UPDATED 22 September 2022: In announcing the conscription mobilization of 300,000 troops from Russia's reserve forces (veterans of prior service), Russian president Vladimir Putin this morning set in motion an escalation of his war against Ukraine and NATO. Putin's escalation of the war is replete with the threat of Russian use of tactical and strategic nuclear weapons because he now sees the tide of his war being reversed and therefore threatening the "territorial integrity of Russia."
In Vladimir Putin's thoroughly warped worldview, all of Ukraine, from the Don River Basin (a/k/a the Donbas) westward to the NATO frontier, is Russian territory. The recent rout of Russian forces and loss of territory to Ukrainian forces armed to the hilt with the best weapons the West has provided to date is a direct threat to Russian territorial integrity. This in turn is Putin's rationale for his threat in authorizing nuclear weapons use. We must accept Putin's words, "This is not a bluff" at face value, and he will release his nukes upon his enemies.
Make no mistake, even the Chinese Communists have been rattled by this morning's announcement from Moscow. Word came swiftly out of Beijing warning Moscow to immediately de-escalate and to seek a cease-fire in the Ukraine war. The U.S. and NATO response to this escalatory threat from Russia will be announced in the U.N. General Assembly this morning.
This is the current SITREP AS OF 10:30 EDT 21 September 2022.
An often asked question: Will nuclear war occur? Answer: Yes, both before the 70th Week begins and during it. And since the harpazo of the bride of Christ is always imminent, it cannot be stated with any certainty that a nuclear exchange will not occur prior to the blessed event.
(Beyond this, a nuclear exchange has already occurred on this earth while the bride of Christ was present. On August 6th and 9th 1945 Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan were struck with atomic bombs dropped by two American B-29 Stratofortess aircraft. Hundreds of thousands of human beings perished in both strikes.)
Now, an Eschatology Today explanation for why this is true.
The Gog and Magog prophecy of Ezekiel 38/39 appears to have a pre-70th Week of years fulfillment. The LORD God declares in Ezekiel 39:6 "And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live securely (confidently) in the coastlands." There is no reason to question that the land of Magog (Russia) will receive a nuclear strike as a result of the attempt to invade, rape and plunder the nation of Israel. (Note: this is exactly what Russia's intent has been for the Ukraine, and, in fact, invasion, rape, mass murder and plunder are what the Russian military forces and their proxy allies have committed in Ukraine.)
The unknown part of this is: Is America the unknown land which lives securely (confidently) in the coastlands who receives fire (judgment) as Magog (Russia) does? Whatever the case may be, these strikes happen during the midst of the destruction of the armies of Magog and its confederates upon the mountains of Israel. It may be true also that this is not a full-scale nuclear war as the world goes on and endures almost to the point of an extinction level event through the Lord's judgments of the 70th Week of years which follow shortly thereafter. So, it may be what occurs in Ezekiel 39:6 is a limited or tactic use of nuclear weapons.
Then during the 70th Week of years, as seen in Revelation 6, a quarter of all human life on the earth will be annihilated. As of 2022, and the waning global COVID-19 pandemic, there are 8 billion souls on the earth. That means 2 billion will die in the Revelation 6 judgments. Shortly thereafter the Revelation 8 and 9 judgments occur upon the remaining 6 billion population of the earth, and of these a full one-third are annihilated. What is one-third of 6 billion? It is another 2 billion people. That's 4 billion people wiped out in the first 42 months, also known as the Thlipsis/Tribulation. Eschatology Today assesses that the vast major of these are the direct result of nuclear weapons.
And during the Megas Thlipsis/Great Tribulation it only gets worse, so much so that if the Lord would not cuts those days short the extinction of human life would have occurred. Jesus speaking in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:22 NKJV: "And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened."
So, when utterly mad men talk in threatening tones about using nuclear weapons at this hour, pay attention! If Jesus Christ is not your Lord and Savior all you have to do at this point is call upon His Name to forgive your sins and be covered by His precious sacrifice.
Marana'tha!
