by metatron 11 Replies latest jw friends
http://www.businessinsider.com/vladimir-putin-nyt-op-ed-2013-9
The world has turned upside down. The leader of Russia recommends peace, good sense and Godly behavior while US leaders preach an obsession with war, amateurishly fumble diplomacy, and embarrass their nation in front of the world.
This is one of the greatest WTF moments of my life! And I thought 2013 would be a crazy year!
metatron
It is an amazing development - on top of the other amazing development in the Syria situation this week - the possibility of Russia negotiating the Syrian relinquishment of chemical weapons - thus averting a war. If that is a fumble or an embarrassment - let's have more of them!
LOL you right wingers are a true hoot!
on the other hand, he's thinking about taking children away from gay couples and putting anyone who mentions homosexuality in prison.
Well Hortensia, ask yourself what comrade Jesus would do?
The Watchtower has been a very useful tool to discover a more coherent view of Bible prophecy.
This doesn't mean they have it right! But, they seem to be uncannily wrong on everything they try to interpret. To get it right just make sure you look in a different direction from the Watchtower.
Putin's behavior fits the role of the King of Fierce Countenance at Daniel 8:23
I like the NIV reading of Daniel 8:23-25
23 “In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking
king, a master of intrigue, will arise. 24 He will become very strong, but not by his own power.
He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those
who are mighty, the holy people. 25 He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself
superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of
princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.
First of all the Watchtower fails to understand that when the Bible refers to "a king" it is not referring to a particular nation but an actual person. So they jump to the conclusion that the stern faced King is the United States/Great Brittain.
Well there are three identifiers of this king in vs 23:
1. fierce-looking (some translations say "stern faced"
2. master of intrigue (some translations say "master of deception"
3. becomes powerful but not by his own power
Putin is known to be stern faced. Check out 50 pictures of Putin looking like a bad ass http://www.funnyordie.com/slideshows/7df05c1f10/pictures-of-vladimir-putin-looking-like-a-complete-badass
Master of deception? How about being the head of the FSB (successor to KGB) Master Spy.
The third is kind of a riddle. He became powerful in spite of not having risen through elected channels. He was appointed by Yeltsin only later to have been elected.
Read the Book:
The Man Without a Face
The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin
Masha Gessen
"The Man Without a Face is the chilling account of how a low- level, small-minded KGB
operative ascended to the Russian presidency and, in an astonishingly short time, destroyed years
of progress and made his country once more a threat to her own people and to the world.
Handpicked as a successor by the "family" surrounding an ailing and increasingly unpopular
Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Putin seemed like a perfect choice for the oligarchy to shape according to
its own designs. Suddenly the boy who had stood in the shadows, dreaming of ruling the world,
was a public figure, and his popularity soared. Russia and an infatuated West were determined to
see the progressive leader of their dreams, even as he seized control of media, sent political rivals
and critics into exile or to the grave, and smashed the country's fragile electoral system,
concentrating power in the hands of his cronies." Penguin Book Review
What remains to be seen is the remaining verses of that prophecy. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people. 25 He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself
superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of
princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.
Putin, of course, does not believe in peace any more than he believes in the UN.
He blocks every resolution in the UN that would condemn Syria for killing civilians. Syria is an ally of Russia; it's that simple.
He is lobbying for his ally, and paints it as advocating for peace.
Putin says that the US should not strike Syria for killing civilians; his words are of course worthliess in view of the Russian treatment of Georgia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia%E2%80%93Georgia_war
So it is hard to take Putin, the macho shirtless ex-spy, seriously.
Putin is a KGB thug; research how many journalists have been killed in Russia during his presidencies and his time as prime minister.
Not to start a conspiracy theory - but maybe Putin engineered the Sarin attack to test the will of Obama. It has been suggested that Berezovfsky hatched the plan to blow up poor residential apartment buildings in Moscow to make it look like the Chechens did it. Those bombings were the pretext for Putin's attack on Chechnya which elevated him in the eyes of the public solidifying his chance of winning the elections that took place that spring.
Russia is an autocracy and along with China is seeking to increase it's influence among other autocracies. Assad could not be seen to cower to pressure from a liberal democracy but Putin has offered him a way to save face. Putin is hypocritically assuming a moral high ground.
There are reports that there have been numerous low level chemical attacks by Assad during the war so far. It is not impossible that the recent major attack was simply a cock-up.
Obama should not apologise for standing up to Assad.
Have you seen the video of the syrian rebal cutting out and eating the heart of the Assad army officer? I must say, I am not quite sure what to think. The whole this is extremely mesed up.
