshrined with other dismembered remnants in some religious synthesis ? Of course it is. There is to be a total religious synthesis, coming shortly (how shortly no man knows on this earth), as depicted from the Bible in SMR pp. 750Bff., Biblical Blessings Ch. 2 and other places.

The question is now whether the USA is seeking its own demise in such godless alliances.

Righteousness exalts a nation, and how it has exalted (relatively, far from absolutely) both the USA and England, who now seem helter-skelter, both, to ally whether with Rome or with Mecca, as earlier with Moscow. At times, this attitude almost seems to go and glow as if they glory is their own strength, wisdom or might, their past is paste, and their future is in new strange new functions of blind diplomacy and self-trust, abasing the Lord. It is in principle the same,  whether this alliance be with Romanism,  in the ever closer strangle hold so advanced by the faithless Protestant British church-of-the-constitution, or with Mecca as with the wildly exotic new USA images of the heart.

So it goes. It is rather like water. You can spill it; but when you do it wholesale, after a while, it is gone. The earth is dry. It swallows it up!

Where however does all this leave Israel ?

After all, Israel on any basis, is not addicted to Islam. It has 'Palestinians' who may have this as their religion, but these are in many groupings of many - however much some may be good citizens - addicted to the destruction of their host nation. This actually does not endear. Few nations - and you could ask Putin about this - find allure in the efforts of blocs to separate; but rare indeed is one which likes to have a part destroy or take over the whole. Certainly, this is precisely what the Communists did in Russia in 1917; but then they departed not being desired, when at last their dictatorial 'liberation' ceased.

Israel does not want to be 'liberated' by Islam with its records of multiplied atrocities against children sent to the front line with plastic keys for blessedness; slaughter mutually of masses in stirred up religious rivalries; suppression of women, aggregations of ludicrous wealth in the hands of few and poverty in the lives of the many (USA has the former, but less of the latter, and could itself benefit by even more care for the poor, though it has made huge advances in this area); arbitrary hand chopping and other butcheries, rashes of irrational 'holy wars' against this or that 'satan'.

Israel wants peace and prosperity, so long denied it by Europe over the bitter and long centuries; and judging by many of the books written by journalists and desires expressed by many, it would rathr see peace interpreted in life in kibbutzes including that where David Ben Gurion wrote his own memoirs in old age, than imbued with blood.

Israel does not want, for that matter, to be liberated by the USA, as in the Madeleine Allbright era, so that peace-brokers may say, Come, come now, just a little more giving of land, a little more allowing of Palestinian authority!

For what ? A noose about the narrow neck which makes the land of Israel so vulnerable, for invasion, would be ever so much easier to draw if there were more authority for Palestinians in this tiny land, so that they could with more panache uprise in this or that way, at will, when things are already precarious in some future situation ? It is one thing to deal graciously and even generously with minorities; it is another when your subjugation or destruction on dictatorial relgious terms of their own, is in view.

Reportedly, meanwhile, Sharon has declared it a pity they did not 'remove' Arafat when they could have done so, in earlier phases of this war (for that is what it apparently is). That is more than questionable, as it might simply have escalated things, and in any case, where the status of war is so contentious in itself, complications are not to be desired. However, the exasperation of Israel's government following the finding of the arms shipment equipped with the very best and most advanced, the latest in maiming devices and death sentence equipment, is understandable. To be sure, it may be that it is not the Palestinian Authority which OWNED the vessel which was bringing in this peaceable additions to Palestinian capabilities (cf. News192); it may have been Iran or Iraq, but does this preclude evidence of the operating authority, the call for this particular commerce and its source ? Is ownership of a vessel a sure index to its chartering authority ?

It would not appear that these two questions permit of only one answer.

Talking peace and practising war is a specious form of ambiguity, which costs hundreds of lives in mere death, and more in maniacal seeming mangling. To attack a nation NOT AT WAR in this way is a form of fanaticism worthy of contemplation! and now it is called a war, but the people being so battered by those who want to use the wealth of their masters in many Islamic countries, to exterminate Israel bit by bit, while words melt the heart, and bullets bite the body, complaining that Israel does not lie down and roll over, so permitting its Islamic strategists to add it to their list of Empire: these talk. These wait. These assault the nation of Israel, that tiny enclave free of Islamic dictatorship, partial or total. The Palestinians and others complain at the resistance, at the endeavours to root out the terrorists, whenever this is done.

Is the Jew then to ignore endless taunts to peace, contempt of rule, assault on cabinet minister, bomb near the seat of power, destruction in the midst of peace talk, as if the long pogroms of centuries have bred a patience that others may deploy as a secret weapon against them ? Is terrorism then to have another name, when you enter Israel ?

Terrorists ? Ah! Are they this ? Surely they are a contingent of people who express with all the intensity of the most abandoned of the Irish terrorists, their terrible aims, in terms of jihad, uprisings, assaults, bloodthirsty seeming attacks, disregard of humanity and deployment of religion as if it constituted ground for imposition of force in order to gain territory. There is no beauty about the alternative; and there is no high moral ground for such an exterminatory process. Of this, not all are guilty. Some, indeed, many are and many claim these things as if exploits. These then are terrorists, people who failing or fumbling in war, intend to use peace as a means of aggression, and civilians as a target for intimidation, until they gain their various aims.

So the war on terrorism includes such ?

It seems for the US a moot point. Certainly, said Colin Powell, according to report, they have, the Israelis, right and reason to defend themselves. On the other hand, the intimidatory array of oil-rich and encircling Moslem nations are part of the new US approach to the 'Moslem world'. This itself is with the exception of Iran and Iraq, themselves reportedly now inserted by President Bush into a trilogy, an 'evil axis', with overtones of World War II, but with the addition of North Korea. As to the earlier 'axis', a term here for good measure, in the phrasing, this reminds of the time when the AXIS powers meant chiefly those of Italy and Germany, lurking against the victorious Allied Powers!

Iran and Iraq, then are out of the new look Moslem World approach for US benignity. Still, there are others who are not excluded. Thus, there  is Jordan, and Syria and the numerous ex-USSR states, like Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, with prominent or dominant Islamic presence, not to mention Pakistan, though its current ruler seems more than usually articulate and reasonable in apparent negotiations. Then nearby are  Morocco, Algeria and Libya. Pan-Islamic denunciations appear, repeatedly, with cheque book 'aid' for the 'Palestinians'. Thus the Moslem for the US,  tends in no m fashion, to be intimidatory.

It is Israel which is the remnant minority, the oppressed people: they were oppressed for centuries, and they are oppressed yet. Now are their declared and pledged enemies to be buoyed up, and in alliance is there to be a new US sensitivity towards the foes of Israel ? It could scarcely be more than in the Clinton regime; but perhaps we will learn that it can be!

So perhaps Israel should collect a message ? Try harder. It is not enough that you should give up Sinai, make provisions of various kinds for those who opposed you in seeking to delete your very existence; you must give up more, and be willing to do business with terrorists, and salivate over slaughter as a due introduction to negotiation.

Not quite that ? Perhaps not, but this has long been the pressurising direction of flow, at least. Should they assimilate more ? give better scope to those of the Palestinians who live in territory gained, after many centuries of absence, by those now subjected to endless uprisings as a ground for more options ?

How can they assimilate what seeks to mutilate them ? How could they enhance the independence of what wants to add one more Islamic capital, complete with pre-built Mosque on the ancient Israeli site, to its other ones, and to deprive the Jews of their only capital, in part or in whole! With such terrorist methods, why not seek more when more is gained ? Another holy war with unholy methods perhaps ? This is not a moral enemy with whom one can deal; it is a religious junta, with commanders and unscrupulous 'religious' methodology, able to surmount any normal consideration from the Creator, concerning peace or agreement.

Israel is right in this: there can be no religious assimilation. It for its part, however,  has an architectural religious assimilation, whether it likes it or no: the Mosque near the ancient temple site. The land ruled by Israel from around 1400 B.C. to 70 A.D., with 70 years out for the Babylonian exile, precisely as predicted, has been subject  to many since. Israel has, as a State been a site, itself, for the rejection of their king, and so naturally, their royalty missing, who in this case is God-as-man, Jesus Christ, they have wallowed in trouble. Despite all this, and also according to divine process, they have had their huge successes upon their return to their land, all as predicted as shown often enough on this site (cf. SMR Ch. 9 and see Index, Israel).

So does God in irony reduce both errors: the Jewish one, so rightly based, so wrongly disjoined in the refusal of Christ, born into their own chosen land; the Islamic one, rejecting the same Christ for their own innovative reasons, basing themselves on one without His credentials, either prophetic or in power, one who came as predicted by Christ, who foresaw just the strength and the numerous nature of such deceptions (Matthew 24:24). This, Muhammad, is a prophet of one deemed Almighty, but strangely subdued when it comes to victory, and subdued exactly in line with Biblical prediction, concerning Israel (cf. SMR loc. cit.).

There is iron however in the irony. Both suffer. Israel is to return in vast numbers to their own Lord, and repent in bitterness for their rejection of Christ Jesus the Lord (Zech. 12:10 cf. SMR
Appendix A, News  53,  Galloping Events Chs.1, 2, 3, 4). There is no other solution for the Middle East. The word of God which has predicted all things, has this also predicted. It predicted the date of death of Christ (SMR pp. 886ff.), His career, meaning, power and performance, the relationship of Israel to Him as a nation, the Gospel, its content, the Gentile outreach by it, the mockery of Israel in dispersion, in power in return; the false prophets, false christs and false world, with its ravings and ravages (as in Matthew 24, Luke 21).

It predicts this also, this coming repentance in Israel. There is reason. Israel rejected the King of whom they were shown both the date and the fulfilling character relative to their own book of the Law. They need to repent. Repentance alone will bring back to them, reality. Then all the other masses of religious messes, not from the mouth of the Lord, not verified, not vindicated, not logically indicated, not meeting the necessities of reason or the majesty of revelation in power and performance, these will be seen the more easily in place.

The USA, sullying itself with its own confused profusion in religion and now in religiously oriented politics, is compromising where compromise is fatal. Israel knows this, or it should, though its own situation is more categorically clear!

What then is the course of events ? The world progresses like a river borne canoe, half a mile from Niagara Falls. It is not really progress, though admittedly, technically the canoe is moving more and more quickly. Speed is not security, nor is such progress safety.

Safety is of the Lord!

Man may think to have security for a time.

Times give way to eternity.

The temporal is temporary; the spiritual is eternal.

Dealings must first be with Him who is eternal, before time has meaning, and the meaning is good. When you deal with Him, one thing is asked, know who He is. Mistaken identity is not the loss for
God, but for man. It is so important that this is one of the critical results of Christ's arrival: they who know not God, are TOLD IT. Customs and forms are valueless (Mark 7, Isaiah 1), without the reality they betoken. "IF GOD were your Father, said Christ, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God" (John 8:42). All other options fail.
 
 

*1  Lord of Life Chs.   3,  4,  5,
Red Alert ...Chs. 2,  3,  5,   7,  8,  10,  13, 14, 15, 16, and above, Ch.   4.