Putin – Alan Sargent

Posted on March 31, 2018

CLARITY – 3-31-18 One-Up-Man-Ship

CLARITY

A Biblical Response to Current Events – 3-31-18

One-Up-Man-Ship

What’s Happening: “Some are saying this smacks of a second Cold War,; some say we all need to devise new ‘duck-and-cover’ drills; some say it’s just a measuring game or a display of testosterone…but the release of a video of ‘Russia’s new ‘Satan 2’ ICBM is no joke. Putin’s promise of a new weapon that is ‘invulnerable’ to western defenses seems to be ringing true (http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/03/30/satan-2-nuclear-missile-again-test-launched-by-russia-as-putin-brags-invulnerable-arsenal.html). ‘No defense system will be able to withstand it,’’ Putin is reported to have said. With his congratulations for winning re-election, Trump is reported to have said, ‘If you want to have an arms race, we can do that…but I’ll win.’”

Knee-Jerk Response: “Sounds just like them…but who gets to do the drills? We do!”

Biblical Response: “Probably just a bunch of bluster…but I get the sentiment. Besides, the ‘duck-and-cover’ drills may spare you the initial flying debris of a nuclear blast but there’s no drill for the fallout. I’m not sure those drills were/are for any more than to make the drillers feel better…I don’t think they really do much. The greatest deterrence is still termed appropriately MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction). Oh well, we’re all going to die sometime.”

“Christians? Sure, we hate to succumb to a meaningless nuclear holocaust, but it’s the second death (Rev. 20:14) we really need to prepare for (Rev. 2:11). I’m all for preparing for whatever our enemies have developed (and spending the resources to defend), but death is inevitable…it’s not how we die that God judges us for, but how we live.”

Here’s a Prayer You Can Pray: “Heavenly Father, help us to make decisions based on Your will for our lives, not from fear of what might happen; in Jesus’ Name, amen.” © Alan E.Sargent

Share as you like; just give credit appropriately. For buying any of Alan E. Sargent’s books or to subscribe to any of his CLARITY blogs, go to the following link: http://subdeo.com/. He also tweets on Twitter.com every day @alanesargent

Posted on March 3, 2018

CLARITY – 3-3-18 A Race Nobody Wins

CLARITY

A Biblical Response to Current Events – 3-3-18

A Race Nobody Wins

What’s Happening: “Russian President Putin, in his equivalent of our state-of-the-union message, boasted of a new arsenal of weapons that were designed to defeat all countermeasures by the west: missiles that have limitless nuclear engines and fly erratic patterns, underwater drones capable of carrying nuclear warheads, etc…..all signs that the cold war is heating up and may be spawning a new arms race. The last one bankrupted the old Soviet Union and resulted in their demise in 1991 (https://www.yahoo.com/news/putins-invincible-weapons-worried-001929405.html). ‘We already knew about the ‘Sarmat’ and we already knew about big complications with the rocket.

At the end of 2017 it wasn’t the rocket itself that was tested, but a mock-up. I suspect we were shown an edited clip: first the mock-up takes off, then another rocket is flying,’ said analyst Alexander Golts. Putin’s bellicose speech may herald a new arms race nobody can win.”

Knee-Jerk Response: “Trump says, ‘We’re going to win so much we’re going to get tired of winning.’ Was he wrong?”

Biblical Response: “His statement was, no doubt, not in THAT context, as that is a race nobody wins! They make something ‘invincible’…we overcome it…we make something ‘invincible’…they overcome it. It is a philosophy that is aptly named: MAD, Mutually Assured Destruction. We already (and so do they, allegedly) have enough nukes to obliterate the world.”

“Christians? Thankfully, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (2 Cor. 10:4). The question is not who has the bigger button, but whose kingdom will survive such a holocaust? We should only be mildly concerned about the first death…the second death?…well, that’s a different story (Rev. 20:14).”

Here’s a Prayer You Can Pray: “Heavenly Father, give our leaders the requisite wisdom and discretion to run that race we always win; in Jesus’ Name, amen.” © Alan E.Sargent

Posted on February 27, 2018

CLARITY – 2-27-18 Ceasing or Increasing?

CLARITY

A Biblical Response to Current Events – 2-27-18

Ceasing or Increasing?

What’s Happening: “Although the U.N. Security Council has unanimously declared a ceasefire in Syria, government troops continue to fight (shell, bomb, and even use chemicals) because it says that al-Qaida was included in the agreement. So far, 12 have been killed since the ceasefire was proclaimed, mostly in Eastern Ghouta, though Putin has set a corridor for escape from 9:00am till 3:00pm, beginning today (https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/02/26/588813002/despite-u-n-call-for-cease-fire-strikes-continue-on-damascus-suburb). ‘In this suburb there are said to be a small number of rebels who are aligned with al-Qaida. The government and its allies are basically using that as an argument to say … the cease-fire doesn’t apply here,’ says Ruth Sherlock of NPR.”

Knee-Jerk Response: “i thought whatever the Security Council voted unanimously on was law.”

Biblical Response: “That’s what you get for thinking. Seriously, they have no standing army to enforce their ‘edicts’ so, they’re only ‘desires.’ It’s mostly political posturing, not anything those on the frontline pay any attention to…unfortunately, those recently killed would say..if they could…which they can’t.”

“Christians? It would be great if we could have peace by just proclaiming it. It doesn’t work that way in the Kingdom of God…or on earth. As I’ve said before, there won’t be peace on earth until the Prince of Peace rules in the heart of every man. (Lk. 2:14)”

Here’s a Prayer You Can Pray: “Heavenly Father, we don’t need unrealistic expectations, but patience; in Jesus’ Name, amen.” © Alan E.Sargent