‘Belousov says Russia must win in Ukraine while minimising casualties’ & then there is always the nuclear option

Ukraine-Russian Controlled territories as of 5/12/24 (Viewsridge)

While the map above points to Russia making some small gains in the Kharkiv region, Russia may control much more than the above map shows. Notice also:

Russia-Ukraine war live updates: ‘30,000’ of Putin’s forces in attack around Kharkiv as Blinken visits Kyiv

May 14, 2024

Up to 30,000 Russian troops are involved in the attack on Kharkiv after Moscow began targeting the region last week, Kyiv warned.

“At the moment, Russian actions in the border area are ongoing,” Oleksandr Lytvynenko, the recently appointed secretary of Ukraine’s security council, said.

“We can say that we don’t see any threat of assault on the city of Kharkiv. But there are a lot of Russians, quite a lot. About 50,000 were on the border.” He warned that “more than 30,000” were involved in the current attack.

Kharkiv governor Oleh Syniehubov confirmed ground had been lost to the Russian advance, describing the situation as “difficult”. “The enemy is trying to deliberately stretch it (the frontline), attacking in small groups, but in new directions, so to speak,” he said in televised comments. …

US secretary of state Anthony Blinken made an unannounced visit to Kyiv to provide “strong reassurance” over military aid. …

‘Extremely difficult’ for Ukraine to hold ground against Russian forces

Ukraine’s defence minister says it is “extremely difficult” for troops to hold ground in Ukraine as they remain outgunned by Russian forces. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-ukraine-war-news-putin-kharkiv-battle-b2544550.html

Russia’s newly appointed defense minister made some comments:

Belousov says Russia must win in Ukraine while minimising casualties

May 14, 2024

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia’s main task is to achieve victory on the battlefield in Ukraine with the minimal loss of troops, incoming defence minister Andrei Belousov said on Tuesday.

Belousov, an economist whom President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly nominated on Sunday to replace Sergei Shoigu, said the military sector needed more efficiency and innovation in order to achieve its goals.

“The key task, of course, remains achieving victory. Ensuring the achievement of the military-political goals of the special military operation, set by the president. At the same time – I want to specifically emphasise this – with minimal human losses,” he told a parliamentary hearing. …

He said defence spending needed to be optimised so that “every rouble of budget money, which is ultimately paid by our citizens, brings maximal effect”.

“Everything in the country that is effective and advanced – everything must work to achieve victory, to ensure the armed forces can complete their tasks,” he said.

But there was no need for another mass call-up of Russian troops, he said. …

Belousov said that Russia needed to work out “new methods of waging warfare” in order to stay ahead.

“The enemy is learning quickly. The situation related to the use of new technologies changes literally every week. And here we need not just to learn, we need to preempt the enemy.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/belousov-says-russia-must-win-120720206.html

Russia has slowly been making territorial gains.

It has also said that it will use nuclear weapons if it feels that they are necessary to hold on to certain territory (see Russia threatens the use of nuclear weapons–will it now nuke the USA? ‘Russia warns WWIII “inevitable” if West sends troops to Ukraine’

While many think that Russia is bluffing about that, I do not. Many thought Russia would not try to end up with Ukrainian territory in early 2022–I did not agree and was proven to be right.

That said you may have noticed in the two news items, dated today in this post, that the Ukrainian government official referred to the Russians as “the enemy” and the Russian government official referred to the Ukrainians as “the enemy.”

It was not all that long ago that the Russians and Ukrainians tended to consider each other at least as brothers.

So, what ultimately will happen?

Is God going to offer salvation to all the Russians, Ukrainians, Belorussians, and the Asians?

While war is prophesied for Russia, Ukraine, and the kings of the east, war is not the ultimate destiny for most Russians, Ukrainians, Belorussians, and Asians.

Deification is.

But how?

The mainstream “Christian” view correctly teaches that there is salvation in no other than Jesus (Acts 4:10-12), as “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (vs.12).

But what happens to the multitudes in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Asia, and elsewhere who have not even heard the true name of Christ? What about those who do not respond per Deuteronomy 4:29-31? And what happens to those born before Christ’s earthly ministry? Recall that the Bible teaches that after Adam sinned, humankind was blocked from the tree of life as God had it guarded so that humans would not be able to access it on their own (Genesis 3:22-24).

Even the basic Protestant view is that unless one professes belief in Jesus prior to the first death, then salvation will be unavailable (see also Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism). It is perhaps because of the difference between this view and that of the genuine Church of God, that Protestants tend to label Church of God groups as cults.

The Philadelphia remnant of the Church of God, as represented by the Continuing Church of God, teaches that God is only calling a relatively few during this age with the Day of Pentecost (also called the Day of Firstfruits, Numbers 28:26) partially explaining this. “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” (James 1:18).

Jesus and the real Church of God teach, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44). And that will be few at this time, “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14), “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:14). See also the free online booklet: Is God Calling You?

Protestants and Greco-Roman Catholics tend to feel, correctly, that God uses ministers to preach (Romans 10:14). Yet, the message is not always clear. In Isaiah 6:9-11 God teaches,

“Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.” Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered: “Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant, The houses are without a man, The land is utterly desolate”.

In other words, the bulk of the people are not to understand until after a time of great desolation.

Furthermore, the Bible reveals that God has prohibited idolaters to have proper understanding:

And the rest of it he makes into a god, His carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, Prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!” They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their hearts, so that they cannot understand… 22 I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you. (Isaiah 44:17-18,22).

They have no knowledge, Who carry the wood of their carved image, And pray to a god that cannot save (Isaiah 45:20).

Thus, is God going to condemn those who worship before idols, like the Eastern Orthodox often do, for what He has not let them understand?

Protestant and Catholic theology tends to say yes.

Those in the Continuing Church of God say no (cf. Isaiah 47:22).

Unless the idolater has committed the unpardonable sin (which is unlikely) they will be judged as other uncalled people are. Perhaps it should be mentioned that many Russians, Belarussians, and Ukrainians are Russian Orthodox–and the Russian Orthodox, like all of the Eastern Orthodox, have many idols (which they call icons) as part of the religious religious worship practices. (There are also Roman Catholics and others involved with idols in Russia.)

The Bible clearly teaches that salvation will be offered to all. And that includes the Russians. Notice the following scripture:

And all flesh shall see the salvation of God (Luke 3:6).

Those who were uncalled in this age (including most people and nearly all of the Russians, including those that have long been dead) will be offered an opportunity for salvation (two related articles of interest may include Universal Offer of Salvation: There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis and Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God differ from most Protestants).

And nearly all of them will accept it. The Continuing Church of God teaches that God will ultimately give every individual an opportunity for salvation–and that nearly every individual will accept that opportunity. The vast majority of human beings will ultimately be in God’s family.

This means that ultimately that nearly all Russians will be in the permanent kingdom of God. Notice some of the descriptions from the Book of Revelation:

Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:2-4).

So, yes, despite wars and prophecies of war, there is good news. The Kingdom of God will come (see also the free booklet, available in over 1,000 languages at www.ccog.org titled The Gospel of the Kingdom of God.