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NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.



Allow me to ask you something. How closely have you been following the statistics on the war in Yugoslavia? Yes, my friends, it is indeed a real war, even if American President Bill Clinton, and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and the Western mass media, have done their best to try to avoid calling it that. You will notice how they are very careful to try to refer to it as something else; such as a conflict, or as a crisis. You see, the minute they start to openly address the Yugoslavian aerial attacks as a war, not only does the general public become much more alarmed, and not only do the world stock markets become more affected by it, but it also places the American president, and the British prime minister, and other NATO leaders involved in this war, under certain legal restrictions; and it makes them more answerable to both their duly-elected governments, as well as to the general public of each of their respective countries.

So even though the United States of America and Great Britain are now engaged in a full-fledged war, which they alone are responsible for expanding, and thus causing even more human suffering to both the ethnic Muslim Albanians in Kosovo, and the Christian Serbs in the rest of Yugoslavia, they try to avoid using that term, because a war was never really declared by them. They simply went in, and started doing what they are now doing, in order to stop the "ethnic cleansing" purportedly being carried out by the Serb forces in the southwestern province of Kosovo. Please do not be under any delusion about this. The phrase "ethnic cleansing" is indeed a real "buzz word", just like another "buzz word" with which we are all familiar: the Holocaust. Using the term "ethnic cleansing" immediately causes a "Pavlov dog" response in the general public who react right on cue; and that is precisely what those waging this terrible war want to happen! They are relying heavily upon your human emotions to keep this war going as long as possible! They are relying upon your pity and compassion for the Muslim Albanians in Kosovo, in order to continue to fuel the fires of support for this war; even if you don't really understand what is going on, as well as why it is happening.

If you personally have any doubts regarding these aerial attacks being a real full-scale war, just read all of the news reports concerning what the United States and Great Britain are doing in that country! Their cruise missiles are destroying a wide array of targets! This includes bridges, fuel depots, oil refineries, communications centers such as television and radio stations, military installations such as airfields, military barracks, command centers, etc.; and as they are now finally beginning to admit, they are also "accidentally" destroying certain civilian targets and killing a growing number of civilians in the process. In the words of our Lord, perhaps these civilian casualties of war are part of what we can refer to as "the beginning of sorrows"; for it is indeed sad when lives are lost, which are not even directly involved in the conflict. It is a tragic waste of life:

"All these are the beginning of sorrows."


Believe me; these civilian casualties are the very last thing that the NATO forces have wanted to come to light; but with the Yugoslavian president, Slobodan Milosevic, and various worldwide news organizations making sure that this information gets out, that is, that civilians have indeed been killed, there is no way that the United States and Great Britain can conceal this matter any longer. This is one thing of which they are really afraid, because it can begin to turn public opinion against them. It could cause them to lose any real popular support which they may have for this war. I do not doubt for a moment that the level of support for this war is greatly exaggerated by the mass media, particularly in the United States of America. I am reminded once again of the prophetic words of the Apostle Paul found in his second Epistle to his beloved son in the faith, Timothy:

"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived."


If ever there was a way to deceive people on a large scale, the mass media is most certainly the way to do it; and we can be certain that the coming world leader, referred to in the Bible as the Beast, will use this same form of global communication to likewise deceive and control those who come under his dominion. Please refer to my Endtime articles for more details regarding this demonic leader and his coming campaign of terror. So again, it is because of the human casualty factor, that the idea of sending ground troops into Yugoslavia is such a sensitive issue right now in the United States. Many fear that this could turn into another bloody and prolonged quagmire; just like the war in Viet Nam was thirty years ago; and just like that sad saga in American history, this brutal war on Yugoslavia is unjustifiable in my view.

So you see, this "crisis", just like the Iraq "crisis", has all of the earmarks of a regular full-scale war, even if few will dare to call it that at this present time. These aerial attacks are basically an undeclared war. The funny thing is, while the Western participants are very hesitant to call it a war at this current time, I can just about guarantee you that, once this tragedy is all over, whenever it is over, and however it ends, that it will eventually be referred to as a war. Right now it just isn't politically-convenient for the warring parties to call it that. There is simply too much at stake; like public support for example.

At any rate, this war, which is again being primarily led and financed by the United States of America and its crony Great Britain, as we already know, or at least should know, is really becoming mind-boggling in scope; and is clear evidence to me that there is definitely much more going on here, than what the general public is being told on the surface. Earlier today, I read a report on the World Wide Web regarding the total number of planes, tanks, personnel, etc., which have been committed to these aerial attacks by the combined NATO forces; and it hit me really hard what a major operation this has become! Consider the following report which I just received a short time ago from CNN, the American-based Cable News Network:

----- Begin Quote -----

NATO HITS NEW TARGETS AS US INCREASES FIRE POWER

NATO warplanes struck oil refineries, a fuel depot, bridges and a factory in pre-dawn raids over Yugoslavia Tuesday and bombed targets near the Kosovo capital of Pristina, Serbian TV reported. In Washington, Pentagon sources told CNN the United States will soon be sending in several hundred additional warplanes that will increase the size of the NATO aerial attack force to nearly 1,000 planes.

----- End Quote -----

My friends, Yugoslavia is not that big of a country, yet they have now committed almost one thousand planes to this war; and I seriously doubt that we will ever really know the full truth regarding the total number of committed planes, troops, missiles, casualties, etc. Imagine; one thousand planes, many of them capable of carrying cruise missiles, all attacking that one little country! What brutality! What an outrageous act of war! I can only wonder if the strategy being employed here, is to try to speed up the destruction of Milosevic's military capabilities before public support, however much there might really be, is lost; just as the war in Viet Nam also became a grievous thorn in the side of the Nixon Administration thirty years ago. Many of us can still recall the nationwide protests, sit-ins, and serious clashes which occurred between the evil American government and its citizens during those years. Perhaps some of you even participated in them. President William Jefferson Clinton most certainly did; even though he is now destroying a country! The height of hypocrisy! These are part of the rumours of war, as the Lord Himself also tells us in the following verse taken from His Endtime sermon found in Matthew chapter twenty-four:

"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."


While I have not actually taken the time to compared figures between the two, which is probably an impossibility anyway due to a lack of reliable information, I suspect that an equal, or possibly even a greater amount of firepower, has been committed to this war in Yugoslavia during the past three weeks, than to the aerial attacks, or war, against Iraq; and please allow me to inform you that those attacks against the regime of Saddam Hussein also continue by the way; even if the Western mass media has apparently been ordered to report very lightly concerning it. The sorties on Iraqi targets continue, and the Iraqi military machine has responded in some cases with anti-aircraft artillery. It is still possible to find information on the current situation in Iraq in some of the Arab mass media, such as in the Jordanian Times, which has a website. The fact of the matter is that the United States of America, and Great Britain, are actually involved in two wars at this current time, and in both wars, very similar tactics and strategies are being employed against their objects of hate: Saddam Hussein, and Slobodan Milosevic.

It should come as no surprise to us then, that the Western mass media has painted both of these men with a very similar brush. They have both been depicted as cruel dictators who are in control of extremely oppressive regimes. In both cases, they have been accused of "ethnic cleansing"; which as I stated earlier, is a guaranteed way to gain public support for foreign policy. In the case of Saddam Hussein, the Kurds to the north, and the Shi'ites to the south, have been the primary objects of his wrath; and as we all know, in the case of Slobodan Milosevic, the ethnic Albanians in Kosova are his object of hate. Being as I have not really made any personal comments regarding these two men as of late, allow me to state for the record, that while I do not doubt that they are indeed guilty of some of the crimes of which they have both been accused, I also feel that it is unwise for any of us to accept everything that we read in the press, or hear on the television or radio. In other words, I advise you to take it all with a grain of salt.

I have spoken about government psychological manipulation of the masses many times before. Let us all be honest with ourselves. We live in a very manipulated world. Everything is politically and economically motivated in one way or another; and whether we like it or not, our governments are bent on controlling our every mood, and our every thought. Our governments want to shape how we view the world. They want to tell us who are friends are, as well as who our enemies are. They want to mold us all into obedient robots who do as we are told, at the expense of losing some of our personal comfort and convenience, if we fail to do as they dictate. They want to turn all of us into world citizens; and I can assure you that their plans are well underway in the public school system. They will even go so far as to try to turn our own children against us if we are foolish enough to allow them to do this. If you really doubt that this is so, consider the words of our Lord; again taken from His Endtime sermon found in Mark chapter thirteen:

"Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death."


The main point I am trying to emphasize here, is that while it is probable that Milosevic and Hussein are guilty of the things of which they have each been accused, I honestly do not know to what degree they are each guilty; and if you can be honest with yourself, you should be willing to admit the very same thing. We do not live in those countries; and the vast majority of us have never visited those countries; as such, we do not have firsthand experiences of what it is like to live under the rule of those men. In fact, we cannot even fully trust the words of those who leave those nations, because their opinions are undoubtedly biased already. The only thing that any of us know, is what we are allowed to know by our governments, through their controlled propaganda organ, the mass media. By the stroke of a pen, or perhaps by the templates of a printing press, a person can quickly and easily be transformed into either a saint, or a villain and a monster. Such is the power of governments, and you would be wise to not forget it.

As I point out in other articles, such as in "Should We Pray for Our Leaders?", regardless of how evil some of these men might be, and as difficult as this may be for some of you to understand, the fact that they are even permitted to come to power, and to do the things which they do, is all by God's design, in order that He might accomplish His Divine Purposes. To doubt this truth in any way, is to doubt the omnipotent nature of our Heavenly Father. For we humans to even begin to believe that we can fully understand all of the ways of the Lord, is utter foolishness. Please consider the following verses which verify this point:

"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:"


"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."


"Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise."


"And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know."


In discussing these "vessels of wrath", that is, these cruel world leaders which are used by the Lord to punish others, before being judged and punished by the Lord themselves, the Apostle Paul wrote the following in his Epistle to the brethren in Rome:

"For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,"


This brings us to a very interesting point. While these two wars may at first seem to be totally unrelated, this is certainly not the case. As I have stated to some of my Christian friends before, I believe that if we clear away the smokescreen of helping the Muslim Kosovar Albanians, just as we helped the Muslims in Bosnia, and the Muslim Kurds in Iraq, we can begin to see that the current war in Yugoslavia is really a full-scale effort by the Clinton Administration to expand America's, and thus NATO's, sphere of influence, by pushing back and isolating Russia even further. Isn't this precisely why NATO was formed fifty years ago; that is, to offer an umbrella of protection to the European states from the expanding Communist giant? By brutally grabbing Yugoslavia through the current war, the United States of America hopes to acquire yet another beachhead, another staging area, another protectorate nation, another puppet nation, close to the Russian border.

As I have mentioned to some of my readers in private email, imagine if you live in the city of Chicago, and the Russians are dropping cruise missiles in Washington, D.C.. That gives you a rough idea of how close American warplanes are to the Russian border, meaning of course, to Ukraine. The only thing which separates Belgrade from Ukraine, is the country of Romania; and this is one of the reasons why the Russian government is currently very nervous, very upset, and has been issuing some strong, but still reserved, warnings to the United States and to NATO. Another reason for their anger is their ethnic ties to the Yugoslavian people. You see, the people of Russia, Belarus and Yugoslavia are all of Slavic origin. In fact, I was just reading the other day how, as a result of this war, the government of Yugoslavia has just decided to accept Russia's invitation to join a loose Slavic commonwealth with Russia and Belarus.

So you see, by their foolish actions, the United States of America, and NATO, are pushing Yugoslavia even further into the arms of America's enemies. After three weeks of heavy aerial bombardments, it has become obvious that the attacks are having the exact opposite result for which they were intended. The longer they endure, the more defiant Milosevic seems to become; just like Saddam Hussein. It seems that these two men were cut from the very same cookie cutter, as we say in American slang. Not only that, but I have been reading that even Hungary has been trying to restore better relations with Russia. Considering the fact that Hungry was just admitted into NATO this past month of March 1999, their current actions really make a loud statement, and the United States of America would be wise to listen if they know what is good for them.

But as I was saying, I believe that there are other reasons why the U.S.A. is launching such a brutal and prolonged attack against Milosevic. In my mind, they cannot possibly afford to lose this war, like they lost the war with Iraq. Some of you are probably wondering what I am talking about. You may even be wondering if I live on the same planet as you. "What do you mean we lost the war with Iraq? We bombed the hell out of Baghdad!" Excuse my language, but I am just talking the way I know that some of you talk. I hope that I have not offended anyone. Well, allow me to ask you: Has the United States really accomplished their objectives through their aerial bombings of Baghdad? The answer is a clear no! Saddam Hussein is still in power, and the UNSCOM weapons inspections have not resumed! For all of the time, money, energy, manpower and weapons that they have invested, and continue to invest in Iraq, Saddam Hussein is still sitting as pretty and as defiant as ever! The U.S.A. was unable to muster enough support from the world community in order to do what they wanted to do. They even failed to gain enough votes from the United Nations Security Council. So what did they do? They, and their crony Great Britain, decided to go behind everyone's backs, and they bombed Iraq anyway; but what has it really accomplished? Not much!

The point is, that both the U.S.A. and Great Britain have been humbled through their failure to oust Saddam Hussein. They may not be willing to admit it openly, but the leaders of the world know it, and you should know it too. Despite all of their military might, their weakness has been shown by their inability to oust Saddam Hussein. The most powerful nation on the face of the Earth, at least so we are told, could not rid the world of this man, who in my mind, no matter how oppressive of a regime he may operate, and no matter how evil some people may think he is, was not worthy of such a massive attack against his country. Just like the current war in the small nation of Yugoslavia, the Iraq attacks were, and continue to be totally unjustifiable. What is happening there is not really a war of good politics, as much as it is a war of national pride, for America to save face before the world community.

Now, think of what is happening in Yugoslavia right now. Do you honestly believe that in light of their dismal failure in Iraq, that the Americans and the Britons will stop what they are doing until Mr. Milosevic is totally removed from power, or at least totally brought to his knees? You see, they need a total humiliation of Milosevic, in order to restore their own prestige. Clinton and Blair apparently feel that they need to prove to the world, that they still carry a lot of political and military clout. It seems that they feel that they need to prove to the world, that they can still be the policemen of the world, even if no one really asked them to assume that role. In their bloated pride, they have these visions of grandeur, in which they will form a New World Order, with Great Britain and her former colony at the helm. Thus we see this prolonged and brutal war being waged against Milosevic and his people. If they fail to remove, or at least to totally incapacitate Milosevic, as they were unable to do with Saddam Hussein, that will be two strikes against them.

Exactly how are these events going to end? At this point in time, I honestly do not know. All parties concerned are displaying a lot of adamancy. Quite frankly, without some substantial form of intervention by the Russians, and I am of course referring to direct military intervention, I just don't see how Milosevic and his people can continue to absorb such a brutal pounding by the American and British forces; but on the other hand, hasn't Saddam Hussein done the very same thing and survived? The current situation in Yugoslavia is similar to one diamond rubbing against another diamond. It appears that both sides have dug in their heels for the long haul, as we say in American slang. I must admit that, in light of this three-week barrage of aerial attacks on Yugoslavian cities, I am rather amazed by Russia's degree of restraint, as well as perplexed by the fact that she has not done something by now to put an end to it. I can only conclude that either the Russian government truly is as politically, economically and militarily wounded as the Western press has made her out to be, or else she is wisely playing possum, and just waiting until the foolish West has seriously dwindled their supply of war toys, before she decides to make her own move. Allow me to refer you to my two articles "Communism: Is the Dead Beast Really Dead?", and "Communism: The Raging Bear Out of Control".

Another very real possibility, is that Boris Yeltsin has instructed Milosevic to hunker down, just as Hussein did, who also happens to be one of Russia's friends, and simply wait until world opinion finally makes a solid turn against American and British policy in Yugoslavia. As I have said on more than one occasion, due to her violent and belligerent attitude, America has slowly been digging her own grave, by infuriating the nations of the world, as she carries out her oppressive and bullish policies. While many nations of the world have been foolishly bewitched by the American dream of materialistic living, and through their desire to emulate her, have become enslaved to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, both of which are Zionist-controlled entities, the truth is, that they truly do hate what she is doing to the world through her wasteful, lavish lifestyle, and wanton acts of destruction. As I also point out in other articles, it is because of her snobbish attitude, that some Christians, such as myself, have compared her to Babylon the Great Whore, who is amply described for us in the Book of Revelation. One thing is for certain, America's pride will one day be her downfall:

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."


"How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow."


Some of my Christian friends have recently suggested to me that this war might be the start of something much bigger; that is, they believe that it might be the catalyst for the long-awaited Battle of Gog and Magog. This awesome battle is described for us in great detail, both in Ezekiel chapters thirty-eight and thirty-nine, as well as more briefly in Revelation chapter twenty; however, as I explain in such articles as "From Armageddon to the New Earth", "Hell, the Lake of Fire and Universalism", and "The Great Tribulation and the Rapture", based upon my current understanding of the Holy Scriptures, I believe that those people who place this battle in our near future, may be in error. This quick, decisive, post-Millennial battle against the Saints, is described for us in the following verses:

"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them."


As you can see, these verses give us a precise timeframe for the Battle of Gog and Magog. They specifically state "when the thousand years are expired". As I point out in the aforementioned articles, this thousand years will not begin, until Jesus Christ returns in all of His Power and Glory, and defeats the Beast and the False Prophet at the Battle of Armageddon. Now, if we turn to the the thirty-eighth chapter of the Book of Ezekiel, where the Prophet begins to describe Gog and Magog, in verse eight we read the following:

"After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them."


Please notice that just as we are told in John's Revelation that the famed Battle of Gog and Magog will occur "when the thousand years are expired", that is, when the Millennium is at, or at least nearing its closure, Ezekiel likewise tells Gog that his battle in Israel will be "in the latter years". While we can argue that the Latter Years, or the Last Days, or the Endtime, has been in effect since the time of Christ, which is indeed true, as I explain in such articles as "The Seven Heads", we cannot deny the similarities between these two verses. Allow me to ask you a question: If what is now occurring in Yugoslavia is the beginning of the Battle of Gog and Magog, how can we truly say that it meets Ezekiel's description of "in the latter years", that is, at the end of years, if the one-thousand-year Millennial Rule hasn't even occurred yet? On the other hand, if it occurs "when the thousand years are expired", precisely as John tells us, that truly would be "in the latter years"; that is, in the final end years of the Millennium. In comparing Scripture with Scripture, this definitely seems like a more reasonable interpretation in my opinion. It simply is not the end of years, or the latter years, if we still have at least another thousand years to go, is it?

The only logical way to refute my interpretation, would be to suggest that there may actually be two different Battles of Gog and Magog; that is, one which occurs sometime before the Millennium begins, which would place it in our very near future, and then a second Battle of Gog and Magog a thousand years later near its very end. In other words, one would almost have to say that this theoretical first Battle of Gog and Magog will lead into the final Battle of Armageddon at which time Christ returns, or else that the Battle of Gog and Magog and the Battle of Armageddon are the very same thing, which they most certainly are not in my view. In short, to accept any other interpretation than the one which I have presented, simply creates a very confusing situation, and is much more difficult to prove in a Scriptural sense. If John tells us that the Battle of Gog and Magog occurs after the Millennium expires, then that is what we should believe.

The truth of the matter, is that this whole idea of the Battle of Gog and Magog occurring soon, is based upon the popular interpretation of Endtime prophecy, which states that the Beast and the Ten Horns of the Books of Daniel and Revelation, is either Rome and ten European nations, or else Russia and ten European nations. As I explain in a variety of my Endtime articles, I too embraced this interpretation for quite a few years; however, this was based upon what I had been taught by others, and not upon my own personal study of the Scriptures. Now that I have taken the time to thoroughly look into this matter, as I explain in the series "The Seven Heads", and other articles, I am more inclined to believe that the Beast will be an Arab/Islamic nation and its leader, who will lead ten other Arab/Islamic nations, in their hellish war against the state of Israel. This is the battle which will be occurring in our near future, in my view; and it is not the Battle of Gog and Magog, but rather the Battle of Armageddon. Of course, this war will most likely be marked by heavy American and Russian involvement. For more details regarding these events, please study my Endtime articles. The Battle of Gog and Magog will not occur until some one thousand years later, after the Millennium, at the time of the Final Rebellion, which again, is what John tells us.

In conclusion then, all Earthly wars are evil, because they are the result of pride, lust, greed, and the desire to have more than one's rightful share. God hates humanity's wars, because they not only destroy people and disrupt lives, but they destroy His natural creation as well; all of which He created for His own pleasure and enjoyment. At the same time, because of man's sins, as we have already seen, God will use man's wars as His own rod of chastisement against His rebellious creations. Jesus Christ Himself preached against wars, as I explain in some of my other political articles, and someday soon, He will indeed put a complete end to them by His own War at the Battle of Armageddon. For a thousand years, the world will then be at peace, until the final Battle of Gog and Magog, when the incorrigibles are dealt with once and for all. Please consider the following verses:

"From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."


"But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."


"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."


"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."


"Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword."


With these verses, I am going to bring another article to a close. I trust that it has been informative, and a blessing in your life.

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