Has there been a civil war in Ukraine for the last 8 years? Very possibly.
Is Crimea largely populated with ethnic Russians and was any “anti-Russian” legislation passed there when it was under Ukraine’s control? These things are definitely possible. Crimea was annexed to Russia in April of 1783. In 1954, it was transferred from the USSR to the Ukrainian SSR. Years later, in 2014, Russia invaded the Crimea and took it back and annexed it to Russia again. But the Ukraine is not Russia, and these people were living in land that belonged to Ukraine, so it would not be strange if “anti-Russian” legislation were passed there. But did they really make it illegal to speak Russian in the Crimean region? ??? Who knows. Until this war started there were plenty of Russian speaking people in Ukraine. Now that is looked down upon because people speaking Russian are suspect due to the invasion.
Essentially, the things people are believing about the Ukrainian/Russian conflict are either the ideologies of the left (often referred to as “The Great Reset”) or the ideologies of the right wing (often referred to as “The Great Re-awakening). Both of these ideologies are bad. The scary part of the right wing ideology is that it contains a large amount of truth. This makes it look right to many people, especially freedom loving people.
While the two above-mentioned ideologies appear to be diametrically opposed to one another, they do have a number of things in common.
*They both tend to place Israel in a questionable light.
Putin (Russia) does not recognize Israel’s sovereignty in the Golan Heights
The right wing ideology questions the legitimacy of Israel’s reporting and accuses them of faking some of the news about what is going on in Ukraine.
*The men who are the minds behind the ideologies of both sides are very rich men. It is not wrong to be rich. However, basically, they are “sitting in their palaces” telling their followers how they ought to think about the world and its affairs. Each side has very convincing premises on which they base their ideologies.
*Though this may not be apparent on the surface, the goal of both sides is global control and a one world system.
*Both sides portray the west in a bad light. The “Great Reawakening” side, while pretending they are trying to make America great again, subtly try to turn people against their own nation. For example, making the accusation that “America is an Empire of Lies.” They also try say that it is the Great Reset side that has the Russian collusion while at the same time portraying Putin as the “good guy” and bashing those who see him as the “bad guy.” Perhaps they speak with forked tongue? The goal of both sides is to portray the west as “bad.” According to the “Great Re-awakening” ideology, the things that happen will be “Biblical.” Yes, they likely will be. On one hand, they say that they will make America great again and America will never fail. On the other hand, they say we will witness the birth of a “new nation.”
I have been fallowing the ideology of the “Great Re-awakening” for the last several years, pretty much since Trump took office. It has gone by various names. But it is still the same ideology.
According to the “right wing” side, the purpose of the Russians going into Ukraine was to save the country from the “neo-nazis.” Hmmm. Just like Russia “liberated” Poland in World War II?
One of the supposed goals of the “right wing” side is to save people from human trafficking, particularly children. Is that accomplished by the death of a man who was known for helping Ukrainian orphans get adopted? This man (Serge) was well known for his work in this area, and hundreds of children are now in families of their own because of his work. Does saving children from human trafficking consist of shelling children’s hospitals where they are treated (Central Children’s Hospital in Kyiv)? Instead of finding people who might traffic the children from these places, is it more effective to just attack the hospital where they are? If one looks into statistics, the areas of the US where this ideology has the most hold are the areas where the most human trafficking occurs. Is this purely coincidental?
Another of the supposed goals of this “exercise” in the Ukraine is to stop bioweapon production. Supposedly, there are labs in the Ukraine to produce viruses for use in biowarfare. One purpose of this war is to target these labs. Does this consist of attacking and seizing their biggest nuclear plant? Or could there possibly be another motivation for this particular target?
Another premise of the “Great Re-awakening” ideology is that this is a spiritual battle and one of the goals is to awaken people spiritually. Yes, it is a spiritual battle. But what spirit? Many of the spiritual leaders behind the Great Re-awakening are progressive Christians. Sometimes it is necessary for nations and peoples to wage physical warfare. But the weapons of God’s warfare are not carnal. A re-awakening for spiritual revival is not brought about by physical warfare. Jesus’ kingdom is “not of this world” (John 18:36) A true spiritual revival comes about when God’s people return to Him and when there is a great harvest of lost souls. A true spiritual revival does not consist of waging wars and destroying people’s lives.
One of the sad results of this conflict is how it has affected Christians and ministries. There are many missionaries in the Ukraine – both Ukrainians and people from the US and other countries. There are also many missionaries in the nations that border Ukraine. When people hear of American Christians supporting Putin in this war, this causes much problem for these ministries and for Christian workers. The Christians are looked upon as “the bad guys.” There are many Christian and missionary organizations there and in surrounding countries telling what is happening on the ground and within the Ukraine. When people are willing to believe those who propagate the “Great Re-awakening” ideology above the information given by Christian workers right on the ground and in the field, then we have to question what has happened in many minds and hearts. One side is telling the truth and the other side is lying. Which is it? Which one will you choose to believe?
The conflict has also resulted in division between the Russian churches and Ukrainian churches. No matter where Christians are in the world or the politics of their various countries, Christians are brothers and sisters in Christ. The happenings on the world scene should not be driving wedges between them.
Though there is so much more involved in this than what is covered in this article, there is one thing I’d like to point out. Putin’s saying that Israel has no right to sovereignty in the Golan Heights is like a defiance of Israel. When a world leader is against Israel, that world leader is not “the good guy.” It really shouldn’t be necessary to dig much further. We know from Biblical accounts what happens to nations’ leaders that defy Israel. Think of Goliath of Gath and Pharaoh of Egypt.
Much more could be said, no doubt, but this will suffice. I hope that this will cause you to think and do your own research, particularly into organizations and people that actually live in or near the Ukraine and surrounding countries. Don’t just take the arguments of two political sides, but listen to the people who actually live there day to day and every day. See what they have to say.
Our prayer should be for both sides. There have been many deaths of Russian soldiers. These soldiers are souls for whom Christ died. Sanctions against Russia have greatly affected the Russian common people and the Russian economy. Pray for them and for peace in the churches. Also, remember, this war in the Ukraine is not an isolated thing, not just a clash between two nations. It is something that affects everyone all over the world. We have yet to see what the affects will be. Pray for many people to get saved. There may not be much time left. It may be later than we think.