Welcome to the Last World War
2024 Year in Review
Part One: The Sermon
(For those disinclined to read a sermon, feel free to jump directly ahead to Part Two: 2024 Year in Review)
Very few people understand that we are already well-advanced into what I shall henceforth call “The Last World War”.
Most people do not recognize it as such because it doesn’t conform to their expectations of what a “World War” should look like.
And yet, here at the start of 2025 the United States and its European NATO vassals are not only continuing to provide countless billions of dollars of armaments to Ukraine, but have even escalated to the point of firing ballistic and cruise missiles into Russia – missiles that require not only US/NATO intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities, but also US/NATO personnel “on the ground” to load, program, and fire.
These missiles have achieved negligible successes in the face of Russia’s air defenses, but a few targets have been struck, and Russian military personnel and civilians have been killed and wounded.
The Russians have issued veiled threats to strike back directly at NATO targets in retaliation for these attacks within Russia. So far they have limited themselves to hunting down congregations of NATO personnel deployed on Ukrainian soil. How long Russian restraint will persist remains to be seen, but it seems increasingly apparent that NATO escalation will continue until the stakes are raised considerably beyond where they now stand.
Occurring simultaneous to the war in eastern Europe is a brutal and vicious war in the Middle East that is almost certain to expand beyond its current scope to include an unrestrained conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran.
And if this were not enough already, tensions are rising to a boil in the western Pacific where the phenomenal resurgence of China is perceived as a direct threat to the longstanding global reign of the Anglo-American empire.
Where will this all lead? That is a difficult question to answer. Many are convinced it will almost certainly result in a no-holds-barred nuclear war between the United States and Russia, and ultimately involve the allies of both those countries – the US and its various compliant vassals against Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.
I have consistently resisted believing it will come to that apocalyptic juncture – but I confess the possibility exists.
The primary reason I have so long resisted believing life on earth will be terminated by the rash actions of the sociopathic among us is that I remain convinced the Almighty God – the creator of heaven and earth – remains sovereign in relation to the affairs of mankind, and will, in a day and hour of His choosing, intervene accordingly. That is not to say the nations of the earth will avoid the long-prophesied days of “great tribulation” that will precede the return of the King of Kings, and the inauguration of the long-awaited millennial epoch. But those who wait and watch for Him will see their faith rewarded.
It is written:
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows. For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
And in that day shall be heard of wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s hearts shall fail them, and they shall say that Christ delayeth his coming until the end of the earth. And the love of men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound. And there shall be men standing in that generation, that shall not pass until they shall see an overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land. But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved; but among the wicked, men shall lift up their voices and curse God and die.
And there shall be earthquakes also in divers places, and many desolations; yet men will harden their hearts against me, and they will take up the sword, one against another, and they will kill one another.
And it shall come to pass that he that feareth me shall be looking forth for the great day of the Lord to come, even for the signs of the coming of the Son of Man. And they shall see signs and wonders, for they shall be shown forth in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath.
Then shall the arm of the Lord fall upon the nations. And then shall the Lord set his foot upon this mount [the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem], and it shall cleave in twain, and the earth shall tremble, and reel to and fro, and the heavens also shall shake.
And the Lord shall utter his voice, and all the ends of the earth shall hear it; and the nations of the earth shall mourn, and they that have laughed shall see their folly. And calamity shall cover the mocker, and the scorner shall be consumed; and they that have watched for iniquity shall be hewn down and cast into the fire.
And then shall the Jews look upon me and say: What are these wounds in thine hands and in thy feet? Then shall they know that I am the Lord; for I will say unto them: These wounds are those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. I am he who was lifted up. I am Jesus that was crucified. I am the Son of God. And then shall they weep because of their iniquities; then shall they lament because they persecuted their king.
And Satan shall be bound, that he shall have no place in the hearts of the children of men.
And at that day, when I shall come in my glory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins. For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day. And the earth shall be given unto them for an inheritance; and they shall multiply and wax strong, and their children shall grow up without sin unto salvation. For the Lord shall be in their midst, and his glory shall be upon them, and he will be their king and their lawgiver.
And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
So yes, my brothers and sisters around the world, I am convinced The Last World War is upon us. And yes, things are going to get pretty ugly on this planet over the course of the next several years. But if we are spiritually prepared, we need not fear, for the Lord God will preserve His people. Therefore seek Him; draw near unto Him in fasting and prayer and in obedience to His commandments. And if you do these things, you will be privileged to dwell with Him a thousand years upon the earth, in its paradisiacal glory, raised to eternal life along with all His faithful children from the beginning of the world to the time of His second coming.
Part Two: 2024 Year in Review
I have selected below what I consider to have been my ten best articles from 2024. They are arranged not in chronological order, but more in the form of a “set list”.
#10 - “Man of Destiny” or “What Can Be, Unburdened by What Has Been”?
This was an early August musing on the upcoming 2024 US presidential election:
"Man of Destiny" or "What Can Be, Unburdened by What Has Been"? (~750 words / 4 minutes)
#9 - Magazine Depth and Shields
This next one discusses one of the more astounding revelations of the Ukraine War: that, despite the expenditure of countless TRILLIONS of dollars over the past several decades, the United States is quite literally incapable of prosecuting high-intensity industrial-scale warfare against its major power adversaries. And, perhaps most shockingly, it has become apparent that US offensive weaponry is mediocre at best, and downright inefficacious in most respects, as also its defensive shields are utterly incapable of protecting its strategic and military assets against the potent strike power of its major power adversaries.
Magazine Depth and Shields (~1000 words / 5 minutes)
#8 - Top Shelf
Next up is a short counterpoint to the demonstrably false narrative that the US/NATO has sent Ukraine nothing but its old rusty hand-me-down implements of war.
Top Shelf (~300 words / 2 minutes)
#7 - To Nuke or Not to Nuke?
I am very conscious of the many voices who think any conventional war between nuclear powers will necessarily lead to an uncontrollable orgy of wanton destruction. And I acknowledge the logic behind such a conclusion. Sooner or later someone is going to blow up a city, and others will follow.
That said, I continue to believe that events will be kept strictly within their appointed bounds. I remain unshakably convinced that there is a power that reigns supreme in relation to the affairs of mankind upon this planet.
Even so, a few major cities getting turned to rubble and ashes would, by virtue of its derivative consequences alone, set civilization back at least a couple centuries in a great many ways and for quite a long time.
To Nuke or Not to Nuke? (~1000 words / 5 minutes)
#6 - Patiently Waiting to Strike
Speaking of things that are bound to happen sooner or later, this next essay makes the point that:
By any reasonable logic of conflict, the Russians would be well within their natural rights to strike back at the US/NATO ISR assets that have played such an essential role in several damaging attacks against them.
Patiently Waiting to Strike (~750 words / 4 minutes)
#5 - All for One and One for All
Next is a short essay that argues forcefully against the dangerous belief, pervasive in imperial policy-making circles, that Russia, China, and Iran are not meaningfully committed to the mutual security vows they have made. I consider it one of my most important geopolitical analyses of 2024.
All for One and One for All (~700 words / 4 minutes)
#4 - Betting the Farm on the Imaginary War
Most of the gods of American high-tech and finance, and those who worship them, simply cannot discern the degree to which American power in all its forms has steadily eroded over the course of the 21st century, and that this erosion has accelerated dramatically in recent years.
For most of the western elite and their acolytes, it is still early 1991, and Norman Schwarzkopf is leading a million-man army against the hapless Iraqis.
Betting the Farm on the Imaginary War (~1000 words / 5 minutes)
#3 - The Vladimir Putin Interview - Part Two
This next one, and the remaining two to follow, all treat upon a subject that is now more urgent than it was when these pieces were written.
The first of the three was Part 2 of my two-part analysis of the Tucker Carlson / Vladimir Putin Interview in early February 2024. I spent more time on my commentary of this interview than on anything else I wrote in 2024. That said, my impression is that neither installment was widely read.
But I consider it one of the most important pieces I wrote during the year. I am convinced that most people in the west are deaf to what Vladimir Putin says when he speaks – notwithstanding the fact that he speaks with great clarity and consistency.
As Americans, Russians, and the rest of the world brace themselves for the upcoming “negotiations” between Putin and Trump, I believe what I have written below should be carefully and soberly considered.
“We offered them an early out, and they rejected it in favor of an appeal to arms in order to inflict what they imagined would be a severe strategic defeat against Russia on the field of battle. But their reach greatly exceeded their grasp. They cannot defeat us. Now let them seek a delicate exit from the mess they’ve gotten themselves into — but we will achieve our objectives.”
The Vladimir Putin Interview - Part Two (~2200 words / 11 minutes)
#2 - Dictating Terms
In the penultimate spot on the list is a piece directly addressing the anticipated Putin / Trump “negotiations” in relation to the Ukraine War.
Dictating Terms (~1000 words / 5 minutes)
#1 - The Bitter Pill of Decisive Strategic Defeat
This final piece represents what I consider my single finest specimen of prose over the course of the portentous year of 2024. Res ipsa loquitur.
The Bitter Pill of Decisive Strategic Defeat (460 words / 2 minutes)
Encore:
As a requiem for the year 2024, I humbly offer my heterodox interpretation of Ludwig Van Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 14, Sonata Quasi Una Fantasia, Op. 27, No. 2 — popularly known as the “Moonlight Sonata”.
FYI: Over the life of this blog, a few generous people have pledged some money to support it. But I have never required a paid subscription to read my stuff. And I still won’t. However, I have now “enabled” subscriptions purely as a means by which, if people are so inclined, they may support me with whatever amount they so choose. I also include a “Tip Jar” link in every post, if you’d like to go that route. But you don’t have to if you don’t want to. It’s purely voluntary. Everyone will still be able to read everything I write.
For all of you who have previously pledged to support this blog, I express my genuine gratitude. I hope my writing has been informative in some small manner and aided you in your quest to understand our crazy world a little better.
— Will Schryver