The Night is Coming
“We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work” (John 9:4) — Jesus Christ.
The intelligence community talks about an increase in “terrorism chatter” when groups hateful of the West intensify their efforts. Similarly, I have recently been hearing “prophetic chatter” about great changes coming to our world. A central theme is that “everything is about to change”–that the alignments of the past one hundred and even five hundred years may be altered in the comng years.
Some are saying it could happen within twelve months. Others project one to three years. The current upheaval in Muslim countries–especially Egypt–is increasing the chatter. Is the world as we’ve known it about to experience a major downturn or alignment? I wouldn’t bet against it.
The night is coming. We must pray–and do the works God is showing us to do.
One of our greatest human limitations is a short life span. Since we live at most seventy to eight years on earth (Psalm 90:10), we rarely experience major changes in eras or civilizations. For example, since the world wars, there has been relative global stability for the past seventy years. Before that, Western society was fairly predictable for over four hundred years.
But if you gaze on the overall tapestry of human history, it’s clear that there have been many major seasons of societal upheaval and change. The rise and fall of Egyptian, Babylonian and Assyrian civilizations; the Greek and Roman era; the crash of Pax Romana and centuries of European darkness; the one hundred year conquest of the Mongols; Islamic prominence and decline. And many more.
History is filled with both dark and light periods–times of great advance, revival, and stability, and also times of upheaval, bloodshed and chaos. Of course, there is also darkness for some during times of light for others. For example, during the relative stability of the world from 1945-2010, many nations including China, Cambodia, and Russia faced great troubles, tyranny and bloodshed.
I believe a time of judgement, darkness, and/or major realignment is a possibility in the coming years. The prophetic chatter is increasing–and is coming from many diverse sources.
Some of the voices are economic ones. Our modern civilization is on a dangerous and unsustainable financial pathway. The violation of God’s principles and mountains of debt portend a serious time of economic decline or darkness.
Here’s a typical warning from the best-selling 2010 book Aftershock:
“Unlike any other moment in our history, there is fundamentally something different going on this time. Even people who pay no attention to the stock market or the latest economic news say they can just feel it in their gut. Something is different. This is not merely a down market cycle, nor is it a typical recession. The difference is the multi-bubble economy–the usual strategies for returning to our previous prosperity no longer apply.”
“We call it a bubblequake. As in an earthquake, our multi-bubble economy is starting to rumble and crack. Clearly the real estate, credit, and stock market bubbles have already taken a serious fall, and the financial consequences for the broader U.S. and world economy have been terrible.”
“Next comes the aftershock. Just when most people think the worst is behind us, we are about to experience the cascading fall of several, co-linked bursting bubbles that will rock our nation’s economy to the core and send deep and destructive financial shock waves around the globe. The bubblequake fall of the housing, credit, consumer spending, and stock bubbles significantly weakened the world economy. But the coming aftershock will be far more dangerous…In fact, the worst is yet to come.”
We need to listen to the economic chatter. Nations cannot long operate on the cruise control of runaway spending and debt.
We are facing an economic “night” in the not so distant future.
Some religious voices are also raising the battle cry. One comes from the third most popular radio personality in America–Glenn Beck. Beck is a Mormon libertarian who gets close at times to be a conspiracy guy–but mostly is sane, rational, and prophetic about the dangers that America currently faces.
For a number of years he has been warning Americans to renew their faith in God, to restore virtue in their lives, and rise up and lead the nation out of the death spiral that we are facing. I don’t think his warnings are extreme. I hope he is wrong–but something inside of me says that he is “a voice crying in the wilderness.”
Here is one of his warnings: “Much has been written about how complicated the downfall of Rome was, but the recipe was actually pretty simple, and has since been replicated countless times. A great civilization arises. The state encroaches upon freedom and demands more power. People take less responsibility for themselves and want more handouts from the government. Taxes go up to pay for the handouts. The size of government explodes and economic growth slows. The government seeks to divert the public’s attention from what is really going on. Collapse, economic or otherwise, ensues.”
“If history teaches us one thing, it is this: Empires tend to crumble from the inside. If history teaches us two things, it is that very few people ever see it coming.”
Glenn Beck is right on both counts.
But there are also secular voices speaking to us from a political point of view. One of the best articles I’ve seen on the riots in Egypt is called “The Arab Revolution and Western Decline.” It was recently published at haaretz.com. I will quote it at length because I believe Mr. Shavit gives us a poignant picture of political dangers we are facing. Here are his sobering words:
“Two huge processes are happening right before our eyes. One is the Arab liberation revolution. After half a century during which tyrants have ruled the Arab world, their control is weakening. The Arab masses will no longer accept what they used to accept. The Arab elites will no longer remain silent.”
“Modernization, globalization, telecommunications and Islamization have created a critical mass that cannot be stopped. The example of democratic Iraq is awakening others, and Al Jazeera’s subversive broadcasts are fanning the flames. And so the Tunisian bastille fell, the Cairo bastille is falling and other Arab bastilles will fall.”
“The scenes are similar to the Palestinian intifada of 1987, but the collapse recalls the Soviet collapse in Eastern Europe of 1989. No one knows where the intifada will lead. No one knows whether it will bring democracy, theocracy or a new kind of democracy. But things will never again be the same. The old order in the Middle East is crumbling.”
“The second process is the acceleration of the decline of the West. For some 60 years the West gave the world imperfect but stable order. It built a kind of post-imperial empire that promised relative quiet and maximum peace. The rise of China, India, Brazil and Russia, like the economic crisis in the United States, has made it clear that the empire is beginning to fade.”
“And yet, the West has maintained a sort of international hegemony. Just as no replacement has been found for the dollar, none has been found for North Atlantic leadership. But Western countries’ poor handling of the Middle East proves they are no longer leaders. Right before our eyes the superpowers are turning into palaver powers.”
The West’s position [on the Egyptian uprising] is not a moral one that reflects a real commitment to human rights. The West’s position reflects the adoption of Jimmy Carter’s worldview: kowtowing to benighted, strong tyrants while abandoning moderate, weak ones.”
“Carter’s betrayal of the Shah brought us the ayatollahs, and will soon bring us ayatollahs with nuclear arms. The consequences of the West’s betrayal of Mubarak will be no less severe. It’s not only a betrayal of a leader who was loyal to the West, served stability and encouraged moderation. It’s a betrayal of every ally of the West in the Middle East and the developing world. The message is sharp and clear: The West’s word is no word at all; an alliance with the West is not an alliance. The West has lost it. The West has stopped being a leading and stabilizing force around the world.”
“The Arab liberation revolution will fundamentally change the Middle East. The acceleration of the West’s decline will change the world. One outcome will be a surge toward China, Russia and regional powers like Brazil, Turkey and Iran. Another will be a series of international flare-ups stemming from the West’s lost deterrence. But the overall outcome will be the collapse of North Atlantic political hegemony not in decades, but in years. When the United States and Europe bury Mubarak now, they are also burying the powers they once were. In Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the age of Western hegemony is fading away.”
Economic night. Spiritual judgment. Political night.
It’s happened before and will happen again.
Just before his death and resurrection, Jesus gazed forty years into the Jewish future and saw a time of “night” that would befall the unrepentant nation. It came in AD 70 when Titus destroyed Palestine, defiled the Temple, and led thousands of Jews away into slavery.
At that time, Jesus tried to prepare his followers for what lay ahead saying, “We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work” (John 9:4).
I’ve been making many decisions lately with this Scripture in mind. What would God have me to do while there is still daylight? Changed priorities? Greater urgency? How can I be obedient to God to lead those I love through a time of great change or cultural nightfall?
I do know this comforting fact: Light comes after darkness. The darkness never prevails–it simply sets the stage for a glorious sunrise. For our generation, that might mean another great revival on earth, or possibly the Renewal of All Things through the Return of Christ.
I am praying for wisdom, strength, and faith to prepare for the night–and afterwards, the dawn.
How about you?
Crisis in Egypt: The Prayerful View
Things are unraveling in Egypt. There are protests and riots across the country. 100 plus people are dead, 2,000 are injured, the Cabinet has resigned and the airport is packed with people trying to get out. The army has been restrained so far, and ultimately may be the deciding factor in the outcome.
Today, hundreds of thousands of people are in the streets demanding a change in government.
So how should we view this brewing tempest? What is our best lens for understanding what is happening in Egypt and the Middle East?
There are many perspectives you can take on world events. You can see them through humanitarian or compassionate eyes–the suffering people, the problems, the injustices. You can also look at them through political eyes–which parties are involved and who might be noteworthy of praise or blame. Or you can analyze current events through an historical lens.
I believe the most important way to look at history unfolding is through the eyes of prayer–which elevates us to a higher viewpoint. As we pray for world events, and seek his face about what is happening and what we can do, God can give us insights into what is really taking place on the ground.
Intercessors often have the best vantage point.
They’re closest to the One who knows.
One of our YWAM leaders, Mark Anderson is in the Middle East (Malta) this week leading a regional missions conference named the Call2All. Here is his call to prayer as the drama unfolded:
“Today is also the beginning of our Middle East Congress here in Malta. Many of our attendees are stranded in Egypt and can’t get out, while others are stuck here in Malta and unable to get back to their families. Thieves and looters are using these protests as an opportunity to act out in violence and to destroy businesses. Military troops are out patrolling the streets in an attempt to keep the peace.”
“We must all pray. Many of you have ministries that you can call on to intercede at this very important time. What happens in Egypt will dramatically affect the whole Middle East. Please pray for everyone involved in our congress to have God’s wisdom and for their families to be secure. Let’s ask God to supernaturally intervene in such a way that large numbers of Egyptians will put their trust in Him. May Jesus be revealed in the midst of this situation!”
Before we explore the “prayer view” of the Egyptian conflict, it might be helpful to look through the other lenses that can enlighten us. First, the political angle that has a number of key players.
Hosni Mubarak
As far as tyrants go, Mubarak is not the worst of the worst–but a dictator is a dictator.
Egypt has been governed for centuries by numerous strong-armed leaders. In ancient days they were called Pharoahs. Today they’re called “presidents for life”–and there really isn’t much difference except the absence of slavery.
Hosni Mubarak, dubbed ‘the Pharaoh’ for his 30-year iron rule, is said to have amassed a fortune of forty billion dollars for his family at the expense of the Egyptian people. He is eighty-two years old, and his half-Welsh wife Suzanne and sons Gamal and Alaa are seen in Egypt as symbols of nepotism and corruption with properties and business interests worldwide, including London. Mubarak is a secular Muslim who’s ruled the nation for three decades.
Critics say the closest their sons have got to ordinary Egyptians was when they were driven past them in limousines. Both sons have been linked to arms-dealing.
Mubarak has survived at least six assassination attempts and fears have also been growing that he plans to groom the more political Gamal to inherit the throne.
This is one reason why the people are rioting. They’re tired of corruption and strong-armed control. I believe there is a genuine desire for liberty and change.
The Muslim Brotherhood
While analysts ask who or what is behind the sustained protests in Egypt, one group is now seeking political legitimacy. Technically banned under Egypt’s constitution that forbids religious based parties, the Muslim Brotherhood is now throwing its support behind Mohammed el Baradei as an opposition leader.
But many fear that if Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak goes, the real replacement will be either the Muslim Brotherhood itself, or an Islamic fundamentalist group. El Baradei insisted on Sunday talk shows that the fear was unwarranted.
“This is total bogus that the Muslim Brotherhood are religiously conservative,” El Baradei told ABC’s “This Week.” “They are no way extremists. They are no way using violence.”
But critics point out that the Brotherhood, which was established in Egypt in the 1920’s, is synonymous with political Islam which supports the use of Islamic law known as Sharia.
“Right now the Arab Republic of Egypt does not impose Islamic law in its fullness,” Rob Spencer, the head of Jihad Watch told FOX News. “The Muslim Brotherhood wants to change that.”
Among the brotherhood’s graduates: Al Qaeda’s number two leader, the Egyptian doctor Ayman al-Zawahiri who was imprisoned for three years on weapons charges following President Anwar Sadat’s assassination in 1981, Hamas, the terror network behind suicide bombings and rocket attacks in Israel, and the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, whose goal is the destruction of Israel.
Walid Phares, who is a terrorism analyst for FOX News, has studied the Muslim Brotherhood. Phares says its history shows that the group is not secular and not moderate.
“The Muslim Brotherhood is the mothership for the jihadi ideologies and thinking. And therefore one can say today’s Al Qaeda, and today many other jihadists, are off shoots of the Muslim Brotherhood.”
The Muslim Brotherhood is the key religious/political entity that could exploit the crisis in Egypt.
But another political entity is also involved.
The Obama Administration
America has a major role to play in he stability of the Middle East. We are the ones who protect the survival of Israel, and much of that protection has been hinged to peace accords we brokered between Egypt and Israel.
Barack Obama and the current US administration on now on the hot seat to guard the peace. Redstate.com describes Obama’s role this way:
“Jimmy Carter will go down in American history as ‘the president who lost Iran,’ which during his term went from being a major strategic ally of the United States to being the revolutionary Islamic Republic. Barack Obama will be remembered as the president who “lost” Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt, and during whose tenure America’s alliances in the Middle East crumbled.”
“The superficial circumstances are similar. In both cases, a United States in financial crisis and after failed wars loses global influence under a leftist president whose good intentions are interpreted abroad as expressions of weakness. The results are reflected in the fall of regimes that were dependent on their relationship with Washington for survival, or in a change in their orientation, as with Ankara.”
“America’s general weakness clearly affects its friends. But unlike Carter, who preached human rights even when it hurt allies, Obama sat on the fence and exercised caution. He neither embraced despised leaders nor evangelized for political freedom, for fear of undermining stability.”
The Heritage also believes that current administration policies are contributing to the instability of the Middle East. Here is their perspective:
“The Obama Administration has been slow to embrace calls for liberty in Egypt is completely consistent with the Obama Doctrine as applied in the Middle East. When the Iranian people rose against the regime in Tehran in the wake of a disputed national election, Obama offered virtually no support for the cries for freedom. He was too committed to his engagement strategy with the Iranian regime, believing his “charm offensive” would be enough to deter them from pursuing nuclear weapons.”
“Those efforts have completely failed. Nevertheless, the ‘playing nice initiative’ with Tehran fell flat. Today, the regime is more aggressive than ever—backing a terrorist takeover of the government in Lebanon, snubbing Western nuclear negotiators, and promoting an Islamist agenda across the region.”
“As Elliott Abrams, who coordinated the Bush Administration’s Middle East policy at the National Security Council, wrote in The Washington Post: ‘This has been the greatest failure of policy and imagination in the administration’s approach: Looking at the world map, it sees states and their rulers, but has forgotten the millions of people suffering under and beginning to rebel against those rulers. “Engagement” has not been the problem, but rather the administration’s insistence on engaging with regimes rather than with the people trying to survive under them.’
Barack Obama, for good or for ill, may be the ultimate player in Egypt’s immediate future.
But now back to prayer–with a little historical perspective.
I have been reading through the entire Bible once each year for the past thirty-nine years. Interestingly, my daily readings this week found me in Exodus where the people of Israel were enslaved in Egypt, God raise up a reluctant Moses as a deliverer, the Egyptian gods were humiliated by the true God, and many people feared the Lord because of his loving redemption.
My reading made today’s news seem quite relevant. Egyptian strongman. People desire liberty (“Let my people Go!”) Chaos in the nation. A battle between evil forces and good. In the end, the people of God are set free.
Circumstances are very different today–but I see some parallels. The battle for the Middle East is really a titanic struggle between the forces of Satan and God’s desires for salvation. There are actually a number of possible outcomes to this political, yet spiritual battle:
- The people’s revolt produces a moderate secular democracy that leads to freedom and greater opportunities in Egypt and other Muslim nations.
- The Muslim Brotherhood and its allies use the circumstances for a radical jihadist take-over that makes Egypt more resemble Iran.
- The “consent of the governed” leads to greater freedom in Egypt and the ascendancy and leadership of the Coptic Church which makes up a sizable minority in the nation (20%). Egypt becomes a secular/Christian democracy that is a light to other Muslim societies. They too can be set free.
God is doing an amazing work in many Muslim nations today. They appear ready to cast off their religious chains and yearn for a freedom that can only be found in Christ (or Christian principles of government).
History walks a fine tightrope. Egypt could lunge into tyranny, or Egypt could rise to greatness. Will it be increasing freedom–via the Spirit of Christ–or increased tyranny through anarchy or jihadists?
Our prayers may determine history on this one.
Pray for Egypt–that God would work his wonders, destroy the false gods, and “let his people go” into the new-found freedom of faith in the Savior of the entire world.
Repealing Obamacare
A few days ago, the newly elected U.S. House of Representatives honored the will of the people by voting to repeal Obamacare. I am grateful for their courage and thank them for sticking to their convictions and the wishes of the American electorate.
Obamacare was arguably the worst piece of major legislation ever passed in the United States. It was a corrupt, brazen take-over of nearly one-sixth of the American economy, a job killer, a massive deficit creator, and just plain stupid.
Kudos to the House for “change we can believe in.”
Now the battle will go on in the Senate and be one of the pivotal issues of the 2012 election.
The following article by Redstate.com is the best summary I’ve seen on the importance of ending Obamacare and what we need to do make our health care system the best in the world.
It boils down to this…..RB
Repeal Obamacare. Them Let’s Do Something Really Radical…Try Freedom
Government is (and always has been) the problem, not the solution.
Redstate – 12-17-10
ObamaCare. No, it’s not dead. Not even close. Yet…there is some hope on the horizon that the foray into enslaving America in a government-dictated insurance scheme may yet be repealed, outlawed, or just thrown into the ash heap of really, really bad ideas.
The reason for this post is very simple: First, we need to recognize that government is the problem with America’s health care costs, not the solution. Second, we need to start coming up with some fresh and bold ideas in the eventuality that we can slay the beast of government-run healthcare once and for all. Even if ObamaCare is repealed in House, unless there are 67 senators who can be dragged away from the altar of closed-market health care to override a presidential veto, 2013 is the earliest ObamaCare can be aborted—but then what?
As a small business owner who just got hit with a $3600 insurance premium hike for 2011 and who will be paying (at a minimum) $177,500 over the next ten years just for the “privilege” of having one family covered with insurance, you can be assured that my points are more than mere rhetorical ones. If I had my druthers, I would have a catastrophic-only plan that covers emergencies and life-threatening illnesses, and pay the rest out of pocket. I’d probably save well over $125,000 in the next ten years with a plan like that—if one existed.
The problem is, a plan like that doesn’t exist…can’t exist. Why? The government bureaucrats won’t allow it. In our state, there are, by law (or regulation), only three types of insurance, provided by three insurers. It is a closed market scheme. In addition, let’s just say (for the sake of discussion) that a plan like that did exist in the next state over and I wanted to purchase it. I couldn’t do that either—because the government bureaucrats have created an artificial wall that won’t allow insurance to be bought across state lines. You see, in this simple and real small-business example, already government is the problem—and we’re paying the price.
Last year, when Nancy Pelosi went on her lunatic rant about insurance carriers being “immoral”, it was the epitome of hypocrisy—sort of like the Devil calling demons evil for doing what their master taught them to do. (Too harsh?…What is it then, if not evil, for those who purposely unleash a disease to also claim to be the cure?) People who claim that insurance companies have monopolies don’t realize that it is Congress that created the monopolies to begin with. That is why Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Barack Obama, and the rest of their kind, have been so disingenuous in shoving ObamaCare up America’s rectum.
Like a healthy person going for a checkup, and going home with herpes, America has been gamed, lied to, and tricked into believing that health care is incompatible with a free market—lied to by the very people who claim to have the cure. Democrats and their union coaches have become nothing more (or better) than snake oil salesmen.
Yes, the cost of health care has risen exponentially for years. Health care costs have destroyed incomes, cost American jobs, caused strikes, and bankrupted companies. But it’s not due to a lack of government, it’s because of too much government. It hasn’t been the fault of the free market, as the socialist union bosses and the Marxist Democrats claim, it has been because it has not been a free market. If America wants to blame anyone, we should blame those who have been controlling and gaming the system—the bureaucrats and their union bosses—who now claim that more bureaucracy is the cure.
So, before we continue talking about “how government should fix health care,” perhaps it’s time we recognize how government caused it to be broken in the first place. Let’s begin looking at the true reason why the cost structure has been so blown out of alignment. And, then, perhaps more will understand why we need to tell government to get out of the way—now!
Last year, as the heated rhetoric of the health care debate was raging all across America, John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that provided some market-based alternatives to the monstrous big-government scheme that has become ObamaCare. While Mackey’s piece was brief, the Left’s reaction to it was extreme.
Immediately, the attack dogs from the unions launched a nationwide boycott of Whole Foods, Mackey was attacked personally, and the Left screamed hysterically. To see the Left’s ridiculous reaction indicated that they felt threatened by Mackey’s ideas—which meant they were probably pretty good ideas. While you can read the entire Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare here–and it is worth reading in its entirety, below is the main thrust of Mackey’s ideas:
Remove the legal obstacles that slow the creation of high-deductible health insurance plans and health savings accounts (HSAs). The combination of high-deductible health insurance and HSAs is one solution that could solve many of our health-care problems. For example, Whole Foods Market pays 100% of the premiums for all our team members who work 30 hours or more per week (about 89% of all team members) for our high-deductible health-insurance plan. We also provide up to $1,800 per year in additional health-care dollars through deposits into employees’ Personal Wellness Accounts to spend as they choose on their own health and wellness.
Money not spent in one year rolls over to the next and grows over time. Our team members therefore spend their own health-care dollars until the annual deductible is covered (about $2,500) and the insurance plan kicks in. This creates incentives to spend the first $2,500 more carefully. Our plan’s costs are much lower than typical health insurance, while providing a very high degree of worker satisfaction.
Equalize the tax laws so that employer-provided health insurance and individually owned health insurance have the same tax benefits. Now employer health insurance benefits are fully tax deductible, but individual health insurance is not. This is unfair.
Repeal all state laws which prevent insurance companies from competing across state lines. We should all have the legal right to purchase health insurance from any insurance company in any state and we should be able use that insurance wherever we live. Health insurance should be portable.
Repeal government mandates regarding what insurance companies must cover. These mandates have increased the cost of health insurance by billions of dollars. What is insured and what is not insured should be determined by individual customer preferences and not through special-interest lobbying.
Enact tort reform to end the ruinous lawsuits that force doctors to pay insurance costs of hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. These costs are passed back to us through much higher prices for health care.
Make costs transparent so that consumers understand what health-care treatments cost. How many people know the total cost of their last doctor’s visit and how that total breaks down? What other goods or services do we buy without knowing how much they will cost us?
Enact Medicare reform. We need to face up to the actuarial fact that Medicare is heading towards bankruptcy and enact reforms that create greater patient empowerment, choice and responsibility.
Finally, revise tax forms to make it easier for individuals to make a voluntary, tax-deductible donation to help the millions of people who have no insurance and aren’t covered by Medicare, Medicaid or the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.
While there are likely other ideas that are out there, Mackey’s ideas serve as a good starting point for debate and discussion as to what we will “replace” ObamaCare with, if we can ever get to that point. However, if we are not serious about coming up with solutions that truly reflect a market-based system, as opposed to a government run bureaucracy, there is no point in trying to repeal ObamaCare. If politicians on the Right think they can replace big bureaucracy with little bureaucracy, it will fix nothing, we’ll be right back where we were two years ago, and we’re wasting our time.
In healthcare, as in all other areas of life, we can either choose freedom and a free market, or we can choose to be our brother’s’ keeper—and he our keeper—but you can’t have both. Freedom is incompatible with a government bureaucracy making life and death decisions. And, in healthcare, we can’t just be against ObamaCare, and not be for something to replace it.
The question is, can we take the steps to beat the bureaucrats back? And, if so, then what?