Tag: israel

Looking Ahead to the New Year: Viva 2026!

Roger Mitchell1 Comment

Today is January 1, 2026, the beginning of a new year, and the possibility of any number of good things happening. After all, we just finished the season of wishing others a “Merry Christmas”, which connotes peace and good will toward others in a spirit of love, even toward our enemies. Or maybe, just not hating our enemies quite as much as we normally do.

Or perhaps, even more likely, since Christmas is over for another year and we can put those warm, fuzzy feelings behind us, the next year will be one of Hell breaking out on Planet Earth. There is ample evidence for this extrapolation.

  1. The Ukraine/Russian war which is threatening to engulf all of Europe.
  2. The ongoing Israeli massacre of the Palestinians in Gaza and the destruction of the Middle East.
  3. The next chapter of the Israeli/Iranian war, which might destroy the Middle East.
  4. The potential of the US attacking Venezuela in an effort to force a regime change, so that “we” can get “our” oil back.
  5. The strong suspicion that China is about to assault Taiwan.
  6. The rise of BRICS in opposition to the “international rule of law” as interpreted by the West.
  7. Financial turmoil on a scale never seen before and the recent nearly vertical rise in the price of gold and silver.
  8. The increasing belief that the Day of the Dollar is just about over and that a new system, the Great Reset is imminent.
  9. CBDC’s, digital surveillance, and social conditioning are about to destroy any residual semblance of privacy and freedom, all with the assistance of AI controlled data centers which are going to suck up every last available bit of electricity and fresh water.
  10. COVID. Climate change. The whole Woke monstrosity.
  11. Etc., etc., etc.,…

Oh, yes, there is good reason to believe that 2026 will not be all sugar, spice, and an extended vacation in a tropical paradise. Why, it’s almost enough to make me want to go to bed, cover my head with a pillow, and never come out again. And yet, and yet…

“In the world, you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” — John 16:33

For those who have put their hope and faith in Jesus Christ, the Word, and His word, the troubles we face here can be met with courage and fearlessness because we understand that He is watching over His creation, His Church, with the ultimate intention being that it will reflect all the glory which is God’s alone. No matter what happens to us, it is done with His permission and/or blessing. There is nothing which can touch us unless He allows it and even the “bad things” are meant to steer us toward greater humility and trust.

There are only three ways we can respond to the troubles around us:

  1. Returning evil for evil as the world does. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. What’s in it for me. I’m looking out for #1. Kill them all, let God sort them out. Money, money, money. He who dies with the most toys, wins. Eat, drink, and be merry, because tomorrow we die.
  2. Self-control. Love your neighbor as you love yourself, including your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Do not retaliate, but forgive. Seek peace with all. Beat your swords into plowshares. Make a positive difference in your own world because you believe in the future.
  3. Disengage. Distance yourself completely from society. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, but especially do nothing to restrain evil. In essence, admit defeat and commit suicide. Because it’s hopeless.

In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl wrote these timeless words.

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms–to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way…The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity–even under the most difficult circumstances–to add a deeper meaning to his life. It may remain brave, dignified, and unselfish. Or in the bitter fight for self-preservation he may forget his human dignity and become no more than an animal. Here lies the chance for a man either to make use of or to forgo the opportunities of attaining the moral values that a difficult situation may afford him. And this decides whether he is worthy of his sufferings or not.”

In everything we experience this next year, we have a choice. Go through it as a willing ambassador of Christ, knowing we are His, or go through it as an animal, forgetting or refusing to admit that we are made in His Image.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord…” — 2 Timothy 1:7-8a

As Christians, we have the power and ability to influence our world for the better. We ought not squander the opportunity. Be blessed as you go out and have a Happy New Year in His Name.

Victimization: Running Out of Steam

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I like to think of myself as caring and compassionate, especially toward those who are beaten down and needy through no fault of their own. I have no problem with slipping a Benjamin into the hand of an elderly widow or young mother who I am certain is not able to pay her electric bill. Yet, there are some things which simply cause me to rebel, to resist. One of these is the claim by some that they are eternal victims and that everyone must excuse their behavior because…

Well, you know.

Blacks in America are pretty good at this. They (or their ancestors, or perhaps only some) were made slaves by white people centuries ago and, due to that unfortunate tidbit of history, ought to have everything handed to them on a silver or gold platter today. Never mind that the ones who enslaved them (or their ancestors, or perhaps only some of them) were probably also black. Never mind that the term, Slav, which classifies a middle-European race, likely sprang from the fact that white people from that region were probably also “slaves”. Never mind that the black ancestors who were enslaved have long been dead, as have been their “masters”, and that there is no connection between myself and a black man in San Francisco or Atlanta as a result of that specific situation. Everyone knows they are victims and must be compensated.

Enough of that! Let’s get to the real meat here.

Earlier today, I watched a short “news” brief by ABC on the retaliation by Iran because of the Israeli strikes on that country on June 13. Friday the 13th. Exactly sixty-one days after President Donald (Cap’n Warp Speed) Trump had told the Iranians they had sixty days to conform and comply with his nuclear “negotiations”. If they didn’t, well, at least he warned them of the terror and suffering that was to come.

Anyway, ABC had a reporter on the ground in Bet Yam, a community which had received numerous missile strikes from the Iranians. (Where the heck is Iron Dome when you need it?) One of the complaints was that children, at least two, had been killed. Let’s be real clear about this, at least two Israeli children had been killed from the missile strikes and, for that, we ought to be outraged. Yet, there was not a word about the thousands of Palestinian children who have been coldly slaughtered in the name of “security” and “Greater Israel”, even though it is (and can be) completely documented. Nothing said at all about the Iranian children who died as a result of Israel’s aggressive action.

No! NO, NO, NO! Our children are dying!! Ours, not theirs. We ought to be the ones who are sympathized with, pitied, and something must be done about it!!!

Pat Benatar had something to sing about this. “I’m going to harden my heart…”

Truth is, I have trouble with ginning up any sympathy for the Israeli claim, because I know that the Israeli State is killing, has killed, an untold number of Palestinian or Iranian children. I can have pity for them, but…that’s about as far as it goes. The problem is that they have been claiming to be “victims of circumstance” for as long as I can remember, at least since the “oppression” in Egypt during the time of Moses, some 3500 years ago. How long does one have to be a victim before it becomes embedded into the DNA and bloodline?

Remember Pinnochio? The fox and the cat?

Is this wrong? Do I have a bad attitude? Am I in need of a readjustment in some camp somewhere?

I can, and do, feel sadness at the violent deaths of two Israeli children, but I also recognize and understand that this is payment received for the evil, violent, murderous behavior exhibited, pursued, and acted upon, by decades of Israeli leadership and society, which knew (know) only one thing: violence for the sake of power is to be pursued to the ultimate end, which is death. All that matters is that we win, no matter how much it costs, nor how many others have to die so that we can achieve our goal, our end. If some of those who die are our own, well…collateral damage.

“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” — Jesus Christ, as recorded in Luke 6:38.

Sin, Crime, and Complicity

Roger Mitchell2 Comments

This is nothing more than a flash of inspiration experienced just the other day. Take it for what it’s worth.

Jesus said that if a man looks at a woman lustfully, then it is the same as if he had engaged in adultery with her. Think about her in a sexual manner and it is equivalent to bedding her physically. In other words, your thoughts define you as much as your actions.

Pretty stark, and I am absolutely guilty of the commission of this particular sin.

Now, let’s expand that to the conflict in Gaza, in which the Israeli State is attempting to completely destroy the Palestinian people who lived there. No holds barred. Kill them all. Let God sort them out. There are only three choices here for those not caught up in the actual “blood and guts” scene:

  1. Recognize that the way Israel is acting is wrong and must be brought to an end.
  2. Recognize that the way Israel is acting is right and support policies that push the effort forward.
  3. Do nothing. Have no opinion. Don’t even think about it.

Many people world-wide, more and more every day, adhere to #1, as I do. Pressure is building which is going to force an end to the slaughter and mayhem. God speed the day! And, there are many who simply cannot be bothered to consider what is happening because they are too caught up in their own world to care about anyone else. And, there are those who cheer and applaud what is being done without any regard to the wanton loss of life and the destruction of the Gazan population.

Unfortunately, many of this last set are Americans who call themselves Christian, yet perceive the events as biblical prophesy unfolding in history. God said it. I believe it. That settles it. As if there was no room for contemplation and admission of error. I know what I think and nothing is going to change my mind. Don’t even bother to try.

Returning to my opening statement, let me paraphrase the admonition from Jesus in this way.

If, if, you have a desire and a passion to see the Palestinians killed, tortured, raped, maimed, crippled, starved, and displaced by the Israeli State, then, for you, it is the same as if you had personally pulled the trigger, dropped the bomb, activated the flame-thrower, stopped the food trucks, destroyed the water-purification facilities, wrecked the hospitals, and forced the inhabitants into the desert with nothing more than the clothes on their backs and what they could carry. If, if, you support the most current “genocide” out of a belief, then you have committed the crimes listed and probably more.

After all, thinking about the act is the same as doing it, in God’s eyes. At least that is how I read it.

Now, if I am right about this, then there are millions upon millions of American Christians, some of them close to me, who are absolutely guilty of the same things which Israel and its chief benefactor and enabler, the United States, are doing. Yes, if this is the way you think, then you are complicit in these horrors and will be convicted, sooner or later, in some way or other, of the charge laid against you.

“But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” — Matthew 5:28

Straight from the lips of the Master. Without ambiguity or equivocation. Take it for what it’s worth.

The Drive to War, Next Phase: Part 2

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More questions concerning the bombing of the Saudi oil processing facility at Abqaiq. See my previous post for the beginning of this discussion.

If the Houthis, on whom the Saudis have been waging war for over four years, performed this operation, then there is no need for more speculation. It was a straight-forward military tactic to inflict injury on an opponent in a war. End of story. If it brings the Saudis to a point where they are willing to negotiate an end to the war, then more power to the Houthis. In fact, hit them again. Harder, this time.

But, if the Houthis did not do this, then why did they say they did? Why was that declaration immediate unless they knew in advance that it was going to happen? If they knew in advance that it was coming, then who told them? If someone else told them and they agreed to claim responsibility for it, then what was promised to them for their cooperation? Furthermore, if someone else was responsible for the attack, what was their rationale and purpose behind it?

Perhaps the Houthis actually did execute a high-tech, perfectly synchronized, flawless attack on an enemy’s territory which was supposedly “protected” by the most modern defensive weapons available. Or not. I am highly skeptical. My inclination is to think that another party is involved here. This has all the earmarks of a false-flag designed to persuade and coerce the US (and the American people) into waging yet another Middle-East war. So far, I haven’t seen any evidence presented which makes me think I ought to change my mind. I simply don’t believe the official narrative.

It is easy to focus on the question of who did it and try to pinpoint the perpetrator. The far more important one, though, is who benefits from the action. Cui bono? Merriam-Webster defines the phrase as, “: a principle that probable responsibility for an act or event lies with one having something to gain.” No matter what, the party which would gain the most by having the US attack Iran is unquestionably the state of Israel, with Saudi Arabia tracking closely behind it.

Politically speaking, it is not in Israel’s interest to have widespread peace breaking out in the neighborhood. If this did happen and the antagonistic parties started working out their disagreements civilly and peacefully, then the police state in power in Jerusalem would have less justification to maintain their policies of brutal repression and the continual drive for military dominance and superiority. Where’s the money in that? If the US attacked and destroyed Iran, Israel would have no viable competition left to challenge its dominance in the region.

Neither is it in the Saud’s interest to negotiate a cease-fire with the Houthis, since that would infer a catastrophic defeat of the Kingdom by a vastly inferior foe. This perception alone might be enough to cause a “regime change” and a course correction within the government of the House of Saud, something which the powers-that-be are not willing to tolerate. If the US attacked and destroyed Iran, the price of oil would go up astronomically, conferring an immediate financial benefit on the Saudis which they desperately need. That is, if anyone else could afford to buy it.

Considering this, it’s easy to imagine that either the Israelis or the Saudis (or both) orchestrated this singular event, in the hopes that the US would then jump in and destroy Iran or that it would draw attention away from the fact that the war in Yemen is going badly for Saudi Arabia. Neither of these is far-fetched. The kicker is that if the US doesn’t respond in the hoped-for manner and refuses to attack Iran, then the whole operation has been a colossal failure on the part of the perpetrators. One can hope.

I would like to believe that the Houthis actually did execute this attack and that they can use it (and more like it, if necessary) to drive the Sauds to the negotiating table. Ending the war in Yemen by inflicting severe injuries on the Saudi apparatus is a desirable benefit. My gut instinct, however, tells me differently.