Putin's Plot to Destroy NATO

 If the rapture had happened yesterday, Putin would be a strong contender to fulfill the role of Gog of Magog.  As long as Putin is in control of Russia he stands as a strong contender. 

NATO was put on the books after WWII to combat Soviet aggressiveness.   When the Soviet Union collapsed many wondered if we would ever really need NATO again?  Today we see nations like Sweden and Finland quickly joining NATO as Russia fights to take over Ukraine and and many European nations are realizing they may need help to stop a bully like Putin from threatening them.

So Putin doesn't like NATO.

Today we read about his plan to destroy it.

Please remember that Putin feels threatened by NATO and the Western countries how are members.  The threat he feels may not be be of a military kind but he thinks Western values celebrating gay marriage, LGBTQ craziness and all sorts of other attacks on "Family values" could infect mother Russia and ruin their state of "normalcy".  If that's true, we can't say he's wrong.

Ukraine’s fight isn’t merely for its existence as a nation – it’s a battle for the very fabric of the global order. 

Yes, it’s about safeguarding European security – a rallying cry heard in countless statements from Western officials, often accompanied by assurances of limited air defence and ammunition – but as Ukraine continues to lose ground, towns, and lives, the West’s response is tepid, with its only firm stance drawn around Nato borders, where geopolitical interests overshadow humanitarian concerns.

But what if Putin dares to cross these lines, dismissing Western threats as mere bluster? What if Ukraine falls, emboldening Putin to pursue further expansion into the other former Soviet Union states that, in his view, belong in the Russian empire? Will Nato truly honour its pledge to collective security, or is that promise nothing but hollow rhetoric?

The fact is, Nato’s resilience is more fragile than we think. And a victory for Putin could see the world’s most successful alliance begin to crumble.

The strength of Nato lies not only in its military prowess but in its unwavering commitment to collective defence, enshrined in Article 5. Yet Article 5 merely compels members to contemplate a response. “The Parties agree that … if such an armed attack occurs, each of them … will take action as it deems necessary…” – that’s all that Article 5 says. That action could mean anything from sending a warship to patrol an incursion, to merely expressing deep concern.

Nato Eastern flank countries, such as Estonia and Poland, are on a war footing, shaming Nato up by doing much more than is formally required. Estonia is well ahead of its Nato allies in the 3% GDP defence spending, and Poland in particular is bracing itself for potential war with Russia. According to Polish military sources, there is no intention to wait for Russian boots to step onto Poland’s soil; the war could very well begin on Russian territory itself. Should Ukraine fall, and Russia’s aggression turn toward Nato allies like the Baltic states or Poland, expect to see Nato be fragmented, or even replaced, by those countries who cannot afford to be left exposed by the weaknesses of their so-called allies.

Recent statements from Poland’s defence counterintelligence chief, Jaroslaw Strozyk, underscore that Putin is fully prepared for a small-scale military operation in Eastern territories, targeting, for example, the Estonian municipality Narva or encroaching on one of the Swedish islands. It is noteworthy that the Swedish Navy recently accused Russian ‘shadow’ oil tankers navigating through the Baltic Sea of engaging in espionage, gathering information on operations in the port of the island of Gotland under the guise of ‘emergency docking’. Gotland holds strategic significance for the regional security of Northern Europe and is crucial for the defence of neighbouring Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, and Poland.

Poland’s intelligence concerns were echoed by those of Estonian, German and the UK officials. It is clear that Putin is only being held off in his intentions by the West’s strong resolve in supporting Ukraine.

If that resolve shatters, the likelihood of an imminent Russian attack on Nato would grow exponentially, and the implications would be profound. With existing divisions within Nato, particularly evident in disagreements over matters such as Sweden’s potential accession to the alliance, it’s likely that many member states would prioritise their own defence over that of their weaker allies.

The role of the United States in the event of a Russian victory would also need to be considered. Would it, plagued by pre-election hesitations and isolationist tendencies, step in to support its allies again? Would it resolutely send a frigate of aircraft carriers towards the area of incursion or, on the contrary, issue a strongly worded statement, condemning Russia yet again for its misbehaviour, while implying to the allies under attack that they should have paid more in their contributions to Nato? Would it urge the self-defending nation to not escalate by fighting back too hard and suggest seeking resolution at the negotiations table?

The tensions at play suddenly become clear if one actually imagines the scenario of Russia attacking a Nato country. Poland has around 10,000 American troops on its soil, but if its borders were breached, would the US decide to cut its losses and leave? The fact this is even contemplatable reveals the fragility at the heart of modern Nato.

Here;  Vladimir Putin's plot to destroy Nato is reaching its devastating climax (telegraph.co.uk)

The world is on edge.  A new world order is waiting in the wings.  What would Biden do?  What would Trump do?  What do Americans want as we run out of money and citizen-voters realize that we can't afford to send planes and missiles to defend every single weak country involved in a war?

It's hard not to read the news and realize that America is at a turning point.  We simply can't stay on the trajectory we are currently on.  Something is going to break.  We have no idea when, so we continue to hope and pray that "things" stay together for another day, week, month or year.

We pray that the "sudden destruction" doesn't come until after Christ comes for His bride.

But if the collapse comes before the rapture we pray that Jesus/Holy Spirit will give us wisdom and discernment to know "how then shall we live."