Foreign Policy Failure

In the midst of all our domestic distractions it is easy to miss the mess the U.S. government is making in the world. President Obama's efforts to avoid a war with Iran over their nuclear weapon ambitions is destabilizing the region. When godless people try to accomplish even good things in their own power apart from God, the very consequences they seek to avoid usually happens anyway.

Appeasing terrorists does not have a very good track record in history. All it does is embolden those who seek attention for their cause by murdering innocent non-combatants. Sure we should do everything we can to avoid a terrible thing like war but the idea that we can eliminate it entirely during this age is dangerously naive. "For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape" (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

The problem with the liberal mind-set that trips them up every time is that they do not have a realistic view of mankind's nature. Liberals overlook the fact that all people have a sin nature, "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). People who will murder innocents to further their cause will also be deceptive and not honor their commitments. No amount of talking with Iran about stopping their quest for nuclear weapons will convince them to yield to our will. Our talks with Iran will no-doubt result in some agreement that removes sanctions but will have no value in curbing their nuclear ambitions.

While the Obama administration has been very secretive about what is being given up to secure whatever Iranian concessions they are getting, one thing is clear: Iran is being given the green light to develop nuclear weapons. And this has caused Saudi Arabia to be convinced they now also need nuclear weapons to counter this new security threat. Likewise, Israel has concluded that a nuclear-armed Iran is a fait accompli and are trying to get what they can from the U.S. as a concession.

Saudi Arabia has already acquired DF-3 missiles from China that only have value in delivering nuclear weapons. It was the Saudis who funded Pakistan's nuclear weapon program so they likely have some leverage to get their help catching up to Iran in this new arms race. Pakistan will likely welcome another nuclear-armed Sunni nation to help counter the emerging nuclear-armed Shiite threat to their West. There is also the rouge, cash-starved North Koreans who would love to sell their nuclear technology to the cash-rich Saudis.

Some will think, what's the big deal? It will be ten-plus years before Iran is allowed to have a nuclear weapon. Few people except Obama administration sycophants believe that. Everyone knows there now exists a narrowing window of opportunity where conventional (i.e. non-nuclear) war may accomplish some geopolitical goals before a nuclear-armed Iran changes the dynamics. It appears as though the radical Sunnis of the Islamic State are taking full advantage of the times to take as much territory as they can (both real estate and mind-share) in their quest to re-establish a Caliphate.

Meanwhile, the struggle between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs is continuing to boil. It is just a matter of time before one or more of Israel's enemies initiate a new conflict in order to unite other Islamic entities to their cause. The Psalm 83 conventional war involving the nations immediately surrounding Israel will be the result. And this war will set the stage for the Ezekiel 38 war which involves Iran and will go nuclear.

It is hard to imagine people not recognizing the value of Bible prophecy in explaining all the developments we are seeing among the nations of the world. The U.S. strategy of appeasement in seeking after peace is making the potential for war more likely and the nations are becoming aligned just as the Bible says they would be before Jesus returns. It would behoove us all to be more like the "sons of Issachar" who "understood the times" (1 Chronicles 12:32) and thus took action accordingly...

While the window is closing in the Mideast for conventional warfare, our window for helping others trust in Jesus is also about to close. We all need to take every opportunity the Lord gives us to help others embrace the good news about Him while we still can.