In August of 2009 British rock band MUSE released a song called uprising. In hindsight, its lyrics appear prophetic.
Uprising and revolution are indeed the order of the day. TIME magazine named "the Protester" it's person of the year for 2011.
The BBC had this to say about the year:
"...it does feel somehow more momentous than an ordinary year. Regimes have crumbled, despots and demagogues were toppled, cities blazed and capitalism itself started looking a bit rough... Economic woes in a handful of countries affected the whole euro zone and beyond."
'Arab Spring'
Beginning with the kick-off of the so-called Arab spring in late 2010 in countries including Egypt, Libya, and Syria, the unrest spread to the U.S. where thousands protested corporate greed and lack of jobs and attempted to occupy various public spaces. In Russia unfair elections have ignited protest. Also Greece, Italy and other countries that have enacted austerity measures have experienced mass protests and lawlessness. The Middle East continues to suffer daily violence as various Muslim religious sects war against each other using terroristic methods.
Noting the possibility of an 'African Spring' a BBC article had this to say: "...the prevalence of selfish, greedy and opportunistic leaders... Indeed, some of these leaders got extremely nervous in the wake of the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions last year." (BBC News, Africa, 24 of January, 2012)
In reference to the mood of the masses, Peter Hart, a Wall Street Journal pollster said, "every element... comes up negative. There's no sense of hope." 1 Andrea Mitchell, an NBC News correspondent went even further, "you've got so much anger, so much frustration... there's an extraordinary disaffection, a helplessness, a hopelessness, and an anger..." 2
Times are difficult and people are upset, that's a given. But is there a deeper reason behind the turbulence in society today?
Year of the Dragon
I came across a headline today that read, "Feng Shui master's predictions for the Year of the Dragon." Evidently the Chinese new year begins today and the article said that "ethnic Chinese around the world will be taking part in celebrations to mark the Year of the Dragon." (BBC, Asia news)
The Chinese can whoop it up all they want, but the presence of the dragon is nothing to be celebrated. The Bible book of Revelation refers to a "great dragon" (12:9) that lost a battle and was ousted from heaven, and then, in chapter 12 verse 12 we hear this explicit warning:
"Woe for the earth and for the sea, because the Devil has come down to YOU..." *
Verse 9 reports that this one is "misleading the entire inhabited earth." He slyly tricks people into glorifying him and celebrating his rulership in a myriad of ways, both overt and covert.
Other Bible books refer to this dragon, "the one called Devil and Satan" (Rev. 12:9), as the world ruler of the present system. In second Corinthians he is called "the god of this system of things," and in first John the Scripture says, "the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one." (2 Cor. 4:4, 1 John 5:19) Even Jesus called that person "the ruler of the world..." (John 14:30)
Earth has been suffering the direct effect of Satan's ousting from heaven for almost a century now. The Bible indicates that his exile to earth took place in the year 1914. Indeed it has been, not the year, but the century of the dragon.
The Messianic Kingdom Established
After millenniums of direct access to heaven (see Job chapter 1) what could cause war to break out leading to the expulsion of the Devil and his confinement to the vicinity of the earth? Biblical evidence indicates that it was no less an event than the one long awaited by servants of the true God - the establishment of the Messianic kingdom under Christ!
We therefore read, in the same chapter that reports the ousting of Satan from heaven (Revelation 12 and verse 10):
"Now have come to pass... the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ..."
Since 1914 heads of state have been ruling on borrowed time under an authority that has already lost an important celestial battle.
God will not allow Satan to rule earth and negatively influence mankind indefinitely.
Like so many of the dictators and despots that have recently met their downfall, Satan becomes more destructive as his removal from power draws near. This will involve, not just a great upheaval in society, but a total replacement of the current ungodly society with a new one, represented in the Bible as a "new earth." (Isa. 65:17; 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1)
Like the "sea... that is unable to calm down" the masses of society alienated from God continue their unrest until they are no more. (Isa. 57:20; Rev. 21.1)
We are now seeing the "scene of this world" begin to change so as to make way for this unparalleled upcoming event, after which the heavenly Kingdom will be established earthwide. Armageddon survivors will clean up the rubble of the old world and slowly transform the planet into a paradise - according to God's original purpose.
"You have to eliminate it..."
The propaganda in media for people to work to 'make the world a better place' or 'make a difference' sounds noble, but it is futile and meaningless to work to keep a dying and corrupt world alive - and furthermore, one that God has already condemned.
Although speaking specifically about capitalism, Michael Moore recognized an important point when he said:
"you cannot regulate evil, you have to eliminate it... and replace it with something that is good for all people." 3
That is exactly what the kingdom under Christ will do. Replace the present global system with a new one that will be "good for all people."
Reference
* Unless otherwise noted all Bible quotes are from the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, 1984)
1. Peter Hart in an interview with NBC Nightly News, December 2011
2. Andrea Mitchell, NBC Nightly News, December 2011
3. Michael Moore, Capitalism: A Love Story, 2009
Erek Daniels - Erek is an ordained minister in association with Jehovah's Witnesses and a published freelance writer.
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