The first time I stood on Russian soil was in 1997 when the Alaska Air flight I was on stopped to refuel somewhere in Siberia.

I was on a long flight from Anchorage, Alaska, to the city of Blagoveshchensk in the Russian Far East (on the border of China).

The plane was about half full and the passengers were given the chance to stretch their feet, have a bathroom break and go to a snack bar or gift shop.

As I stood at the door to the steps to exit the plane, I saw at the end of the stairway a Russian soldier armed with a machine gun keeping a sharp eye on everyone leaving the jet.

The terminal was deserted. Window were broken. There was no heat (it was October and very, very cold). The men’s room was filthy. There were no toilet seats – just holes in the floor. For the first time ever, I decided to wait and use the restroom on an airplane. There was no snack shop or vending machines. In fact, the lights in the terminal were off. Yet we were carefully watched by Russian guards, as if we were going to steal something or gather state secrets in a decrepit building.

I was headed to Blagoveshchensk, a city of about 100,000 residents, with three couples on their way to adopt Russian orphans. I went chronicle the trip for a newspaper.

While in Blagoveshchensk, our group was walking down a sidewalk, when a Russian man approached me and started yelling. I don’t speak Russian and had no idea what he was saying. He was obviously drunk and he didn’t threaten me physically. But he was really mad.

I asked our translator, a Russian middle school teacher, what he said as he walked away. She said he was threatening me verbally because of the animosity of some Russian people against America.

Word had spread around town that seven Americans were in town and we were the only Americans there. We were easy to spot because of our colorful clothing. The Russians wore mostly black and grey clothing in this cold, cold city near Siberia.

That was unsettling.

Dr. Darwin Olson of Tulsa and his family spent months in Blagoveshchensk and helped establish a Christian church there while they were doing extensive medical missionary work. And I met some charming people in Blagoveshchensk and later when we spent a week in Moscow.

Our translator in Moscow, a Christian missionary from America, gave us a serious warning. We depended on the Moscow subway system, which is remarkably ornate with directions that are relatively easy to follow even if you don’t speak Russian (which I don’t). Every stop was like a museum with statues and paintings.

His warning was for us to stay together in a tight group on the subway. Russian gypsies target foreigners in the subway. They surround an individual and pick their pockets or steal watches and rings. I carried my passport and money in money belt tucked inside my pants.

When we went to the airport to fly home, our translator walked us to the gate. I told him that it wasn’t necessary but he insisted. He said Russian airport officials would approach “rich” foreigners and tell them they must pay a $200 charge in order to get on the plane. Bribery is a way of life in Russia (and many other countries) but our translator spared us that problem.

I write this because Russia has a totally different culture and mindset than America. It’s not that we are perfect (we aren’t) or they are totally deprived (they aren’t) but after more than 100 years of Communism and oppression, there is a level of suspicion that is not as common in our country.

There are many Christians in Russia, some under terrible persecution, but as I have interviewed U.S. military personnel who have dealt with Russia, the Russian leaders are liars, ruthless and overbearing.

Believe me, after taking over Ukraine by military force, Vladimir Putin is looking for another victim to conquer and enslave.

This latest outbreak could have serious prophetic implications. Russia is mentioned as a key player in end times in attacks on Israel. What we see unfolding has been accurately described in Biblical prophecy.

We may be seeing the start of World War IIL or the Rapture of the Church.

We don’t know for sure.

Now is the time for true believers to pray for America and the world.