In Japan, people scrambled to find shelter as a North Korean missile flew overhead. The nation issued a J-alert. Train service was suspended. Officials ordered residents in the northeastern part of the country to evacuate buildings and find bomb shelters. Both Japan and South Korea sit minutes away from almost all of North Korea’s large ballistic missile stockpile. But they’re not alone. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea also has intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach most of the world, including the United States.
On October 4th, the Los Angeles Times ran an article with the headline, “North Korea’s latest missile test reminds the world of Asia’s powder keg.” The article said, “With the war in Ukraine and Russia’s threats to deploy tactical nuclear weapons, it was easy to lose sight of the rising danger North Korea poses.”
But with a threat like Russia, such an oversight is understandable. When the nation with the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear weapons, repeatedly threatens to use them, it’s hard not to put your focus there. It may feel good to see Ukraine’s success, but we also need to understand the danger their success creates. Putin’s army is falling apart. Men fearing the draft have been fleeing the country at an astounding rate.
An ever-growing number of Putin’s inner circle have met untimely deaths, suggesting that it’s dangerous even in private to question the Czar-like Putin. But on the battlefield, another kind of desperation has set in. It has become increasingly common to see white flags attached to Russian tanks, and Russian soldiers walking toward enemy lines with their hands raised.
Vladimir Putin is being deeply humiliated. That feels like justice, but it has created an almost unfathomable danger for every person in the world. The Daily Beast ran an October 4th article with the headline, “It’s Time to Brace for Putin’s Greatest Meltdown Yet.” They called him a “cornered animal,” and said, “The great unraveling of Russian President Vladimir Putin could be right around the corner. It won’t be pretty.”
As Russia’s leader is further weakened, he becomes more likely to lash out with the only thing Russia has that scares everyone else — his nukes. He’s looking for a way to stay in power, and maybe even to stay alive. It is a time of desperation, and that means anything is possible.
That same day, October 4, 2022, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said it was purchasing $290 million worth of the drug Nplate, used “to save lives following radiological and nuclear emergencies.” Think about that. The United States is now stockpiling antiradiation drugs. What brought that on? One guess. Russia.
Vladimir Putin, a man who seems to be in poor health and showing increased mental instability, controls the world’s largest arsenal of nuclear weapons — larger even than that of the United States. In a televised September speech to the Russian people, Putin said he was not bluffing when he warned that he might use nuclear weapons against the West. He told them the very existence of Russia is now at stake in Ukraine. Since he said that, Russia’s strategic position in Ukraine has only grown more dire.
“Perilous times” have come, just as the Bible said they would. Stay close to the Lord in prayer and Bible reading. We must not despair, but walk in faith — getting the Gospel out in every way we can, for as long as we can.
