|
|
By Dennis L. Cuddy, Ph.D.
With all of the recent news reports about Iran pursuing nuclear weapons, I had always thought that Iran was a greater threat than Iraq (Iran has even sent insurgents into Iraq to fight the U.S.). The latest information is that perhaps by this coming June, Iran will have enough enriched uranium to be able to complete at least a simple, small nuclear device about the size of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In other words, it would fit into a Ryder-sized truck.
Iran has supported terrorists such as Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah for years, and Iran has even helped Al-Qaeda. According to former CIA operative Robert Baer's SEE NO EVIL regarding Iran, "the conclusion was unavoidable: The Islamic Republic of Iran had declared a secret war against the United States, and the United States had chosen to ignore it....It was an intelligence report from March 1982---a full thirteen months before the embassy bombing---stating that Iran was in touch with a network capable of destroying the U.S. embassy in Beirut (Lebanon). A subsequent report even specified a date the operation should be carried out."
And concerning the attack upon the Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995, Associated Press writer John Solomon in "Warnings Before 1995 Oklahoma Bombing" (June 20, 2002) revealed that "U.S. intelligence monitored a series of meetings and conferences between senior officials of Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, and other terror organizations in mid-February 1995 in which the subject of killing Americans on U.S. soil came up, officials said. 'Iranian sources confirmed Tehran's desire and determination to strike inside the U.S. against objects symbolizing the American government in the near future,' said a Feb. 27, 1995, terror warning by the House Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare. The warnings became increasingly specific as to the possible location, type of attack, and likely dates. 'These strikes are most likely to occur either in the immediate future or in the new Iranian year---starting 21 March 1995,' the congressional task force predicted." Hezbollah actually controls Lebanon today.
Why do the Iranians hate us so much? One reason is obvious and includes the hatred for the West by Islamic extremists and goes all the way back to the time of the Crusades. However, there is another reason which involves the American government's overthrow of the elected government of Iran in 1953. The Iranians had nationalized their oil much to the dislike of the American government and oil companies, so CIA director Allen Dulles using a secret $10 million slush fund had General Norman Schwarzkopf's father train a cadre of men to overthrow the government of Iran. The Shah of Iran was put in power by the U.S., and Islamic mullahs considered him a puppet of the U.S. until he was ousted and the mullahs came to power. More recently, the Iranians resented American support for Iraq in its war against Iran in the 1980s.
For a long time, the mullahs of Iran have desired to obtain nuclear weapons to deter any attack upon them by the U.S. or Israel as the mullahs continue to support international terrorist activities. Iranian missiles cannot reach the U.S., but they can reach Israel. However, I don't believe they would launch a missile at Israel because it could be traced back to Iran, and Israel would annihilate them. As part of their support of terrorists such as Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, or Al-Qaeda, Iran could give a nuclear device to such surrogates to use against the U.S. or Israel, so that Iran itself would not be accused of an attack. Thus the question is whether the attack would be against the U.S. or Israel, and it seems clear that Israel has far better security than does the U.S. with its vast porous borders.
The question then becomes where precisely in the U.S. would the surrogate attack? On www.iranfree.org , on the left side of the home page is a place labeled "TV ads," which show New York City being devastated by a nuclear blast. I agree that New York City will be the likely target, and the reasons are Biblical, based primarily upon the Book of Revelation.
First, we know from Rev.14:8 that a "great city" will be attacked, as it says "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city." Secondly, we know it will be a port city, because Rev.18:17-18 states that "every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors...cried when they saw the smoke of her burning." Thirdly, we know that this city will have merchants (the World Trade Center was in New York City) who were the world's great men, because one reads in Rev.18:23 that "thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived." And perhaps the "deceit" was these great men's claim that nations could still maintain their national sovereignty even under GATT and the World Trade Organization.
As to the target of New York City specifically, Rev.18:23 also says: "And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee." Note especially that it says one "candle" rather than "candles," which could mean the torch of the Statue of Liberty will shine no more.
How do we know that these verses in Revelation refer to the time in which we live today? It is because Rev.18:9 states that "the kings of the earth...shall see the smoke of her burning." Before the times in which we live today with instant televised communication, it would have been technologically impossible for all of the world's rulers actually to have seen the smoke of her burning. And how do we know that it will be a nuclear attack? This is because Rev.18:19 indicates that "in one hour is she made desolate." This type of desolation of an entire city within only one hour is only possible with a nuclear explosion. And we know that the terrorist attack will be nuclear rather than biological or chemical, because Rev.18:8 indicates "she shall be utterly burned with fire." Furthermore, Jeremiah 51:9 states that "her judgment reachest unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies." In other words, perhaps a nuclear mushroom cloud.
I hope I am wrong about this, but unless we turn as a nation from our wicked ways (e.g., allowing at least 45 million babies to be slaughtered in their mothers' wombs by abortions), I am afraid the judgment of God will come upon us by His not preventing such a terrorist attack.
Instead of saying "God bless America," we need to repent as a nation and ask for God's mercy and forgiveness before it is too late. NBC's "Dateline" on May 4, 2005 asked whether we are entering "The End Times." We may be---time will tell !
© 2005 Dennis Cuddy - All Rights Reserved