The news is getting scary. You have probably heard that people in Iran are demonstrating against their government, and things are getting violent. The news, where I live, is that an army base has been attacked.
In Russia, there are other problems. We know about the Russian army attacking Ukraine, a close neighbor. It’s now a complicated story, and the Government of Russia is bringing compulsory military service, to keep their effort going.
Apparently, people in Russia are not happy about this, and they are demonstrating in the streets. Russia is the largest country in the world in terms of landmass.
In China, things seem to be more peaceful, and there doesn’t seem to be a violent crisis. COVID lock-downs are still happening, but young adults are not getting married and having babies, and the population is declining.
A younger generation of new adults is distracted by the stress of living, in their country. This may seem trivial, but over time, a smaller population will mean a smaller economy, and that will be a smaller economy for the whole world. And China has the largest population of any country.
Did you know the world had so many crises?
It’s interesting that all three countries are close neighbours, in Asia, and they usually cooperate. If things become unstable in that large part of the world, they will help each other, and we will all feel the effects.
The three countries of Iran, Russia, and China have almost a billion and a half people and are a huge part of the world’s economy.
It’s a small world after all.
So, how is this important for us? How is this a spiritual issue? What should we watch for?
Size and Power:
Huge things are happening in our world, and we might miss them. It’s easy to read the news and imagine it’s about those people over there; I don’t speak any of the languages, and I have never visited any of those three countries. Criticizing “them” is an armchair quarterback exercise. It’s better to talk about “us.”
Changes are coming to our world, and we will all feel them. The experts are concerned, just like this ancient expert:
“Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans?” (Psalm 2:1)
Spiritual Reality:
We can criticize other people if we include ourselves. We all have the same spiritual problems. One big problem, or spiritual sickness, is our failure to choose. The world around us forces values on us, and if we are forced to agree, we just conform.
- Russia has a strict government and a national war effort.
- China is a one-party Communist state.
- Iran is a theocracy; the government enforces one strict religion.
The spiritual reality is, God has asked us to make choices and to direct our own spiritual lives. When that basic freedom is blocked, populations get restless.
Now, millions of people are resisting passively, or aggressively.
“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)
Watch and Pray:
Things are happening because the end is near. In the Bible, Persia (Iran) and the “King of the North” and the “Kings of the East” will play important roles in world history, at the end. We were told “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.” (Matthew 24: 42)
So, we have powerful forces, in this world. We also have a spiritual sickness. And, we were told to watch.
It is possible that the crisis in three countries will calm down, and I could be the boy who cried wolf. It is also possible that things are about to change, in the whole world. We might be seeing the signs of the end of this age.
At least, we can see how the end will come. We have promises from Heaven.
“Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 22: 12 and 13)
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