What an incredible week this has been in international politics!

The week began with 70 nations gathering in Paris, with the intention of trying to force Israel into a two-state solution that would effectively commit national suicide. This was followed by world business leaders meeting in Davos, Switzerland, trying to assess the health and direction of the world economy.

On the same day that Davos started came the statement from Prime Minister Theresa May outlining British Government plans for Brexit which have long-term implications for Europe and the rest of the world. Today, the eyes of the world are upon Washington as the people of the USA install the most unlikely President in the history of the United States – Donald J Trump.

The pace of change worldwide has been increasing exponentially over the past 40 years. Today it is almost bewildering for all those who try to follow world events and to understand what is happening.

At the beginning of this year, political and economic commentators were looking back over 2016, trying to assess how accurate their forecasts for the year had been. Most of them admitted honestly that they had been taken by surprise on almost all major world events.

Christians who have been recognising for some years that God is shaking the nations can trace the hand of God in all this. The Psalmist got it right when he declared that God scoffs at the nations when they try to throw off all restraint and conspire in vain against his purposes (Ps 2). Paul touched on a deep truth when he said that “God made foolish the wisdom of this world…For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom” (1 Cor 1:20, 25).

Last year, most political and economic commentators were taken by surprise on almost all major word events.

The Nature and Purposes of God

So, how do we understand what’s going on in the world today? If we’re going to get a clear view of what is happening, we have to start by getting a biblical perspective of the nature and purposes of God.

This may sound boring to those who simply want to forecast the future. But without this broader perspective we have no yardstick of truth and no focal point for an investigation.

We need to know the God of Creation, who holds the nations in his hands. Despite having given human beings freedom of will, God nevertheless still guides the affairs of the nations to fulfil his overall purpose of bringing his Gospel of salvation to all people.

We have only to look at the incredible destruction of the city of Aleppo in Syria to see what human beings can do when all restraint is removed and there is no regard or value for anything, including human life. This is a picture in miniature of the direction the nations of the world, armed with the most incredible weapons of mass destruction, are taking towards collective global self-destruction. And this is the reason why God intervenes in world affairs - to steer the nations in a different direction.

Watching and Praying

Christians in the Western world have slowly been waking up over the past few decades to the reality of the world situation and the dangers that confront us. They have been stunned by the level of violence in the Middle East and the horrific acts of terrorism in Europe and elsewhere carried out by militant Muslims in the name of their god Allah. They feel helpless as the North Koreans strive to produce their first nuclear bomb and the Chinese establish military bases on unoccupied islands in the South China Sea.

An increasing number of Christians are taking seriously the command of Jesus to watch and pray. The significant rise in the number of home-based small groups around Britain is evidence of this. This prophetic, awakened Church is increasingly resembling that of New Testament times; not only for meetings in the home but also for emphasis upon prayer and Bible study.

If we’re going to understand what is happening, we have to start with a biblical perspective of the nature and purposes of God.

Prayer Makes a Difference!

In Britain, we are seeing more Christians involved in corporate prayer for national and international issues than we have seen since the days of the Second World War. I was at a conference last Saturday when the whole company agreed to stop and pray about the meeting of world leaders that was taking place in Paris. It was not on the agenda, but we spent a whole hour praying about the event and the issue of Israel and the Palestinians. I’m sure we were not alone and that prayer greatly influenced the outcome; bringing confusion among the delegates and resulting in no resolution that could harm Israel.

The business leaders’ meeting in Davos was also said to be a non-event, with delegates being more interested in what was happening in London, where Theresa May was speaking.

The Prime Minister’s speech certainly was very warmly received by much of the British media; especially her promises that Britain will no longer be under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice (or injustice, as many see it!), no longer subject to the free movement of labour so that we can control immigration and no longer under the control of European customs regulations so that we can develop international trade. Especially welcome was her statement that Britain would not accept a ‘bad deal’ - and that both Houses of Parliament will have a vote on the final agreement.

Of course, none of this has gone down very well in the European Union, which was to be expected. But during the next two years we may expect to see further major shaking of the EU and upheaval that will affect the negotiations with Britain. In threatening to make life difficult for post-EU Britain, European leaders are failing to factor in the activity of God.

In Britain, we are seeing more Christians involved in corporate prayer for national and international issues than we have seen since the Second World War.

Today: Focus on the USA

Anti-Trump demonstrators in Washington, today.

World leaders and Europhiles in Britain have all been surprised that their pre-Referendum forecasts of doom and economic disaster have not been fulfilled. But Christians know that prayer played a large part in Brexit and therefore we may expect to see God’s blessing – especially if believers continue to pray actively for the nation.

Today, the focus for prayer should be upon the USA – urgently asking the Lord to guide the new President and members of his Administration, that they will be given wisdom far above the normal human level to exercise Godly leadership as they navigate a confusing world and the rapid changes that are sweeping across the nations today.

Those who are fearful that Trump’s ungodly and erratic past could carry over into his presidency need to remember that with God nothing is impossible; as Jeremiah rightly declared:

“Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you!” (Jer 32:17)

Author: Dr Clifford Hill

References: Second image: Jose Luis Magana/AP/Press Association Images.

Should the World Economic Forum be the first port of call for world leaders seeking direction?

The World Economic Forum...

A few years ago, when I was still working for an IT Services company, our Chief Executive Officer (CEO) communicated on an internal blog that he was going to Davos. I naturally assumed this was his annual winter skiing holiday. It then transpired that he was going to Switzerland ‘on business’ to attend the annual World Economic Forum.

Further blog entries recounted his meetings and discussions with world leaders in the business, economic and political fields. They had all made their annual pilgrimage to Davos with a media circus in tow. As employees of the company, working hard to complete our projects on time and to provide excellent service to customers, we naturally assumed that our company was being so well managed that our CEO’s absence would not be missed.

The World Economic Forum of January 2014 at Davos did not deliver on its expectations as it failed to predict: the rise of the Islamic State, the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, the eruption of the crisis in Ukraine and the stand-off in Hong Kong. All these are significant events with global repercussions. The victory for the far-left, anti-austerity, Syriza party in Greece spells trouble for the Euro, and its ties to the Kremlin pose a threat to stability across Europe. The sudden fall in the price of crude oil, from $120 to just $60 a barrel in six months, was the biggest economic shock of 2014 and the fallout is expected to be profound and long-lasting.

"The World Economic Forum at Davos did not deliver on its expectations"

The 2015 Forum started with rather more realistic expectations:

What is clear is that we are confronted by profound political, economic, social and, above all, technological transformations. They are altering long-standing assumptions about our prospects, resulting in an entirely ‘new global context’ for decision-making.¹

‘Black Swan’ Events

The unpredictable nature of the economy and its economic outcomes are now being compared to ‘Black Swan’ events. Before the colonisation of Australia it was an irrefutable fact, based on observation and historical data that all swans were white. The expression ‘Black Swan’ relates to something impossible or highly improbable which turns conventional wisdom on its head.

Donald Rumsfeld, the former United States Secretary of Defense, said:

there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns; the ones we don't know we don't know.²

It is these ‘unknown unknowns’ and unpredictable economic events that are close cousins of the ‘Black Swans’.

For instance, recent crude oil price falls would have been expected to help many economies by reducing fuel costs, reducing inflation and helping businesses to grow. However, less predictably, oil producers have instead found their revenue cut and governments are having to borrow more to balance their books. Oil companies in the UK are speaking of job losses in the industry.

Revelation

The book of Revelation seems to foretell a sudden collapse of the world economy. “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn because no one buys their cargoes any more” (Rev 18:11) and “in one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin” (Rev 18:17). Earlier generations would have been puzzled as to how this could happen. But now, with global satellite communications, complex IT systems and fast networks, the global markets will start to respond to events within minutes.

Biblical Prophecy

What is clear and certain? Do we need to go to Davos for the World Economic Forum? The Apostle Peter says in 2 Peter 1:19 “we have the word of the prophets made more certain and you will do well to pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts”. Many Biblical prophecies have already been fulfilled exactly and in detail; Jesus Himself fulfilled over 300 Old Testament prophecies. Some well know examples are his birth in Bethlehem (prophesied in Micah 5:2) by a divinely arranged census from the Roman Emperor, and his triumphant entry into Jerusalem riding on a colt (prophesied in Zechariah 9:9).

So we can have complete confidence in the prophetic word. Those Biblical prophecies yet to be fulfilled relate mainly to the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus- we look forward to their glorious fulfilment. God’s word is a light for us in these dark times: a light to illuminate each step of our way, lighting the way for our feet to help us make immediate decisions, as well as providing guidance for the path ahead. This explains the nature of worldwide situations, where evil seems rampant.

"God’s word is a light for us in these dark times: a light to illuminate each step of our way"

In this way we are not deceived, but are able to pray effectively. Biblical prophecy is not just relevant to the end of the New Testament only, but right up to our Lord's return. When the participants gather together in Davos for the 2016 World Economic Forum to examine the ‘new global context’, they may be well advised to prayerfully seek the ‘wisdom that comes from above’ (Jam 3:17). In the meantime, we are encouraged to pray for our leaders (1 Tim 2:1-4).

References

1 World Economic Forum website

2 Rumsfeld, D, 2002. Defense Department Briefing.