As the United States and Russia met in Geneva last Friday, amidst Russia’s continued amassing of forces on Ukraine’s border, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergei Ryabkov, took the opportunity to tell news organizations, gathered at the event, “we are not afraid of anyone, not even the U.S.”
Ryabkov’s comment to reporters came while U.S. Secretary of State Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had met at the Geneva event, as a show of continued diplomatic discussions over the escalating situation in Ukraine. According to NBC’s Andrea Mitchell, Ryabkov told reporters, “We [Russia] are not afraid of anyone, not even the U.S.,” after he was asked, “Why are you afraid of Ukraine?”
The comment made by Ryabkov underscores why many believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin likely “will move in” to invade Ukraine. The list includes President Biden, according to his own comments to reporters made last Wednesday.
“Vladimir Putin understands NATO is weak, America is weak, and this is his time to do what he wants to do,” observed Bible prophecy teacher Amir Tsarfati.
“All the signs are on the table of a soon, immediate, Russian invasion into Ukraine,” says Amir Tsarfati, President of Behold Israel.
Even as the United States and Russia began Friday’s negotiations in Geneva, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov downplayed expectations when he told Secretary Blinken, “I heard one of your last statements during your European tour when you said that you did not expect a breakthrough from these negotiations. We [Russia] do not expect a breakthrough at these negotiations either.”
“What we expect is concrete answers to our concrete proposals,” Foreign Minister Lavrov told Secretary Blinken, explaining, “I’m referring particularly to the principle of indivisibility of security, as well as the obligation of countries not to strengthen their own security at the expense of the security of others. We would very much be interested to listen to how the U.S. interprets these obligations and these principles.”
Lavrov’s request for “concrete answers to our concrete proposals” comes as Russia has begun a significant push in raising the issue of international security. Particularly, beginning in December 2021, when Russia sent proposed treaties to the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), says to Tsarfati.
Tsarfati explained that Russia has sought to cast its current actions in a light of fostering “peace and stability.” However, according to Tsarfati, the true intent of the proposed treaties appears to be aimed at dismantling NATO, by stripping from NATO “all the former countries that were part of the USSR,” while also forcing America to “give up its alliance with Europe.”
“There are basically two paths ahead. One is through diplomacy and dialogue. The other is Russian aggression that will have serious consequences,” said Secretary Blinken following Friday’s meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister.
Although Secretary Blinken shared that he and Foreign Minister Lavrov “agreed that it is important for the diplomatic process to continue,” Blinken also strongly emphasized, “it is really up to Russia to decide which path it will pursue.”
Speaking with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Secretary Blinken warned that Ukraine’s allies, including America, would respond swiftly to all forms of Russian aggression in Ukraine, including those tactics which Russia has engaged in within the past.
“Based on history,” said Secretary Blinken, “we’re acutely aware of other things that Russia does short of actually sending uniforms into another country to try to destabilize it, topple its government, hybrid actions, cyber-attacks, et cetera.” Blinken went on to say that he told “Minister Lavrov that we will respond to those too in a swift, severe, and united way, but that is proportionate to what Russia does.”
Biblical Relevance
Increased geopolitical unrest within the world, including “wars and rumors of wars,” is among the signs emphasized, by Jesus, as a sign of the end of the age (Matthew 24:3-8).
The current situation in Eastern Europe unquestionably qualifies as falling within the category of “rumors of wars.” In recent comments, made during a Bible prophecy update, Amir Tsarfati underscored that Russia’s current placement of soldiers in Belarus, while surrounding Ukraine, has caused “panic in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, all the Baltics.”
As Pastor John MacArthur explains, the signs Jesus described, including “wars and rumors of wars,” will be observed within the world in an “escalating fashion, an increasingly worse fashion” as the time of Christ’s Second Coming approaches.
Yet, despite the swirling rumors of wars, those who know and love Jesus Christ should not be fearful. As Pastor MacArthur observes, the signs described in Matthew 24 are signs before the Second Coming, however, there are no signs necessary before the Rapture. “It could happen at any moment. It is a sign-less, imminent event. [The Rapture] is the next thing; no signs necessary,” explains MacArthur.
“Signs before the Second Coming, no signs before the rapture,” reiterated MacArthur, going on to explain, “we live in the light that at any moment, in any fraction of a moment, trumps sound, the angel calls and we go. This is the next event in God’s plan.”
As we witness, among other things, increasing geopolitical unrest in the world, it is important to heed the words of the Apostle Paul, as written in 2 Corinthians 6:2, “now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
If you don’t know Jesus Christ, now is the time to come to experience the assurance of salvation through the Gospel of Jesus Christ – including forgiveness of sin, salvation, the hope of heaven.
