Perspective

What has happened to change how people view the value of life?

When life is used up and discarded as refuse, it makes it seem expendable. When a war is fought with no real cause or purpose or exit plan, the lives of soldiers are cheapened. Human life in win-less wars can become like so much cannon fodder, and it could be argued that Vietnam and Afghanistan were those kinds of wars. It both wars soldiers and civilians needlessly died because of botched exit strategies.

When a fetus is aborted and a mother’s life is not at stake or it is used as a form of birth control, it devalues life. God’s view is life is very precious, a special gift God has bestowed upon each of us. God breathed life into Adam, and He made him come alive. He gave Eve life by utilizing one of Adam’s ribs, and Adam and Eve became the first two parents of all of mankind. The multiple billions of people on earth are the progeny of Adam and Eve.

We live because our own parents treasured us as their children. Some make the outrageous argument that women have the right to abort an unborn child because she cannot afford to have another mouth to feed. Fetal parts are sold for research and other facilities for a high profit.

Sacrifice for our children builds a family and a nation

How many families having more than one child could make the same argument, but they didn’t. They worked hard till the day of their death. Why? They unselfishly put their children ahead of their own lives. My wife and I would do the same for our children and grandchildren, if necessary, as I believe many other mothers and fathers would do also.

In a civilized world, there needs to be at least that kind of spirit of sacrifice, or a nation will cease to exist. Eventually, a nation will diminish if there are no future generations to replace those who die. In this time of affluence, if more and more have a selfish-based life, it forebodes a decline is about to take place for that nation. 

The apostle Paul prophesied our time would be a detestable and dangerous time: “You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.” (2 Timothy 3:1-4, New Living Translation)

Suicide and assisted suicide devalues life

Is life devalued by assisted suicide? Assisted suicide has gained more acceptance by governments. In Quebec, Canada, “Dr. Michel Bureau, head of Quebec’s End of Life Care Commission, told the Canadian Press on Tuesday that Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) has become so common in the province that he fears suicide is no longer seen as a ‘last resort.’” The article goes on to say, “MAID is Canada’s preferred euphemism for physician-assisted suicide.”

The article further says, “MAID is no longer reserved for people with terminal illnesses or unbearable pain, and there is pressure to begin offering it to minors. Doctors are encouraged to bring up euthanasia as an option before patients ask for it.” It concludes by stating that, “In fact, (Dr.) Bureau estimated that seven percent of all deaths in Quebec will be doctor-assisted suicides by the end of 2023.” (Quebec Doctor Warns Euthanasia No Longer a ‘Last Resort’, breitbart.com)

This also points up how more and more people have a cheapened life-view. The sixth commandment to not commit murder, is so easily laid aside in this “enlightened” world. Murder is unlawful killing with malice aforethought of another human, and generally this premeditated state of mind distinguishes murder from a homicide.

Sending young men and women to fight a senseless war with no reason or plan is wrong, and tantamount to murder. Abortion is the predetermined killing of an unborn child, and it should be considered as murder. When a person takes their own life or it is physician assisted, it is the premeditated taking of human life, which is murder.

In the last days the end-time Babylon system will traffic and trade in people, children and adults, and body parts for purchase on the market. Slavery will make a comeback.

God will bring this kind of deplorable, greedy and self-oriented system to an end. It says in Joel 3:1-3: “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land. They have cast lots for My people, have given a boy as payment for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.”

God will destroy Babylon, and people will weep and wail when it falls. Revelation 18:11-13 says: “And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men.”

God is not willing that anyone is expendable, but He desires all be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). Our God cannot tolerate the kind of society our world is becoming, and we can be very thankful He so loved us He gave His Son, Jesus Christ, to rescue us (John 3:16). It is reasonable that we be willing to be a living sacrifice in return. In God’s Kingdom life will be greatly valued. This we can know because the greatest possible price was paid, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son.

This is my Perspective and the current edition of the Prophetic Times follows below. 

Prophetic Times

Iran Says It Has Technology to Build Supersonic Cruise Missile

August 10, 2023 voanews.com reported:

Iran said on Wednesday it has the technology to build a supersonic cruise missile, Iranian state media reported, an announcement likely to heighten Western concerns about Tehran’s missile capabilities.

The announcement comes days after reports on the arrival of more than 3,000 U.S. sailors and Marines aboard two U.S. warships in the Red Sea. The U.S. forces are there to deter Iran from seizing and harassing merchant ships traveling through the Gulf’s Strait of Hormuz.

‘The supersonic cruise missile will open a new chapter in Iran’s defense program, as it is extremely difficult to intercept a cruise missile flying at supersonic speeds,’ the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

‘The new cruise missile is currently undergoing its tests,’ it added.

Despite U.S. and European opposition, Iran has said it will further develop its ‘defensive’ missile program. However, Western military analysts say Iran sometimes exaggerates its missile capabilities.

Berlin offers to extend Patriot missile deployment in Poland 

August 9, 2023 spacewar.com reported:

Germany said Tuesday that it had offered to extend the deployment of its Patriot missile defence systems in Poland, likely until the end of the year.

Berlin sent three Patriot units to eastern Poland in January after a deadly blast struck a Polish village in late 2022, believed to be from a stray Ukrainian air defence missile.

The deployment of the advanced US-made systems was originally meant to be for a maximum of six months, as Berlin seeks to ensure its own weapons stocks are not depleted.

But the defence ministry said in a statement that it had offered to allow Poland to keep the systems ‘over the summer, probably until the end of the year’. The ministry added however that there were no plans to extend the deployment beyond 2023. From 2024, the systems would make an ‘important contribution’ to a NATO rapid response force, the ministry said.

Porsche apologises for removing Jesus statue from car advert

August 9, 2023 christiantoday.com reported:

Porsche has apologised after being accused of airbrushing out a Jesus statue from the background of one of its car adverts. 
An advert celebrating the 60th anniversary of its classic 911 model was filmed in Lisbon, Portugal, where the Christ the King statue is a local landmark. In the advert, a red 911 speeds along the banks of the River Tagus and the statue's plinth can be clearly seen in the background, but the statue itself is missing. 

The omission prompted users of X - formerly known as Twitter - to question why the statue was gone from the advert. 

"Hey, @Porsche, why did you erase the statue of Jesus Christ from your video filmed in Lisbon?" said X user Alex B, alongside a screengrab of the video next to a picture of the statue.

X users accused the luxury car brand of being woke and anti-Christian. 

"Looks like Porsche doesn't want Christians buying their cars," said one. Another said: "Well, guess if Porsche can edit Jesus out of their video 'celebrating' 60-years — we can all edit them out of our memories. Apparently, Porsche doesn't care about Christians."

Another user tweeted: "The lack of self-awareness, a company born in Europe with its Judeo-Christian roots and values, pretending to hold dear its origins while erasing one of its most important symbols. Even I as an atheist find this to be disconcerting."

Porsche has since apologised "for any offence caused" in a comment on its YouTube page, although it has not given any explanation as to why the statue was edited out of the video.

Russia to Launch Lunar Mission Friday, First in Nearly 50 Years

August 8, 2023 voanews.com reported:

Russia said Monday it plans to launch a lunar lander this week after multiple delays, hoping to return to the Moon for the first time in nearly fifty years. Russian space agency Roscosmos said it had scheduled the launch of the Luna-25 lander for the early hours of Friday.

With the lunar mission, Russia’s first since 1976, Moscow is seeking to restart and build on the Soviet Union’s pioneering space program. The launch is the first mission of Moscow’s new lunar project and comes as President Vladimir Putin looks to strengthen cooperation in space with China after ties with the West broke down following the start of Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine last year.

Engineers have assembled a Soyuz rocket at the Vostochny cosmodrome in the Russian Far East for the launch of the lander, Roscosmos said.

‘The Luna-25 will have to practise soft landing, take and analyze soil samples and conduct long-term scientific research,’ Roscosmos said in a statement.

Thousands of US troops arrive in Red Sea amid ratcheting Iran tensions 

August 7, 2023 aljazeera.com reported:

More than 3,000 United States military personnel have arrived in the Red Sea aboard two warships, part of a beefed-up response from Washington after tanker seizures by Iran, the US Navy said Monday.

The deployment adds to a growing US military buildup in tense Gulf waterways vital to the global oil trade and led Tehran on Monday to accuse the US of inflaming regional instability.

The US military says Iran has either seized or attempted to take control of nearly 20 internationally flagged ships in the region over the past two years.

The US sailors and Marines entered the Red Sea on Sunday after transiting through the Suez Canal in a pre-announced deployment, the US Navy's Fifth Fleet said in a statement.

They arrived on board the USS Bataan and USS Carter Hall warships, providing "greater flexibility and maritime capability" to the Fifth Fleet, the statement from the Bahrain-based command added.

The deployment adds to efforts "to deter destabilising activity and de-escalate regional tensions caused by Iran's harassment and seizures of merchant vessels," Fifth Fleet spokesman Commander Tim Hawkins told AFP.

The US military says Iran has either seized or attempted to take control of nearly 20 internationally-flagged ships in the region over the past two years.

They arrived on board the USS Bataan and USS Carter Hall warships, providing “greater flexibility and maritime capability” to the Fifth Fleet, the statement from the Bahrain-based command added. The deployment adds to efforts “to deter destabilising activity and de-escalate regional tensions caused by Iran’s harassment and seizures.

Russia and China Sent Large Naval Patrol Near Alaska

August 7, 2023 wsj.com reports:

A combined Russian and Chinese naval force patrolled near the coast of Alaska last week in what U.S. experts said appeared to be the largest such flotilla to approach American shores.

Eleven Russian and Chinese ships steamed close to the Aleutian Islands, according to U.S. officials. The ships, which never entered U.S. territorial waters and have since left, were shadowed by four U.S. destroyers and P-8 Poseidon aircraft.

‘It is a historical first,’ said Brent Sadler, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a retired Navy captain. ‘Given the context of the war in Ukraine and tensions around Taiwan, this move is highly provocative.’

A spokesman for the U.S. Northern Command confirmed that Russia and China had carried out a combined naval patrol near Alaska, but didn’t specify the number of ships or their precise location.

“Air and maritime assets under our commands conducted operations to assure the defense of the United States and Canada. The patrol remained in international waters and was not considered a threat,” the command said.