For a student of history a time of upheaval, like the one we live in, has almost always meant a time of great change. It is worth noting that many of the greatest wars in history began in a time of economic uncertainty. We live in such a time. Many economists have said that the United States is going through the worst economic period since the Great Depression. The Great Depression was, of course, followed by World War II. The fact is that Europe is also on the brink of economic collapse while China and the oil producing countries of the Middle East are on the ascendancy. It is also a fact that those countries that are becoming economically more powerful are NOT our friends. The balance of power in the world is shifting in a way that is dangerous to the United States and our interests.
It was the industrial power of the United States that won World War II. We can no longer claim anything like the manufacturing capability that we once had. We have given away our birthright for cheaper blue jeans and techno toys.
There is a prophecy in Islam that a messiah-like figure will arise and unite the people and lands of Islam. He will be called the Mehdi or Mahdi. Many Arab leaders in history have believed they might be the Mahdi. The leader of Iran believes he is paving the way for this man right now. The very existence of Israel, and the peace in the Middle East, is threatened by the growing power of Iran and the rise of Islam.
The attention of the entire world is drawn to the Mid-East because it’s THE source of oil for much of the world. Europe can’t afford to lose their supply of oil from the Middle East…nor can China. The, already shaky, economies of the world depend on oil for their very existence. Modern economies are coming to depend of modern technologies too. Modern technologie that require rare earth minerals. The economies of India and China both depend on them. These too are limited and a potential source of conflict between the nations that need them.
Overpopulation, and the stress it is putting on strained food supplies, is yet another source of potential conflict. While America is attempting to clean up the air and water that our industrial revolution has polluted over the decades other countries, like India and China, are ignoring environmental concerns in the rush to become modern economic powers. Economic power is world power. America is giving it up out of a sense of guilt and a move towards socialism…a system that has never worked anywhere it has been tried.
We are living in VERY dangerous times. America used to be the hope of the world because of the values we held dear. We used to have the moral certainty that goodness and right would prevail. Now we’re taught those values are relative. America used to be the place the world’s displaced went to escape the troubles in the rest of the world. There is no longer any place to go.
Our system…the last, best hope for mankind in the view of many…has become a popularity contest for greedy, incompetent politicians. Our leaders, if they can be called that, lack the moral certainty and courage to make the tough decisions. America is in serious trouble. That means the world is in serious trouble.
As a Christian I know the only hope we have is to turn our hearts back to God. We need to repent of our love of money that has clouded everything we do. We need to repent for kicking God out of our lives. We need to repent of the wholesale murder of our unborn. We need to fall to our knees and repent of our national sins. The alternative is a coming fall the likes of which the world has never seen. There is a time of trouble coming. Too many forces in the world are headed for a collision course. We simply can’t go on this way.
Those who believe need not let their hearts be troubled…if they’ve turned their hearts back to God. The world is growing darker every day. God’s way is the only light to be seen. The human heart is where all real change begins. I wonder if we have it in us?
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