A Star Over Chosin Reservoir
Tract #6 in the Godly Warfare series
written by Roddy Kenneth Street, Jr.
Copyright 2005 by Roddy Kenneth Street, Jr. All publication rights and mass-reproduction rights are reserved to the author, but internet users are given permission to duplicate this digital file and distribute it without alteration to friends, relatives, neighbors, co-workers, and acquaintances. Distribution is encouraged, and the file may even be printed out on paper for paper copies, but the text must remain unaltered and the total number of printed copies for each individual tract should not exceed 10,000 unless you have gotten permission in writing from Roddy Kenneth Street, Jr. or a surviving member of his family. You may contact Ken Street (RKSJ) by e-mail using the web-mail addresses that follow: etracts@yahoo.com, or earthtrek1@hotmail.com, or eztraveller@netscape.net. Many more free teaching tracts by Roddy Kenneth Street, Jr. will be found at the internet sites WorldwideChristianTracts.net, OnlineChristianTracts.org, and Christian-Tracts.net. This note must be retained on all duplicate copies that you may make.
The small group of American and Allied soldiers who survived the freezing conditions of the savage combat in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir have become honored veterans who now call themselves “the Chosin Few.” Many U.S. soldiers and Allied soldiers did not survive the intensely fierce conditions of that episode in the conflict of the Korean War... but a remnant managed to make it to safety.
We have described this battle at considerable length, already, in a prior tract of this series, one which we have titled Cosmic Warfare And The Chosen Few.
The story of the soldiers’ last night at the Chosin Reservoir site is in itself an extraordinary account, a story which includes the sighting of a miraculous “star” that abruptly appeared in the dark sky over the Chosin Reservoir.
The battle had continued from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1, 1950, and because of the terrible weather conditions it was difficult for any airplane to fly during those days. It was thus almost impossible to re-supply the troops. The troops were running out of ammunition; they had no food, and no medical supplies. An order finally came through, telling them that they should now withdraw to the south. But it was necessary that the planes be able to land somewhere, so that they could be loaded up with the most severely wounded soldiers, getting all of them out of the battle zone.
One vet of the Chosin Reservoir Battle has declared, "It was looking pretty bleak, because the planes couldn't fly, and the Chinese were closing in. A cloud opened up, and a Marine looked up at the sky, and he yelled, 'Look! A star, a star!' And then they knew that the planes would fly, and that they would be getting out of there. Now some Marines think that star was placed there by God as a sign that said— 'Don't give up hope. I haven't forsaken you.’ "
That first plane landed safely on the airstrip, and after that, more than 4,000 Allied casualties were evacuated from the same airstrip. The C-119's also brought them rations and ammunition. This was happily received, as the fight was not yet over. The healthier troops, the ones who were still ambulatory, had to make their way south. These troops would have to be evacuated by ship instead.
Even so, one proud vet has declared, “This was not a retreat. We [still] had to run the gauntlet of 10 Chinese divisions, and we decimated them [while] coming out of there!”
When it was over, out of the 15,000 Allied troops involved in the battle, more than 3,000 had died. Six thousand were wounded, and thousands more suffered a severe case of frostbite. This left many of the veterans disabled and afflicted with multiple amputations.
Yet as another vet has said, "It's just amazing that anybody at all walked out of there without any wound and without being killed.”
Indeed, the mere fact that they were not wiped out to a man makes for a strange kind of victory, since their atheist enemies so greatly outnumbered them. It could easily have been a massacre instead. The protection provided for them seems to have been of Divine origin.
One vet of this battle has said, “I honestly believe that God had a hand in it. I believe that He was watching over me.”
Another vet of the battle says something even more surprising. “I had no worry— oh, I did worry, but I mean, as far as my soul is concerned. Even should I have been killed, I knew where I was going. God had my hand in His, and if anything should have happened to me, I’d have been with Him... at that instant. I had no fear... of not being in His care. And that’s the way I feel, that’s the way I feel today.”
Because of the Cosmic Warfare which consumes the surface of our planet, the Children of Light are engaged in a ceaseless battle against the Children of Darkness... against armies composed of both demons and their devoted human adherents. The Sons of Light are at war with the Sons of Darkness.
With this in mind, the symbolism found in “the star of rescue” event found in the story of the Chosin Reservoir Battle becomes important and gains a great significance. It can be especially meaningful when we take time to consider the similar situation of the Christian martyrs of the 20th and 21st centuries. Christian soldiers and Christian martyrs, in a large number that encompasses many millions of people, have suffered a terrible persecution and torturous afflictions during the more than 20 centuries since the ascension of Jesus Christ.
Many times, it may appear that the forces of Darkness have utterly vanquished these embattled Christian martyrs... but they still have hope. They cling to a hope they have in the power of Jesus Christ, Who can bring them New Life in His Resurrection... and a future transformation of the Earth. The Children of Light, even in a frozen and horrid wasteland, even in the midst of vast evil and a Great Darkness... take hope in the Lord of Lords, Who is the Light of the World.
At the time of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, we all looked up to the Bright Star that signified His arrival on the Earth. And now, in these Last Days of the Old Earth, we are very much aware of that Great Darkness which has come over the whole world. This Evil Darkness of the Last Days was predicted by Jesus Himself, more than two thousand years in advance, so we should not be surprised to see it coming about.
Jesus told us that in the Last Days of Earth, just before His Return, there would be a time of horrible distress... a distress greater than any that the world had ever known. Things then, He said, would be just as it was in the days of Noah. The world of Earth would once again be as wicked as it had been in the earlier lifetime of Noah. This is the warning that Jesus gave us more than two thousand years beforehand.
In this time of Darkness and Evil, we must look upward— above the mountains— to the place from which our help will come. We have a hope that we will never surrender. We look upward expectantly, awaiting our first glimpse of the Light of Heaven.
We await the Triumphal Re-Entry of our King, Who will at last bring to our Earth a Rule of Righteousness and Peace.
We know that the Sun of Righteousness must soon return to us, for only He can bring us an ultimate victory in this continual warfare. This never-ending conflict, the violent Cosmic Warfare that has engaged all our energy and all our spirits for so many centuries, will cease only when Jesus Christ returns and brings about His transformation of Old Earth.
Only He can save us from the coldness of our current world, and only Jesus Christ can make for us a comfortable home in the Kingdom of His Father.
Only Jesus Christ can save us from the Darkness of Hell, and from the invisible flames found in that fiery pit of Satan. There is an eternal torment of despair and remorse in that endlessly dark Hell, into which are cast all those entities who will be forever separated from the Light of God.
The enemies of God will there establish their final camp. The Soldiers of Darkness will then know forever, for all of eternity, only that evil Darkness that they so long preferred to the Light of Christ.
Whoever is wise, let him use his eyes and ears, let him use his mind well... and let him hear. It’s far better to have Jesus as your advocate with His Father in Heaven. It’s far better to be on the side of the Army of Light... even though it may sometimes seem that the demons of Hell are winning the battle for the Earth.
The Darkness may seem to be overwhelming our Earth, and the Children of Wickedness may seem to be the ones that are prospering and seeing victories in these Latter Days... but ultimately they will be relegated to Endless Suffering.
All Christians, whether soldier or peacemaker or martyr, will experience much suffering on this Earth, but when they finally die, the time of suffering is forever ended. In Heaven they will find that there’s no more pain, toil, or distress... only a wonderful paradise that is God’s reward for all the saints and believers who remained loyal to Him.
But the followers of the Devil, although they seem to prosper and see victories in the time of great Darkness, will ultimately have all their pleasures taken away from them. They will then spend eternity only with an abundance of suffering and remorse.
Truly damned, they will look up at the Darkness above them, and they will search the Darkness that surrounds them on all sides... and they will see no sign of the Sun of Heaven. They will not even see it as a distant Star of Hope.
There will be no escape for them, only an eternity of pain and remorse.
There are, regrettably, all too many persons on our planet who have learned wickedness from Satan, the Adversary of God. The Enemy of God has promised them endless plunder and delight, if they will only continue to fight on his side in the Long War Against God.
Those who have faithfully fought for the armies of Evil will someday discover, however, something that will come as quite a shock to their brainwashed little minds. To their surprise and endless remorse, they will learn that their final disposition is not to be handled only by the lenient devil that they liked to call god. The false god Satan, who encouraged their wickedness and promised them many rewards for their evil actions, will at last be revealed in his true colors.
No bounty or plunder will be left to them in that day. The promises were all a scam, mere trickery and deception.
The children of the Devil will then discover, to their surprise and endless remorse, that they have for many decades been serving the Father of Lies.
But we who are the believers of God and the followers of His Son Jesus, knowing the truth of the Triune God and His battle-plan for the Earth... we are “the Chosen Few.”
We are the loyal Remnant that God Almighty will save for Himself... the ones that He Himself will save from the destruction of Earth and the dangers of Hell.
Those who serve in Satan’s army will receive the same punishment as Satan. But those humans who fight on the side of the King of Righteousness will ultimately receive His Righteous Reward and a Paradise of Peace.
So we should be very glad to know that we are all serving a King of Righteousness, a Holy One Who will properly reward us for our faithfulness on Earth.
As believers in the Triune God of Heaven, we are destined to be the only real survivors of the Long War Against God which has been taking place on Old Earth. We are the ones that God will select for the New Earth and the Kingdom of Christ.
We must always remember this, as we survey the nightmarish conditions of the Darkness which now overwhelms the whole Earth.
We look up in the darkness, searching beyond the mountaintops... waiting expectantly for a glimpse of the Star of Hope. Any glimpse of the Star of Heaven must give us encouragement, for the battle is not yet over, and the coldness of our world is becoming increasingly uncomfortable. In this dark and freezing-cold environment, we are very glad for any sign that there is still light in our Universe. We appreciate any warmth that we can find on Earth; and if we die here as martyrs of Our Lord, we at least know that we died as supporters of the rightful Ruler of the Cosmos. If we are to pass from this scene, going on to an Eternal Reward in Heaven, we will leave as loyal knights of our King! We will exit this Earth with the blessing of God.
We look up at the dark sky, still hopeful, still patient. We await the Re-Entry of Christ, the Return of the King... that Lord Who is truly the Sun of Righteousness and the Light of the World.
In this time of Cosmic Warfare, we are the Chosen Few.
On the day of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, humans beings looked up to the Bright Star that signified Christ’s arrival on the Earth. We were greatly blessed, finding hope in the streaming light of the Star of Bethlehem. We saw God Incarnate in the child of Mary, Who is the Savior of Humanity, Jesus the Christ, and we all received the promise of ultimate victory in the power of God’s Son.
The modern world in which we live is not easy to bear. It is a cruel and violent environment which we can endure only by the grace of Almighty God. It is overwhelmed by massive enemy forces, by pervasive evil. It is overwhelmed by a terrible darkness and the severe cold of a winter that is not yet so bad as it was for our troops at Chosin Reservoir in Korea. But that kind of hardship may yet await us as loyal soldiers of Jesus Christ, our Lord and King. We must be prepared to live bravely, to fight bravely, and even to die painfully for our King.
As our U.S. military heros did battle bravely in those awful and hellish conditions of 1950, so too we must battle bravely today as Christian soldiers. The Cosmic Warfare still rages on the Earth, and we must continue to fight courageously. We are the heros of God The Father, His pride and joy. We are the Sons of Light, the followers of Jesus Christ in a dark and fallen world.
The soldiers who barely survived the freezing nightmare of Chosin Reservoir looked up into the dark sky and took delight in the sudden appearance of a moving light, a moving “star” that was in reality a lighted aircraft. This flying vehicle, they realized, was a troop transport aircraft which was suddenly coming to their rescue— coming through the night air to save them, to airlift them out of their horrible predicament.
The light of this flying vehicle was for them a sign of hope fulfilled, so the soldiers became jubilant, knowing that this rescue vehicle would soon carry them to safety. The Chosin Reservoir survivors were to be rescued at the last moment, in spite of what had seemed to be an inevitable doom.
In a like manner, we who are Christian soldiers of the modern day are often inclined to look up at the night sky.
We know that some day, when all other lights have vanished from the heavens and only a dark canopy remains over our heads, the Brilliant Light of Christ will appear in that sky. We will then see the sudden light of the Returning Christ, Who comes to rescue us.
We will on that day see a star far more brilliant than the Star of Bethlehem ever was. We will see Jesus Christ Himself in the dark sky, and every eye on Earth will see Him as He descends from the heavens. The intensity of His Light will be awesome to behold, and blinding in its brilliance. This is the Light of God Himself, Who will illuminate the New Earth and the New Jerusalem that is still to come!
Then all who are Christian soldiers shall be abruptly airlifted out of the Cosmic Warfare of this Earth.
We will then be carried by God Himself to an eternally safe haven, as we are ultimately rescued from the violent chaos of this Earth by our Lord and Savior.
With us in the glory of God’s New Earth will be all those Christian soldiers who have already passed through death’s door, because Jesus Christ was their Door to Heaven, the Savior of their souls. All of Christ’s martyrs will be with us as we begin an Eternal Life with God Almighty, the Maker of Heaven and the New Earth.
The spirits of many Christian soldiers of the U.S. who went out and fought on the side of Right— whether in World War I, in World War II, in the Korean War, in the Vietnam War, or in any newer battle against evil— will surely have a place of particular respect and recognition in the New Earth of Jesus Christ.
There will be a special place of honor for those who fought bravely in wars against monstrous evil.
We are the elect of God, the Remnant that He will save from the Old Earth. We are the Remnant that God saves for Himself, the ones that He has designated as His chosen ones. It is an honor to serve Him, as He is a Holy and Righteous King... the Great Lord of our Universe. We are willing to fight in His Holy Name, and we are willing even to die painfully in His cause.
In this time of Cosmic Warfare, we are the Chosen Few.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
God’s Remnant is an army of loyal soldiers that survives all this supernatural warfare, and this group of humans will comprise a Special Forces team that is the apple of God's eye. These soldiers get an exalted position with God and are individually chosen by Him-- they are carefully picked out of the crowd by the Righteous King Himself. These troops compose an elite corps that is destined for a special position in God’s Developmental Program for His Universe. This is the overcoming remnant that will be victorious over our current world (which will one day be called Old Earth), and they are the ones whom God will use to re-populate the planet of His New Earth.
Father God wants YOU to join Salvation’s Army! Become one of the Best... be smart and join the winning team! It’s the only way to come out on top in the end!
The alternative is to stay on the losing side... and then you’ll end up at the bottom of a Pit of Fire, with a nasty guy named Satan and an ugly bunch of demons. Woe, woe... and whoa now! Hey, that’s a fate that shouldn’t appeal to anyone with an ounce of good sense...
Let us reiterate...
Father God wants YOU to join Salvation’s Army! Become one of the Best... be smart and join the winning team! It’s the only way to come out on top in the end!
Yeah, that’s right— we’re the World’s Finest, the Good Guys who are “the salt of the Earth.” Admittedly, we fight for truth, for what’s right, and for justice... just like those “naive” police officers that a lot of people try to avoid!
So why do we end up thinking that we’re “better” than all the rest? What makes us so special— what sets us apart from all the other evil sinners in the world?
Only the fact that we’ve accepted salvation through Christ, and have thus gotten forgiveness from our sins... and the fact that we’ve turned to Jesus Christ as a source of Light.
....
You can share the Light of Jesus Christ, can reflect His Holy Light in a Cruel World, and thus become a point of illumination in the darkness of this world.
God’s Light can become a Lamp unto your feet and a Light unto your path, if you choose to accept rescue and salvation that is available in Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God Almighty.
You can even live to see the Light of God flowing through you and reaching out to other people in our world...!
It’s time your mind was illuminated by Jesus Christ, the Holy One Who is the Light of the World!
God Almighty, the Holy and Righteous Leader of the Armies of Light, is looking for a few good followers. You can share this wonderful light by placing Jesus Christ, Who in the Trinity of God created our Universe, upon a throne at the center of your heart! He deserves that position and that kind of respect. He was first God The Son, but when born in human flesh He became the only sinless and righteous person who ever lived. Yet He sacrificed Himself on a cross for your sake, taking all guilt and sins upon Himself, in order that you and I— that all people— that whoever wishes for salvation might be rescued from the due punishment of sins.
If you will do this, you will gain a new contentment and peace as you accept God's organizational plan for the Universe . . . because you'll be letting God be the Ruler of All Things in this world . . . and in your own life.
All it really takes is a simple but sincere little prayer— one that you should make up in your own words. The prayer for deliverance and for God's leadership should come from your own heart!
Some important elements that you might include are:
1) your desire to turn away from the wrongness or evil of your
past life, and your remorse over the sins of your previous life,
2) your desire for God's forgiveness and mercy through the act
of sacrifice of His Only Begotten Son (Jesus Christ),
3) your desire to know God's leadership in your life,
4) your desire to learn more of God's truth through Bible study,
5) your desire to find fellowship with genuine believers.
Jesus said of the people of God that "The kingdom of heaven is like a net that God has cast into the sea, and it gathers of every kind: When it is full, it will be pulled up on the shore, where they will sit down to sort the catch, and they will collect the good fish in baskets, but the bad things will be thrown away. This is the way it will be at the end of the world: The angels shall come forth, and they will separate the unrighteous persons from among those justified by God . . ."
Excerpt from the Book of Matthew, who was a constant
companion of Jesus and his devoted disciple [13:47-50].
Jesus spoke of the people of God as being like a seed that is growing secretly, saying, “As for the kingdom of God, it is as if a person should cast seed into the ground; and then he sleeps, and he rises up night and day to see that the seed is springing forth and always growing up, although he knows not exactly how. The Earth is bringing forth fruit from itself; first the blade, then the ears of corn, and after that the fullness of the ears of corn. And when all the fruit of the Earth has come forth, immediately God will use the sickle to reap the fields, because the harvest-time has come."
Excerpt from the book of Mark [4:26-29].
It's also important for all of us to remember this:
1) WE SPEAK TO GOD by our prayers.
2) GOD SPEAKS TO US by the words of Holy Scripture.
So we must try to read His words and His Book
just as often as we possibly can!!
God wants to bless you for all your long efforts to understand this very confusing and difficult Universe in which we live— so let Him reward your search with the grace of His forgiveness and enlightenment!
THIS GUIDE WAS WRITTEN FOR YOU BY. . .
Ken Street, a baptized follower of the Way.
[This text is an early draft for the tract, and the scripture reference notes have not yet been added.]
November 11 & 26, 2003
Williamsburg, VA
and
March 31, 2005
Williamsburg, VA
and
June 7, 2005
Williamsburg, VA