DO RUSSIAN NUKES PRESENT A SERIOUS THREAT TO THE U.S.?
As we sit perched on the possibility of a pending ground war in Syria involving surrounding nation states and Russia, the implications need to be considered. Saudi Arabia and Turkey appear to be making ready to assault Syria, Aleppo specifically, to knock out the rebels holed up there who oppose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey would descend from the north and Saudi Arabia from the south. Sources say that the Saudis are bringing 350,000 troops and 20,000 tanks to the party. Turkey’s resources to fight in Syria (against the rebels and the KURDs no doubt) have not been estimated. But Aleppo is only a few miles from the Turkish border. Massive exercises are beginning which is always a smart way to amass resources to start a war.
Russia finds itself caught in the middle of a fight between Shia and Sunni. It chose to enter the fray in support of Assad for more reasons than loyalty (his and his father’s regimes have been an allies with Russia for decades). Strategically, the Russians have a warm water port for military purposes on the Mediterranean at the city of Tartous. They have an airbase that has been built up dramatically over the past four months at Latakia. Beginning on September 30, 2015, Russia has nearly bombed the rebels into oblivion. The rebels appear to be making a last stand in this populous Syrian city of two million plus. Consequently, the war has settled into a siege of Aleppo.
If the Sunnis from Turkey and Saudi Arabia get involved to save the rebels (who they have financed and supported, as has the United States) they will be in direct confrontation with Russia. Since Russia has only a few dozen tanks and a few thousand troops (at most) in the area, the Russians may resort to “breaking the no nukes threshold” and employ tactical nuclear weapons to stave off the attack. Once this cat is out of the bag, World War III may be only a matter of weeks away. There is much more to the story than that… which is why I wrote my new book, THE NEXT GREAT WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
However, in this post I want to provide more information on another book that I was privileged to write a foreword to, THE NEW TACTICS OF GLOBAL WAR written by friends Benjamin Baruch and J.R. (Jeff) Nyquist. How is this book related?
It delves into the developments during this past decade with Vladimir Putin and the resurgence of the Russian Empire; but more specifically, how Russia has been planning for many decades to use nuclear weapons on the West in a first strike. As I have written in many articles on my blog, the pressure on Putin is significant. See When Putin is Backed into a War He Gets Dangerous and Russia is about to Run Out of Money – Then What Happens?
In Ben and Jeff’s book, the probability (not just possibility) of Nuclear attack on the U.S. is presented in a highly readable “discussion” format between the three of us, mostly built upon Jeff’s extensive knowledge (years of study and writing on the topic as well as consulting with U.S. intelligence groups and personal contacts with people on the ground in many trouble spots around the globe). But Ben is a former intelligence officer in the US Army and has studied Hebrew in Jerusalem and written numerous books on Bible prophecy.
Their book is offered on Amazon and I highly recommend you pick up a copy. Here I am providing a selection of my foreword that talks about the credentials of the authors and the rationale from a biblical perspective for why the war of Gog and Magog is imminent and why the U.S. is included in Ezekiel’s prophecy (chapters 38-39). And yes, the short answer is that the U.S. is extremely vulnerable today to nuclear missile attack for the many reasons that Ben and Jeff explain. As tensions mount in Syria and the Middle East, the possibility of “going nuclear” has not been this great since October 1962 (the “Cuban Missile Crisis”) when the world was no more than one misunderstanding away from total nuclear war.
Selection from the Foreword of
THE NEW TACTICS OF GLOBAL WAR
I seem to have a knack for meeting talented and intriguing people. Because I write books and engage in the public arena, I come into contact with a lot of these folks. The two fellows I will introduce you to here are certainly perfect examples of such talented and intriguing people.
First, there is Benjamin Baruch. Ben reached out to me and engaged me concerning his books, which have been having quite an impact on selected audiences within the evangelical community. His initial book, The Day of the Lord is at Hand, demands a word of endorsement in its own right. After committing to exchange books so I could come to learn about him and experience his writing, I found many of Ben’s interviews out on the Internet (they were everywhere—as I was to learn Ben has been speaking and teaching for quite some time). What I quickly discovered was that his testimony and the story of how his first book came forth surpasses anyone else’s with whom I am personally familiar.
His testimony (which I listened to several times) as well as business resume impressed me more and more. We talked numerous times over the following months. Benjamin’s professional credentials are outstanding. He is both a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Certified Public Accountant and he acts as a financial advisor for several of the largest private real estate companies on the West Coast. He is an expert in real estate taxation and investment analysis, and has also worked professionally as a stock picker or more specifically, an investment manager responsible for millions of dollars on Wall Street. Having myself been involved for over 12 years in fund raising for startup and emerging businesses (private equities as they are known), I have first-hand knowledge of the kind of talent it takes to manage investment funds in the public sector, whether they are mutual funds with which most of us are familiar, or funds garnered by private institutions or families…
So how then, did I learn about J.R. Nyquist? That too comprises a most fascinating story. If I was going to vouch for Benjamin, I decided it would be wise to do some transparent detective-like probing to verify his claims to having authentic prophetic dreams and visions, seeking some proof his claims were well-founded. So I asked Ben if he had experienced a predictive dream that someone could verify and he immediately replied, “Sure. I had a dream about 9/11 six weeks before the attack and I told a number of people about it including my friend Jeff Nyquist, who is an expert in military strategy.”
Ben went on: “I had called Jeff at 3 am after I awoke from the dream and told him, ‘Jeff, I just had a dream in which I witnessed the U.S. attacked using four commercial airplanes from United and American Airlines.’ After I saw the planes, I then witnessed the aftermath of a nuclear war on our soil. I saw the mushroom clouds cover the skies and then I began to catch the fallout in my hands which I described as white or grey chips of paint with colors, orange, yellow and brown, all contorted within the chips. I asked Jeff, ‘Could Russia disguise their bombers to look like aircraft from United and American airlines.’ Jeff responded saying, ‘No, that can’t happen.’ I then said, ‘Well, I don’t understand it, but we are about to be attacked by United and American airlines, and this event is going to start the next war.’ Jeff responded, ‘That sounds crazy.’ ‘I know it does, but it is going to happen.’ Jeff then asked me, ‘Have you ever seen fallout before?’ ‘No, I have never attended an atomic test.’ ‘Well, you just described it perfectly.’ Jeff later told me he dismissed my dream until the morning of 9/11 and then he remembered I had told him, four planes, two from United and two from American airlines would be used to attack America. He could verify that for you.”
Nonplussed, I asked Jeff over email if Ben was being straight with me. That same day, Jeff responded and validated that Ben had phoned him six weeks ahead of the attack and that Ben had communicated the dream with those incredible details. He did not hesitate to confirm that Ben’s predictive dream was in fact true. Benjamin had been shown the events of 9/11 before they occurred. This verification was amazing to say the least. But it was not improbable given what I had already begun to believe about the work of the Holy Spirit in Ben’s life.
So who is J.R. Nyquist? It turns out he is a leading authority on Russian geopolitical and military strategy. In fact, he is trusted and respected in many international circles and Jeff’s work is published in several foreign countries. Ben acquainted me with Jeff’s website and pointed out an interview or two that Jeff had done from which I could learn more about his specialty, a seldom-matched acumen on these topics validated by his appearances on mainstream TV and radio from time to time.
Jeff has devoted his career to understanding the social and psychological impact of mass destruction weapons, with a keen focus on what the Russians have been up to for the past fifty years. Jeff is much more than simply a talented research analyst, having interviewed several of the key Russian defectors that have come to America. He also has high level contacts within Russia itself and on the ground in a number of former Warsaw Pact countries including Ukraine. Jeff’s depth of knowledge goes far beyond having read all the key books on the subject of the Soviet Union’s strategy to subvert and then destroy the United States. He has personally interviewed some of the men who spent their careers inside the Soviet armed forces and intelligence services developing these plans over many decades.
To a western observer, Russia can appear an enigma; but Jeff can articulate the history and the psychology behind the evolution of the communist threat against the West. And despite the fact that the official ideology of Russia is no longer Marxism-Leninism, he is able to show that the essential tactics behind the Russian strategy have not changed. Likewise, Jeff is knowledgeable about the latest Russian weapons, both conventional and nuclear. It might seem too much to say that Jeff has “inside information,” but it is correct that Jeff has personal contacts that apprise him of pertinent developments, geopolitically and militarily, as they occur. You, the reader, will acknowledge this once you dig into the information in front of you.
So it turns out that J.R. Nyquist is a quintessential expert on the military planning of the enemies of America for World War III, and not coincidentally, Benjamin also has a background in military intelligence, as a military analyst trained in the U.S. Army to study, of course, the Russian military.
Now that I’ve acquainted you with the authors and their unique expertise to be able to write this book, permit me to provide a brief overview of the book from my perspective and provide a biblical context for this study on geopolitics and military tactics.
First off, the text will be presented in part in the form of a dialogue and as reflections of the authors on today’s changing world order. The format is intended to develop the subject matter from the perspective of a reader new to this subject, who lacks the real world knowledge of the true capabilities of the enemies of America, and how serious the threat of global war has now become. Most people in the West and in the United States cannot imagine a world war as being possible, but once you consider the facts, you will conclude as we have, that the threat of nuclear war between the U.S. and Russia is real—and it may happen very soon.
Secondly, the authors have focused the text to address an evangelical audience with a biblical orientation, and some level of knowledge of eschatology. This book, however, will not attempt any sort of prophetic exegesis. I recently published a separate title which begins an effort of this sort (see my “Quick Study” book, Is Russia Destined to Nuke the U.S.?). However, to do the topic justice requires a separate study since the topic—the so-called “Battle of Gog and Magog”—comprises a vast subject in its own right.
But to clarify, The New Tactics of Global War focuses on the subject of Russian geopolitical and military strategy. More specifically, the authors discuss the risks of a “first strike” on our country, and our vulnerability to such an attack. The book also discloses the new fifth generation weapons that Russia now possesses, and how the U.S. military may be unable to counter these weapons.
The book also unveils the Russian strategy of using disinformation as part of a psychological war, which has been waged by Russia against the West for years. Moreover, the authors reveal the operational plans for World War III, which will occur in stages, including the deception phase of the war, known as the “Overture,” which is already underway.
The Overture period comprises a series of terrorist attacks on the U.S. through proxy forces unconnected to the Soviet Union, who would draw America’s attention away from Russia, and occupy the American military in fighting terrorist elements from the Islamic world, such as ISIS and Al Qaeda. Following the terror attack of 9/11, that is exactly what happened as the U.S. became preoccupied with the War on Terror and the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, while viewing Russia as an ally in these wars.
The Russian invasion of Crimea in Ukraine should be proof enough that Russia is not an ally of the West. Russia today uses the growing threat of conflict in Europe to set the political stage and prepare the Russian people for a larger conflict. The Russian news media fills the airways with reports of a supposed American threat against Russia, to justify a surprise first strike on the United States as a necessary act of self-defense.
Lastly, the authors believe, as I do, that the events of World War III are set down in Bible prophecy as part of the battle described in Ezekiel 38, which says a war will occur right before or at the beginning of the time of Jacob’s Trouble, also known as The Great Tribulation. The war’s outcome enables the Antichrist to rise in power, imposing his New World Order upon all of humanity.
This section of Ezekiel comprises one of the most detailed and crucial prophecies of the last days. The authors and I regard the future attack by Russia on the United States as a part of the fulfillment of this climactic battle.[1] Many modern scholars question whether the U.S. is even mentioned in Bible prophecy; but it is our contention, that the Bible describes America as the “land of unwalled villages” foretold in Ezekiel 38:10-12.
Additionally, Jeremiah 50-51 describes the U.S. as the daughter of Babylon and as the hindermost [2] nation. The prophecy of Jeremiah reveals, “As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbor cities thereof, saith the LORD; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.” (Jeremiah 50:40) When ancient Babylon fell to the Medes and the Persians, the city of Babylon was not burned nor did the people flee. But during the fall of the future empire (the daughter of Babylon), her cities burn, and the survivors leave the country after the Great War, such that “no man shall abide there anymore.”
First, the war of Ezekiel 38 describes an attack upon Israel in the last days: “After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come … against the mountains of Israel.” Then in verse ten the scripture reveals, “it shall also come to pass, at the same time” Gog will attack another country simultaneously, whose citizens like Israelis, were gathered from out of the nations, and who dwell safely in a land without walls.
Ezekiel described this land as a desolate place, which would be inhabited in the last days by a people who would be gathered out of the nations. At the time of the writing of this prophecy, North America was scarcely populated—a desolate land. However, today America boasts a vast population of over 300 million persons. Like Israel, we too are nation of immigrants. America literally fulfills this prophecy—Israel does not. The great cities in the New World do not have walls built around them for protection. Jerusalem and Judea do.
Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. (Ezekiel 38:10-12)
The prophecies of Ezekiel reveal that the fate of both Gog/Magog and the United States are sealed while God preserves Israel. In other words, Ezekiel indicates a number of monumental outcomes: God saves Israel while Gog’s armies are destroyed. At the same time, the land of Magog and the nation described as a people who “dwell carelessly in the isles” will be decimated (if not altogether destroyed) in this war. Ezekiel clearly foretells this outcome:
And I will turn thee (Gog) back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel… Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee… And I will send a fire on Magog (the Land of Gog), and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD. (Ezekiel 39:2, 4,6)
This passage reveals that God’s judgment targets not just the land of Magog but also those that “dwell carelessly in the isles” (other versions translate this phrase, “who inhabit the coastlands in safety,” but the Hebrew may suggest the people of the land are divided, a people living in contention). Both will be destroyed by fire. While expositors have almost always interpreted the “land of unwalled villages” to be Israel, the actual lands that the prophet may be citing, given this context, comprises the lands identified as “Sheba and Dedan, the Merchants of Tarshish and its young lions” which almost all conservative evangelical scholars associate with Saudi Arabia, Western Europe and the United States.
In other words, the scenario seems to be that Gog attacks all of these nations “at the same time” that his armies come like a cloud to cover the land of Israel. If this constitutes an accurate rendering of the Prophet’s warning as the author’s contend, then the discourse you are about to read holds even more relevance to the warnings of Bible prophecy. The Battle of Gog and Magog will soon be revealed as the most consequential world war to ever occur in the history of the earth up to that point in time. The empires of the United States and the Russian Federation (along with its many Islamic allies) will suffer a deleterious fate, virtually at the same time. Their destruction paves the way for rise of the Antichrist, the man of sin who will consummate the Treaty of Death, which the scriptures describe as an agreement made with hell (Isaiah 28:25) and which will establish the framework for human history’s final events.
Regardless of this scenario and whether it in fact fulfills the prophecies of Ezekiel, the contest of the Lord God of the Bible versus the forces of evil constitutes the real chess match. Psalm 2 calls these forces “the kings of the earth,” who are incarnated one way or another in humanity. Despite the fact that human agents play their part, the powers opposed to God’s Kingdom transcend human actors. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.” (Isaiah 24:21) As Paul taught the Colossians: “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” (Colossians 2:15) John talks of this interplay when he says, “For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” (i.e., Armageddon, Revelation 16:14)
The authors believe that such powers are behind the entities of Gog and Magog that will one day come against the people of God as described in Ezekiel 38-39. They are both supernatural as well as natural agencies. Ultimately, however, these entities are subject to the Providence of God and are but tools for His use as He sees fit. As Douglas Berner declares about this war in his book (employing this very phrase as his title), “The silence is broken”—the Lord declares to the nations He is the King of the Earth and the guardian of His people Israel.
We read in Ezekiel 38:4, “And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army.” The armies of Gog and Magog shall meet with destruction (Ezekiel 39:4) all to the end that the Lord God and His Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, shall be glorified: “Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 38:23; see also Ezekiel 39:7, 21-22, 27)
Douglas Woodward
Oklahoma City, October 2015
NOTES
[1] A most widespread view today, a view gaining many followers, asserts that Gog and Magog attack Israel from the “immediate north” of Israel, namely through the leadership of Turkey. That is, the attackers comprise the lands and peoples of Islam with Turkey serving as the leader. This book will not directly contradict this view; however, it is important to note that the authors challenge this perspective and hold to the more conventional view, not just for biblical reasons but for economic, political, and most importantly, military reasons. The power of Islamic armies, even if mustered together, does not present the same threat as a confederation of nations led by the combined forces of Russia and China with their far more destructive weapons capabilities. Furthermore, for Islam to take the lead it would need to nullify Russia and its influence in the Middle East, which we regard as highly improbable.
[2] “Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bore you shall be ashamed: behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.” (Jeremiah 50:12) The word “hindermost” appears in scripture in two places. First in Genesis 33:2 when Jacob separated Rachel and Joseph from Leah and his other children, placing them in the hindermost part, and the word used in the text is אחרין, akh-ar-one’, meaning late or last and specifically in the west. This word is used again in Jeremiah 50:12 describing the daughter of Babylon as a nation which would rise in power in the last days. The word used is אחרית, akh-ar-eeth, meaning at the last or the end, or in the end times. The hindermost nation is the world’s last superpower, which would rise in the earth in the last days in the west. Scripture pictures America as an eagle in several passages, and as “the eagle’s wings” in Daniel 7:4, wings that are plucked and destroyed before the Antichrist rises in power in the last days.
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