There are paradigms that can reveal the reasons for the trajectory of history, the times that we are in, and where we are headed. There is a remarkable one in the Book of Revelation:
“After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth...” (Revelation 7:1).
Winds often speak of change in literature and biblical symbolism, as in “the winds of change.” One of the statements we have heard repeated regarding the coronavirus is how it has brought change and “new norms” for our lifestyle. This is true, but we need to understand what change this brought about, and what this change will lead to.
These “four winds of the earth” mentioned in Revelation 7:1 are the four great powers that shaped earth’s major civilizations. These are worldly powers, “winds of the earth,” not heaven. Each of these winds dominated one of the four major ages of world history, and now they are the major forces steering the world today. These powers are Military, Religious, Political, and Economic.
These four powers unfolded in this order to control the basic construction of civilization. Military power was the first of these four, and it was the origin of the first epoch of recorded history—the age of the conquerors. This period extended from the beginning of recorded history to a few centuries after the time of Christ. During this age Military leaders were the most powerful men in the world, and Military conquests brought about the greatest changes to civilization.
The next major epoch was dominated by Religion. Again, this is a “wind of the earth,” not of heaven, and speaks more of the religions that emerged from men—from the earth—and not from above. These would include institutional Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. This age when Religious power became the dominant force of change in civilization extended from about the 3rd century A.D. into the 1600s. During this period Religious leaders were the most powerful men in the world, and the Military became subservient to the Religious powers. Most wars during this period were Religious conflicts.
The next major epoch was the age of Politics. This period began with the signing of the Magna Carta that began to limit imperial power and continued into the 20th century. During this period Political changes became the primary change agent in the world, and new forms of government were born through great social upheavals such as the French, American, and Bolshevik revolutions. During this period the most powerful influencers were Political leaders, and both the Religious and Military powers became subservient to Political powers.
In this age when Political power was dominant there were still some Religious wars, and wars of conquest, but the great conflicts and the great changes to civilization during this time were mostly Political.
The transitions between these ages were usually gradual, sometimes spanning centuries. These ages overlapped, and when a new age emerged the previous ones continued to exert influence, but the dominance gradually shifted to the new. In the late 19th century through the middle of the 20th century we began to shift into the fourth great civilizational epoch—the age that would be dominated by Economic power.
The Bolshevik Revolution was both a Political and an Economic revolution, as Marxism is both a Political and Economic philosophy. WW II was both a Political and an Economic war. For example, Japan attacked America because they considered the U.S. economic embargo an “act of war” against them. This conflict was a great repositioning of the nations in preparation for the coming age when Economics would be the dominant force in the world.
The “Cold War” was a very real war, but it was an Economic war, and involved only very minor Military action. Though Political, Religious, and the Military forces remained influential as great powers of the earth, the Cold War was different than any previous conflict because it was primarily fought with Economic weapons such as banks, currencies, sanctions, and trade policies. Yet, the geopolitical changes brought about by these Economic weapons proved as great as any accomplished before by the other powers.
Winston Churchill had remarkably foreseen this great clash within civilization based mostly on conflicting Economics. He also foresaw that it could be won “without a shot being fired” by the West using its superior Free Market Economic policies in its confrontation with totalitarian Marxism that was so counter to productivity. President Reagan embraced Churchill’s strategy of Economic confrontation, and the Iron Curtain soon crumbled without a major Military battle.
Clausewitz, an officer in the Napoleonic wars, wrote in his classic book, On War, that wars were fought by nations seeking to impose their Political will on other nations. This was true at that time because he wrote this in the middle of the age of Politics. If he had written this a couple of centuries before, he would likely have said that war was an attempt for a nation to impose its Religious will on others. If he were writing now he would say that wars were a nation’s attempt to impose its Economic will on others.
Each of these basic “winds of the earth” are still the major earthly powers changing our world, but the dominant one now is Economic power. The most powerful leaders today are Economic leaders. Even though the attention of the media remains mostly on Political leaders, the “power behind the throne” is Economic power. Understanding this is a factor that is crucial for understanding our times. When we see this, we also begin to see that we are already well into an Economic World War.
This Economic war has the power to bring about even more radical change and destruction than World War II did. It is basic Military doctrine that you cannot defeat an enemy you do not see. Few Political leaders understand the real power that is shaping our world today, and so they are easily manipulated and used by it.
After we recognize the enemy, there must be a threat assessment to determine not just who they are, but their capabilities and our own defenses against them. The next crucial step in defeating an enemy is to know the battlefield. Geography can be a major factor in a Military battle, as it can augment or neutralize the effect of your weapons, or those of your foe. There are also Religious, Political, and Economic “geographies,” or fields of battle, that can do the same.
The two major sides in this Economic World War are the globalists who are seeking a world conformity to their ideals, the two major ones being Marxism and radical Islam, and the other side is composed of those who seek freedom and independence among nations, and therefore promote nationalism.
Both sides in this conflict are seeking unity, but unity of a very different nature. The globalists seek a unity of conformity, enforced by totalitarian control, while those seeking freedom pursue a unity of diversity, where every nation and culture has their integrity and heritage preserved.
As we are in the time when all four of the “winds of the earth” are blowing at the same time, but Economic power is the most dominant, to win the major conflicts of our time we must understand the Economic battlefield they are being fought on. The coronavirus pandemic was not just a biological attack; it was both a biological and Economic weapon of mass destruction.
It has taken our leaders nearly two years to just begin to understand the origins of the coronavirus, mostly because they are politicians still moored in the Political Age thinking. The implications of this are so grave that hardly anyone wanted to see this as an attack, though the evidence of this was quite clear from the beginning. If we do not see this enemy, and confront the threat, we will remain vulnerable to more of the same, or even worse.
This attack came from China, now the capital of world Marxism, and it is leading to an ultimate confrontation with Marxism. Presently, the Chinese government is controlled by hardline Marxists whose ultimate goal is the destruction of all forms of democratic government. They are in agreement with what Marx and what all true Marxists have known from the beginning of socialism—socialism cannot coexist with freedom and it cannot compete with the free market. The little freedom that the previous moderate leadership of China released into their economy has become so powerful that it is now threatening the totalitarian control of the Chinese Communist Party, which is desperately reacting to and lashing out against all that it perceives to be threats.
The Covid-19 attack on the U.S. and the world by China was an attack far worse than Pearl Harbor or the Twin Towers. Some in our government knew this was an attack from the beginning, and made public statements about it. Others, mostly those with strong Economic ties to China, refuted this, but the evidence is too obvious to stay buried for long. Sooner or later the issue will be so clear to all that a response will be necessary. Whether we are wise enough to fight and win this conflict Economically, or whether it degenerates into a Military conflict is yet to be determined, but we are approaching the point where an ultimate confrontation with Marxism is near.
The problem is not to find the answer; it's to face the answer. ~Terence McKenna
Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment. ~Jim Horning
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