What is Next?

What is coming for the world? The signs are there and a person would have to be pretty blind not to see them. As events unfold we can see the march of world history toward another world war, but what most people do not realize is that the Kingdom of Jesus Christ is also approaching. Most people do not see the hand of God in the destiny of this planet. He will only allow evil to go so far, and is preparing to bring relief to this poor oppressed planet.

After the recent great recession many people were without jobs, could not pay their bills, and began a series of protests, especially in the Middle East. They started blaming their governments for fattening their own bank accounts while the people suffered. Governments were overthrown in Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, and the Ivory Coast, but protests continue in other countries. Syria is the most volatile, but there have been protests in Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, and Jordan. Nigeria has had violent riots. Greece has seen protests as Europe has suffered from the debt crisis, which was also brought about by the great recession. Even in our Israel countries we have seen the “occupy” movement in our major cities. Many of the people in the occupy movement were unemployed and blaming the rich, and especially the banks, for their hardship. Is this blaming justified?

The powder keg of the world is the Middle East.

The demands of the occupy movement were not always well researched. They called for a “Robin Hood” tax on the banks, because the banks brought on the recession. However, Canadian banks did not take part in sub-prime lending, and no Canadian bank needed bail-out money. Canadian banks did not cause the recession. Also, the “occupiers” protested the one percent of society that controls forty percent of the wealth. This is not true in Canada, as reported by the CBC. To get forty percent of the wealth in Canada, you would be looking at fifteen percent of the population. This would include many lawyers, professors, doctors, and even a few nurses. I fail to see what people were protesting in Canada. Last year the National Post ran an article on the Global Peace Index, from a report by the Institute for Economics and Peace. Canada was placed as the eighth most peaceful country in the world to live in, after Iceland, New Zealand, Japan, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Austria and Finland. This is a land of peace. People should be thanking God for the opportunity to live here, not protesting.

However, in many parts of the world living conditions are deplorable, and protests and riots will continue leading up to the return of Jesus Christ. “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God” Romans 8:19. The “creature” in the verse refers to the human creature. People all over the world desire something better, but they don’t know what it is. They usually look in the wrong places and seek godless materialism or non-Christian religions. Nothing short of Bible based Christianity will satisfy their inner desires. The powder keg of the world is the Middle East. Ezekiel chapter 38 mentions Iran (Persia) as one of the countries that will come against true Israel in the last war before the return of Jesus Christ, along with a people from the far north. The word “Rosh” in Ezekiel 38:3 has been translated “chief” in the King James translation of the Bible, but footnotes in many Bibles say it could refer to a country. Surely people can see what is coming. Russia has said they will not stand for an invasion of Iran by the Americans or modern Israel. However, it appears that neither the Republicans, nor the Democrats, are going to stand for Iran gaining nuclear capabilities. Invasion appears to be a certainty. Only the timing is uncertain. I believe the Bible gives us a picture of what will happen after that, but the specifics of how it will unfold remain to be seen. The eventual world war will destroy the power of the U.S.A., Russia, and China, and the next superpower will be Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. It is too bad we have to go through the events that are coming, but judgment has to come on the whole world. Even in our Israelite countries we have turned our backs on Jesus Christ and His laws. We need to repent. God help us.