|
Speaking of the era immediately preceding his return to the earth, Jesus Christ warned that … there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with
power and great glory. Luke 21:25-27. Whilst there have regularly been times of great trouble and distress in the past, the situation which we see
in the world today could hardly have a better description than those few verses and 2012 portends being as traumatic if not more so than 2011 - a year in which the news was dominated by the Arab Spring, global
financial crises and unprecedented levels of natural catastrophes.
NATURAL CATASTROPHES
In an article in The Times of 2nd January this year, the chief executive of the insurers Lloyds of London, Richard Ward, estimated that catastrophe-related losses of US $350 billion were the highest on record. He reminded readers that the year commenced with the Australian floods costing $7 billion, exacerbated by Cyclone Yasi, also in Australia. February brought the 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. The Japanese 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in March with its devastation spreading to the Fukushima nuclear power plant, vividly remains in our minds. Over the year, Hurricane Irene and 1,600 tornadoes battered the US and the year ended with more floods in Thailand and another earthquake in Christchurch. About 40% of the economic losses were insured, with the remainder largely having to be covered by governments, some of which might already be struggling under the global financial crisis. History shows that literal earthquakes or natural disasters often precede political ‘earthquakes’.
Richard Ward pointed out that, in the modern global village with global supply lines, what happens in Japan or Thailand impacts on every
business and retail outlet. Further political unrest can drive up oil prices, drought can drive up the cost of the weekly shop, and weather from outer space can knock out GPS and other communication systems, so
affecting us all. For example, the tsunami and Fukushima disaster has caused the Germany government to reappraise its energy policy and shift from nuclear to other sources of fuel including natural gas from
Russia. Furthermore, that same tsunami caused disruption of supply lines to UK factories, with resultant lay-offs.
Thus there is a fundamental insecurity about the world in which we live. Once again, the words of Jesus give another appropriate warning:
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a
rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. Matthew 7:24-25.
There is a Way, therefore, which will grant us security in some crucial areas of life, so that we are not tossed to and fro in the storms that
might beset us.
THREAT OF WAR
Also exercising the minds of Western and Middle Eastern governments has been the fear of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons
and, additionally, the means of delivery. Israel is particularly worried (Iran is a theocratic regime ideologically opposed to her existence) and is greatly concerned about the possibility of Tehran extending
its nuclear umbrella to its anti-Jewish proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah. Another article in The Times, this one by Martin Fletcher on 3rd December, discussed how an Israeli pre-emptive attack could set the region ablaze, with Iran retaliating by raining ballistic missiles upon Israel (who only last month announced plans to shut down their two nuclear power plants at Dimona and Nahal Sorek in the event of such an attack). At the same time, Hamas and Hezbollah would unleash salvos of rockets from their stockpiles built up in recent years, and the Iranian regime would mine the Strait of Hormuz through which a third of the world’s oil passes. The latter action would of course damage Iran’s own oil exports but the impact of the consequent hike in oil prices would further adversely affect the whole world economy. This in turn would draw US intervention despite this being in an election year. Indeed, only last month, the US deployed a second aircraft carrier group to the Gulf following threats from Iran in connection with The Strait of Hormuz.
The ‘Arab Spring’ has been a major series of political ‘earthquakes’ over the past twelve months, with the overthrow of
dictators and the birth of currently more unstable regimes with a Muslim bias against Israel, leading to a growing isolation of the latter. The longer term outlook in the Middle East therefore appears increasingly
unstable.
There is verse in the Old Testament prophecy of Zechariah which has ever been true; it reads:
And in that day will I make Jerusalem a
burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. Zechariah12:3.
The history of the world has so often turned on what happened in Jerusalem. 2012 again appears to heading to an unpredictable period of
insecurity, with Israel at the centre, yet the Bible reader can see how such events would herald the long promised return of Jesus Christ to the earth.
GROWING POWER OF RUSSIA AND WEAKENING OF WESTERN ECONOMIES
Finally, this article returns the issue of the major problems in the
Western economies. At the time of writing, France, Italy, Austria and six other European countries have had their credit ratings downgraded and, unless the German led EU is able to agree on a rescue plan, it
looks as though Greece will default on its loans in March and may have to leave the Euro zone. At present, the financial markets seem sanguine about all this but the impact on any ephemeral and transient market
confidence might soon dissipate if the Euro zone is faced with a break-up, with the economies of Ireland and Portugal coming under the focus of increased pressure. At the same time, whilst the US and Britain
are being forced by government debt and adverse trading circumstances to reduce their military capabilities, Russia, a nation rich in mineral resources, continues to benefit by becoming the major energy supplier to
Europe and, by avoiding involvement in overseas military adventures, is able to increase her spend on air, naval and military armaments.
Christadelphians watch these events with keen interest to see if they develop into the scenario prophesied in Ezekiel 38. Here an invasion of the land of Israel is led, verse 2, by a northern military power which the Revised Version of the Bible translates as the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal (believed to be Russia) and is accompanied, verses 5 & 6, by, amongst others, the Muslim nations of Persia (Iran), Ethiopia and Libya. The chapter continues to describe how this mighty northern invader will overrun the land of Israel when it is precisely as we find it today: repopulated by
returning Jewish exiles and apparently secure, verses 8 & 11. The
chapter also reveals how the other Gulf States and the merchant powers of Tarshish (Britain, the US and other English speaking nations) seem powerless to challenge the invader except by political statements. Ezekiel 38:13.
The more events unfold, the more the stage seems set for an early fulfilment of Ezekiel’s inspired words.
WHAT SHOULD WE DO IN THESE TROUBLED TIMES?
It would be easy to bury one’s head in the sand in an attempt not to think about the
troubles that surround us all, yet Jesus warns us that we should not do that! His words taken from that same chapter with which we began, are as follows:
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you
unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass,
and to stand before the Son of man. Luke 21:34-36.
The events described above should encourage us to search the pages of the Bible – the way in which the living God speaks to us today
– to discern what we must do to merit His grace and fulfil that purpose for which He has created us.
|
