This past week, former Russian President and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev released a list of his predictions for 2023. In this wild catalog of speculation, he included events like the collapse of the EU, the creation of a Fourth Reich, war in Western Europe, civil war in the US, and Texas seceding and forming an allied state with Mexico. While this may be Medvedev’s grown-up Christmas list, I’m not quite as pessimistic as he is. However, neither am I optimistic about what is coming in this next year. For all the difficulties that the globe has seen in this past year, I believe that 2023 will be much worse.
I know that this is hard for some Christians to understand. Many have been deceived by bad theology and are waiting for a golden age of righteousness to be ushered in by the church. That’s not going to happen. The golden age of righteousness will come, but it will not be established by Christians but by Christ Himself when He returns with the church following the seven horrific years of the tribulation. Because I know through the Bible what God has planned, I can be pessimistic for the world, while, at the same time, being optimistic for those who have received Jesus as their Savior and Lord. The earth will continue to deteriorate, as will the world’s cultures. But the day is coming soon when our Messiah, Jesus, will come in the clouds to receive His church unto Himself. Lord, hasten the day when we will see our Savior face to face!
Israeli Government Sworn in Thursday
Benjamin Netanyahu was once again sworn in as Prime Minister of the State of Israel today. Finally, the debacle of the previous “government of change” can be relegated to the dustbin of history.
This 37th government of Israel will be the most conservative that the nation has ever had. The small but loud, media-backed LGBTQ movement is prepared to protest all across the country. Netanyahu will have much work ahead righting many of the wrongs left by the previous administration.
Thankfully, he will have a strong economy in which to work. The Economist just ranked Israel number four on their list of the best economies in the world. While there are certainly social and domestic issues on Netanyahu’s plate, the number one concern that he will have to deal with is stopping Iran from becoming a nuclear nation. As Netanyahu has already said, “Our main goal will be to thwart Iran’s nuclear arsenal.”
Ukrainian Drones Hit Russian Airbase
For the second time this month, a Ukrainian drone hit Engels airbase 600 km inside Russia on Monday. A control center was the target and three Russian servicemen were killed in the attack. Interestingly, the New York Times reported that US forces are helping Ukraine attack sites where Iranian drones are hosted and launched from. Does this mean that the US just assisted in a strike on an important Russian airbase?
Putin Claims to Want to End the “War”
In comments to reporters, Russian President Vladimir Putin hinted at a desire to end the fight with Ukraine, saying, “Our goal is not to spin the flywheel of military conflict, but, on the contrary, to end this war.”
What caught the attention of pundits around the world was not the irony of the primary aggressor claiming a goal of peace. Instead, it was that this was the first time that Putin is on record calling the conflict a “war” rather than a “special military operation.” Critics immediately pounced claiming he should be prosecuted in the same way others have been for using this censored word.
The Kremlin was quick to say that it was simply a slip of the tongue, much like accidentally uttering the word “water” instead of “clear, wet liquid” and “dog” instead of “four-legged, slobbery canine”.
Russia Demands Ownership of Three Churches on Mount of Olives
Former Russian Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin has submitted a claim to the Israeli courts in behalf of the Kremlin for ownership of three churches on the Mount of Olives.
The Russians claim that the Church of Mary Magdalene, The Chapel of the Ascension, and the Viri Galilaei Church belong to them. President Putin also made an earlier demand for control of the Alexander Nevsky Church in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Stepashin is accusing Israel of unnecessarily delaying the process, saying, “We worked for five years to obtain all historical documents for our claim, but since everything that happened in Ukraine, Israel is avoiding the matter. Russia will pressure Jerusalem to gain control of the property.”
Serbia Builds Up Military on Kosovo Border
Claiming a concern for the protection of Serbs in Kosovo, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic ordered his interior minister to place the nation’s security troops to the “full state of combat readiness”. Serbia has never recognized the independence of the republic that broke away from it in 2008, and has recently been building up its troops and weapons along the shared border.
Tensions have been growing in Kosovo between ethnic Serbs and Kosovars since the beginning of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. NATO has been backing the Kosovo government, while Putin is siding with Vucic which is just adding to the mess.
Shooting in Paris Leads to Rioting
A 69-year-old man, who had recently been freed while awaiting trial for a saber attack at a Paris migrant camp, targeted members of Paris’s Kurdish community, killing three and wounding four others. This led to three days of rioting by Kurds in Paris and other French cities, claiming that the gendarmerie is not doing enough to protect them against racially based attacks.
North Korean Drones Breach South Korean Airspace
When North Korea sent five of its drones into South Korean airspace on Monday, the South’s military scrambled warplanes and attack helicopters to meet the breaching UAVs. Unfortunately, the only aircraft that went to the ground was one of South Korea’s KA-1 light aircraft. Despite one of the drones making it all the way to Seoul, not one UAV was taken down.
Tuesday saw the South Korean military apologizing to the nation for its colossal failure and promising to do better next time.
Iran Threatens to Knock Ukraine Back to Pre-Industrial Times
The war of words between Iran and Ukraine is heating up. Despite pieces of Iranian-made drones being found in Ukraine, Tehran still denies they’ve supplied them to Russia.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani went so far as to threaten the Ukrainian president, saying, “Mr. Zelenskyy had better know that Iran’s strategic patience over such unfounded accusations is not endless.”
Then, after Mikhail Podolyak, an adviser to President Zelenskyy, called for the destruction of Iran’s defense enterprises, Iranian journalist Reza Abbasi responded, “The slightest action that threatens the security of the Iranian people will return Kyiv to the pre-industrial era…. This is not a threat; this is a warning.”
Iran’s Strategy of Nuclear Weapons and Cyberterrorism
Zohar Palti, former head of Israel’s Defense Ministry’s political-military bureau and former intelligence director in the Mossad, warned that Iran is days to weeks away from enriching uranium to the 90% military grade level.
He said that this “does not mean they can immediately build a nuclear weapon… but it’s very bad, and we’ve never been closer to it.” The lack of delivery technology for Iran could be getting a boost from Russia due to the growing military collaboration between the two nations. Russia gets drone technology and manufacturing from Iran, while Iran gets nuclear missile technology from Russia.
Meanwhile, the head of the Mossad, David Barnea, chastised the West for its continued attempts to negotiate a halt to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. He said that Iran’s true intentions can be seen in their continued nuclear development even as they say they are conferring.
Their duplicity is also seen in their continuous terrorist attacks against Israel, including cyberattacks that are being dealt with by Israel on a daily basis.
Middle Eastern Economies Collapsing
The economies of many nations in the Middle East are failing in spectacular fashion. The currencies of Iraq, Turkey, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt are all in free fall. Expect to see much unrest throughout the region in 2023.
Will Brazil Turn Into Another Venezuela?
Sunday, January 1, will see the swearing in of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to the presidency of Brazil. With Lula’s ascendency, we sadly see another South American country fall into the hands of a criminally corrupt socialist. Will Brazil turn into another Venezuela as a result? Let us pray for the sake of so many wonderful Brazilian people that it does not.
US and Other Nations Mandate COVID tests from China
With the rampant surge of COVID in China, the US has joined India, Italy, Japan, and Taiwan in requiring a negative COVID test prior to departure for all travelers arriving from China, Macao, and Hong Kong. Be prepared, this could rapidly become very ugly once again.
