Church of God News

Hydrogen bomb blast

COGwriter

North Korea completed its most powerful nuclear test:

September 3, 2017

SEOUL AND WASHINGTON — North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test Sunday, one it said successfully detonated a thermonuclear hydrogen bomb that can fit onto an intercontinental missile (ICBM).

An announcement from KCNA, Pyongyang’s state news agency, said the H-bomb, designed to be the payload of an ICBM, was “true to the Workers’ Party of Korea’s plan for building a strategic nuclear force.”

“The test of a hydrogen bomb designed to be mounted on our intercontinental ballistic missile was a perfect success,” said Korean Central Television newscaster Ri Chun Hee, who retired in 2012, but occasionally reappears for major events.

Ri also claimed that no radiation from the nuclear detonation was released into the atmosphere, something U.S. and Japanese aircraft with special atmospheric monitoring equipment are attempting to verify.

Two earthquakes

The blast produced two shallow earthquakes that were detected in the Punggye-ri region where North Korea’s nuclear test facility is located, according to U.S. and Chinese government seismologists. Authorities in Japan, South Korea and numerous nongovernment experts in the United States confirmed that the earthquakes were likely the result of a nuclear test.

The first was a 6.3-magnitude tremor that was consistent with the detonation of a 1-megaton hydrogen bomb, according to experts. The blast was at least 10 times as powerful as the last nuclear test, conducted on Sept. 9, 2016, that produced a 5.3 earthquake, according to Japanese and South Korean meteorological agencies

Five minutes later the same seismologists detected a magnitude 4.6 earthquake, which indicated the likely collapse of a tunnel in which the nuclear device was placed.

“If North Korea has gone ahead with a nuclear test, this is absolutely not acceptable and we will have to strongly protest. We are starting National Security Council now to collect information and analyze this,” said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. …

China’s Foreign Ministry Sunday issued a statement condemning Sunday’s nuclear test and urging North Korea to stop its “wrong” actions and to respect U.N. Security Council resolutions.

South Korea on Sunday called for the “strongest possible” response, including new U.N. Security Council sanctions to “completely isolate” North Korea. Seoul and Washington also discussed deploying U.S. strategic military assets to the Korean Peninsula, Chung Eui-yong, South Korea’s national security adviser, said in a news briefing. https://www.voanews.com/a/north-korea-h-bomb-icbm/4013148.html

North Korea seems to be sending a message that it does not believe that the USA will attack.

US President Donald Trump sent out some Tweets:

President Donald Trump has responded to North Korea’s latest “perfect” nuclear test, emphasizing that South Korea’s “talk of appeasement will not work,” and that Kim Jong Un and his government “only understand one thing!” He added that the nuclear test is an embarrassment…to China.

In both tone and substance, Trump’s response echoed his tweet from last week when he said that the US’s policy of paying the North “extortion money” wasn’t working, and that “talking is not the answer” to the North’s nuclear threat, although it is unclear if the latest provocation will prompt the US president to do anything more than just jawbone again. http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-09-03/appeasement-will-not-work-trump-responds-north-koreas-6th-nuclear-test

North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States…..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

 

..North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

September 3, 2017

President Trump signaled Sunday that he was not ruling out a retaliatory strike against North Korea in response to the isolated country’s overnight nuclear test, which he called “very hostile and dangerous to the United States.”

Asked as he left church services whether he was planning to attack North Korea after a nuclear test that defied his blunt warnings, Trump told reporters, “We’ll see.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-calls-north-koreas-nuclear-test-very-hostile-and-dangerous-scolds-south-korea/2017/09/03/a1429980-90a1-11e7-8754-d478688d23b4_story.html?utm_term=.303c9782a049

Presumably the one thing that Donald Trump believes that North Korea understands is military action

The North Korean leadership needs to realize that if it wants to survive, it needs to change direction and stop provoking a conflict with the USA.

But it seems that North Korea’s President Kim Jong Un does not believe that the USA will do much militarily. Here may be some reasons why:

September 3, 2017

Opinion: North Korea might finally have a nuclear deterrent

North Korea appears to have conducted a sixth nuclear test shortly after noon local time on Sept. 3. …

This is an important component of the North’s deterrent strategy: It feels it must showcase that it can do significant damage to a city on the U.S. mainland to change U.S. calculus on military action or attempted regime change in North Korea. …

From Pyongyang’s perspective, it has a narrow window in these final stages of testing to complete a program before the United States amasses the political will and international support to carry out preventive action.

If the test is confirmed as a high-yield hydrogen bomb, it would mark a very significant development for North Korea’s ability to deter U.S. and allied military action. The power of a hydrogen bomb means that the North Koreans would still be able to inflict significant damage to the United States without the need for their missiles to be particularly accurate.

It also means that the missile could cause major damage without having to survive reentry, as a high-altitude airburst could still prove devastating, especially to electronic systems. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/north-korea-might-finally-have-a-nuclear-deterrent-2017-09-03

North Korea: What are the military options?

President Trump has said “all options are on the table” …

But while the US has unrivalled military strength, the range of options it actually has against the hermit country are limited.

Option 1: ‘Enhanced Containment’

This is the least risky but arguably least effective option available since it would simply build on deployments that have long been in place and have had little success in deterring North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear programme.

The US could move additional ground forces into South Korea, including ground-based missile defences such as the controversial Thaad system, heavy artillery and armoured vehicles, to demonstrate its willingness to use force to back up its demands.

However, South Korea temporarily halted the current Thaad deployment and is strongly against any increases in US ground forces, because of concerns about provoking the North. …

Option 2: Surgical strikes

The US Air Force and US Navy possess the most advanced surgical strike capabilities on Earth.

Using volleys of precision Tomahawk missiles fired from submarines off the North Korean coastline and attacks by B-2 stealth bombers against key North Korean nuclear sites and ballistic missile facilities may seem like an attractive proposition, at first glance. …

However, the state of North Korea’s air defence network is very hard to determine since it is a mix of Soviet/Russian, Chinese and home-grown surface-to-air missile and radar systems acquired over 50 years.

The defences are among the densest on Earth, but they have been modified and upgraded to an unknown degree and their readiness is difficult to assess.

If the US lost aircraft to enemy fire or accidents it would then face the nightmare scenario of having to try to rescue its aircrew, or abandon them to a very public fate. …

Option 3: Full scale invasion

Given the sheer size of the People’s Army, the power of its artillery, its dense air defences and South Korea’s reluctance to support any US military action, this option is extremely far-fetched.

Any attempt to actually invade North Korea would require months of visible US military build-up, full-scale South Korean participation and a way to guarantee the neutralisation of North Korea’s mysterious nuclear capabilities.

It would also cost hundreds of thousands of lives on both sides. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41095772

Whether or not the above are accurate, I strongly suspect that US President Trump does not see his options so negatively. He is likely looking at stronger ‘surgical strikes’ while also preparing for North Korea’s possible responses.

While the USA could obliterate North Korea, it is at risk of severe damage from North Korea.

Jesus spoke of a time of wars, rumors of war, and troubles prior to the Great Tribulation (Mark 13:8) and we seem to be in it.

Red Horseman of War

Here is what Jesus had the Apostle John record:

3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” 4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. (Revelation 6:3-4)

The specter of war is haunting the world right now.

Here is something that the old Worldwide Church of God published back in 1975:

4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse – The Red Horse – War

John writes: “And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword” (Rev. 6:4). … John is referring to a time yet ahead of us when “peaceful coexistence” will be a thing of the past. But specifically what is it that leads to this intensified period of global wars and conflicts?

In the twelfth chapter of Revelation, John gets right to the heart of the problem. He describes the fall of a great archangel, Satan the Devil: “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Rev. 12:7-9). …

As John writes: “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come

“And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another. …”

down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” (Rev. 12:12).

But that’s only the beginning of the devil’s desperate eleventh-hour campaign. The following chapter continues the narrative of John: “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy . . . . And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” (Rev. 13:1, 4.) Satan’s last-ditch stand centers around his favorite instrument of destruction — a revitalized Roman Empire. It is the same system described in the seventh chapter of Daniel, now raising its ugly head for one final fling at world power. Like the ancient empires of old, this one will also be centered around the familiar church — state partnership with the nation, the ruler, and the governing system held in idolatrous esteem (Rev. 13:11-15).

Once it decides to wage war, virtually nothing will stand in the way of this gigantic military juggernaut. Like its predecessors, it will quickly roll up an impressive string of military victories with lightning — like thrusts, this time in the Middle East. Speaking of this yet — future campaign, the prophet Daniel wrote: “And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He shall enter also into the glorious land [Palestine], and many countries shall be overthrown…. But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many” (Dan. 11:40, 41, 44).

A Decidedly Unconventional War

Even more terrifying is the way these wars will be fought. Again the apostle John paints a grisly picture in the ninth chapter of Revelation: “And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power . . . . And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breast — plates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months” (Rev. 9:3, 7-10).

Could John have been poetically referring to modern — day weapons such as jets, rockets, or missiles? Why would men be tormented and not die? Could they be suffering from radiation sickness or the effects of germ warfare? What John was referring to is almost impossible to ascertain — but it certainly wasn’t normal, conventional warfare.

be.” And were this military madness allowed to continue on to its final bitter conclusion, Christ went on to say that “there should no flesh be saved [Moffatt adds ‘saved alive’]: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matt. 24:21, 22).

The Last Great Battle

Unless God put a sudden stop to man’s misguided activities, Christ plainly states there would be no hope for the survival of the human race. …

God’s dramatic, eleventh — hour intervention in world affairs does not come without warning. It is announced by the blowing of the seventh trump in Revelation 11:15: “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever.” After 6000 years of human misrule, world power is finally restored to its rightful owner — Jesus Christ of Nazareth. At one stroke this event removes one of the basic factors that has led men to war throughout all of recorded history. It means the final end of divisive, petty, narrow-minded national sovereignty. It means the beginning of the end for human misrule, intolerance and misunderstanding. Here at long last is the real way to peace mankind has rejected.

You would think with this monumental announcement the nations of the world would throw down their arms, shout hallelujah, and receive Christ with open arms. At long last here is the peaceful solution they have desperately needed, but haven’t been able to find.

But nothing of the kind — they do just the opposite. “And the nations were angry” (Rev. 11:18). Satan the Devil is angry. He knows he’s about to lose his cherished seat of power. He figures his only recourse is to fight God. So he gathers his forces for one final all-out battle with the returning Jesus Christ. Again John writes: “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils [demons], 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. . . . And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon” (Rev. 16:13-16).

The Battle of Armageddon

The location for this last climactic battle will apparently be well-chosen for its strategic value. Armageddon, or the “mount of Megiddo,” sits astride three important mountain passes that allow for quick access across the length and breadth of Palestine. It was at Megiddo that Josiah was slain attempting to block passage of Pharaoh Necho of Egypt northward to fight the Babylonians. Gideon and Barak won impressive battles here during the period of the Judges. And General Allenby’s forces surprised the Turkish armies at Megiddo in 1918.

But this time there is no real contest. John records in Revelation 19:19 and 17:14: “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse [Christ], and against his army….and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings….”

Other prophets described the battle in more graphic detail. Zechariah, for instance, states: “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle…. And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth” (Zech. 14:2, 12).

At the same time, Jesus Christ will put a final end to the power-hungry church-state system that has wracked the world with war for 6000 years. John records this earthshaking event in the fourteenth and eighteenth chapters of Revelation. It’s interesting that in speaking of this resurrected system John writes: “And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth” (Rev. 18:24).

Peace at Last

Jesus Christ will then go about the business of establishing real world peace. With Satan the Devil bound (Rev. 20:2), his destructive church-state combine out of the way, and with the nations no longer governed by fallible men, remarkable things will begin to happen. Isaiah writes: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain [government] of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall

After 6,000 years of human misrule, world power is finally restored to its rightful owner — Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears in to pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Isa. 2:2-4; see also Micah 4:1-4).
For the first time the vast majority of people will learn what it means to live according to God’s laws. No longer will they be motivated to fight and quarrel, but will learn to love their fellowman. There it is — the final solution to war.

For the sake of all humanity, the sooner it arrives the better.

As I mentioned before, we could be at or near the time of the ride of the red horseman of the apocalypse. It could start this month. We will see.

Of course, as the old WCG booklet states, despite wars, ultimately, there is good news as the Kingdom of God will come and those issues will be gone (Revelation 7:16).

Until then, we will hear of troubles, rumors of wars, wars, and the Great Tribulation. And irrespective of what happens to North Korea, one of those wars will eliminate the USA (Daniel 11:39; see also USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses). The situation with North Korea has the potential to weaken the USA in various ways many have not seriously considered.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, September 3rd, 2017 at 7:30 am and is filed under Prophecy.

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