WE learned much from the events in Afghanistan from the last few days and twenty years. The things learned include a preview, a reminder, and a confirmation.

And by “we” I don’t mean the world or even Americans in general. By “we”, I mean we the followers of Christ, we the children of God, and we the Bible prophecy students who are watching the events in these years prior to Christ’s return. We can learn some lessons from Afghanistan.

The Preview

The incredibly rapid advance of the Taliban across the provinces of Afghanistan and into Kabul shocked many people. Even though the US military had some 100,000 soldiers in Afghanistan at one point, the Taliban were never completely wiped out. They would lay low, in caves, or across the border in the mountains of Pakistan, or in villages in extreme rural areas.

Then, when conditions were right (i.e., the US military evacuated), these zealous and dedicated Sunni Muslims came out of hiding and quickly took over as they believed was their right, given by Allah.

We will see the same thing at the beginnings of the Second and Third Signposts. Iran is shown in the Bible to be a charging ram. Certainly no slowing down there. The IRGC is biding its time, waiting for the US military to be absent. And Turkey and her Sunni allies are shown to be a goat galloping full speed in the air, and as a leopard who, with four wings added, will leap longer than a normal leopard.

Both the Second and Third Signposts will shock people. Never underestimate the will and ways of a zealous and determined army. If only Christians in the West could have the same zeal for the true, living God of heaven, by trusting their God and not their idols, to love people and spread the Gospel.

The Reminder

Many commentators are comparing these twenty years of the US military in Afghanistan to our twenty-years’ experience in Vietnam from 1955 to 1975. Twenty years were spent on a nation with the wrong, corrupt government not supported by the people. And so when the US military evacuates, the opposing faction takes over the government. I could be talking here of either Vietnam or Afghanistan.

But instead I want to focus on Iraq. We cleared out the Taliban just as we cleared out Saddam Hussein and his officers. Both were hated and feared by the citizens of their countries.

With Iraq the US military instilled a democracy—one that included all regions and the three main groups of Iraqis which are Shias, Sunnis, and Kurds. Indeed, the lion was forced to stand and its mind was changed in 2003–2005. Daniel kept looking at it until the bear came along. The lion continued to stand with a changed mind.

Even after the US military left in 2011 and ISIS came in taking over a good half the country, the US came back, fought alongside the Iraqi army giving it confidence, and defeated ISIS. When the US military left for good, the Kurds declared independence. However, the Iraqi army came in to the Kurdish area and ended talk of independence. Today, Iraq is still the lion with its mind changed, with all its territory.

Afghanistan is the reminder of what was accomplished in the First Signpost.

In Afghanistan, things were different. A central government was established in which most of the outlying provinces felt like they did not have a say in their government (just like with South Vietnam). When the US military left, the Afghan army melted away with the advance of the Taliban, just as the South Vietnamese army didn’t have the heart to fight the North Vietnamese communists. Neither the Afghans nor South Vietnamese felt like the propped government was worth fighting for.

The US effort to instill a more civilized government in Afghanistan failed, but when Iraq is compared to it we are reminded that the lion did not change its mind back to something brutal and beastly. But it is still standing with the mind of a man.

Yes, Daniel 7:4 has likely been fulfilled, even after eighteen years since 2003, the year Saddam Hussein was removed from power by the force that made the lion stand.

True, Iraq’s government and history since 2003 has been shaky, but the lion still stands, waiting unknowingly for the bear and the ram to beat it senselessly.

There is also the possibility that the ram could charge into Afghanistan. The Taliban being the ultimate Sunnis would face off against the IRGC, the ultimate Shias. They are arch-enemies. Daniel 8 speaks of the directions Israel sees, because Daniel 8 is all about events around Israel. That in no way excludes Iran from acting on Afghanistan also. If the IRGC has the resources they may very well try to extend their Revolution to Afghanistan as well.

The Confirmation

We witnessed first hand, for the first time, how the Biden administration reacts to a crisis. That is, with incompetence and coldness. That is, they don’t think things through, they shut down, close their eyes, blame Trump, and heartlessly disregard the created misery of millions of people. There is no care or pity or heartfelt empathy from the Left for all the people who will lose their lives or be taken into slavery.

If China and Russia were to attack the US on multiple fronts via some ICBM strikes on coastal cities, and/or cyber attack on infrastructure (which Biden so wisely gave Putin a list of the things that shouldn’t be attacked), and/or attacks on our military across the world, I shudder to think how the Biden administration and the Left would react. It might be reminiscent of that night when Persia took out Babylon by draining the Euphrates—completely unaware and non-caring. This would easily pave the way for the IRGC to execute the Second Signpost.

We, the United States, have never been weaker, not only in reality but also in the eyes of our enemies. All this while our military leadership worries how woke it should be. China may feel emboldened from our handling of Afghanistan to begin its conquest of East Earth by taking Taiwan. This is a strong reason if China is to make a move they will do it before the next president comes along in 2025, getting while the getting is good with a compromised US government.

Conclusion

Afghanistan is an example of how a nation not mentioned in Bible prophecy can still teach us some things about the end times. These three lessons pop out at me. There are probably more lessons to learn from Afghanistan.

Keep watch!

Categories: In The News, teaching, The Four Signposts

Tags: Afghanistan, China, IRGC, Second Signpost, Taliban, Third Signpost