The news has been rather slow this past week or so, and here in Charlotte, the weather has grabbed the headlines for the last few days. It would be nice if the weather were the only thing one had to worry about, but in the real world, war is brewing.

Everyone knows where the American administration stands on the issue, and we thought we knew where the rest of the U.N. Security Council stood until a few days ago. Suddenly, America and Britain find itself in the minority again, headed for a certain clash with France, China, and Russia over the Iraq issue. Though these three nations have approved U.N. Resolution 1441 disallowing Iraq to possess or obtain weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and providing for consequences for non-compliance, they are now saying they will oppose any use of force against Saddam Hussein's regime. They want Iraq "contained" not defeated.

The rhetoric out of Europe, especially that of France and Germany, is just a little hypocritical. A few news stories have surfaced recently, hinting at why they are so eager to see Saddam remain in power. For instance, France has had a fairly close relationship with Iraq over the past several years, and contracts have been signed over major projects, with Paris providing a good deal of the startup money. However, if Saddam's regime falls, the subsequent government is not liable to fulfill or repay the multiple-billion-dollar French contracts.

They also have an oil stake in Iraq. Because France has been Iraq's greatest friend over the past few years, Saddam's government has rewarded it with many oil-for-food transactions, as allowed by another U.N. resolution. France, then, can trade for oil inexpensively, saving their cash for other projects and needs. Such deals are windfalls for the French government, and it does not want to see the well dry up.

Both Germany and France are complicit in Iraq's WMD arsenal, at least on the nuclear side. (The United States is too, as it supplied Saddam with chemical and biological assistance back in the '80s when it supported him to balance Iran). Germany provided Iraq with knowledge and assistance in constructing a centrifuge in which uranium could be processed, and later it provided further help to get it to weapons-grade level (90%). For its part, France provided tons of uranium ore to get the whole process started.

So, no one's hands are clean in this affair; no one really holds any moral high ground in this matter. Iraq is ruled by a ruthless dictator, one who has gassed his own citizens and desires, as the New Nebuchadnezzar, to hold sway over the Middle East. The United States and Britain enabled Saddam Hussein to get where he is today via money, weaponry, and political arrangements, and they certainly desire the black gold that a war with Iraq could win them. Besides the fact that they have a history of enabling Saddam's regime, France and Germany do not want war because it would kill the goose whose eggs they are very willing to take for their own profit. China and Russia also have economic and political reasons for their opposition to America's war aims in Iraq. They particularly do not want to see the U.S. triumph in the Middle East and thus expand its might and influence over still more of the earth.

Jesus tells us in His Olivet Prophecy:

"Take heed that no one deceives you. . . . And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences. . . . All these are the beginning of sorrows." (Matthew 24:4, 6-8)

Deception and war are fast friends, and from them spring all kinds of new problems, for instance, famine and pestilence. Yet, He tells us that this is just the beginning of the terrible times that may be just ahead (verses 21-22).

It is easy for us to get bogged down in the daily rhetoric and jockeying of the nations. As Christians who have some idea of the course of the end time by our understanding of prophecy, we need to keep our eyes on the larger matters—what the nations do, not what they say. This will help us maintain a measure of clarity that even the wise of this world lack.