The killing of a young woman protester on Washington’s Capitol Hill – the cradle of democracy – is a massive tragedy.

Amidst all the madness and mayhem in the United States, the facts have become more and more difficult to follow. But it was also reported that three others died in the protest, though apparently as a result of ‘medical emergencies’.

In an increasingly divided society with echoes of the 19th century American Civil War, there is a largely unseen force of darkness bringing chaos and strife in its wake.

We are told that Trump supporters stormed the Congress building, which suggests shocking security arrangements for one thing, and that the outgoing President had encouraged them to do so.

Other reports suggest it was a generally peaceful protest hijacked by members of the extreme Antifa movement – the same group behind much of the trouble during the early Black Lives Matter riots over the police killing of George Floyd.

And amidst all the confusion, fear and panic, a supposed innocent young woman was shot dead by police. No-one wins in such a confrontation – and democracy is the big loser.

No-one wins in such a confrontation – and democracy is the big loser.

Choose your words wisely

I have before me, on my desk, a Bible open at the Book of Proverbs, probably the safest place in the world to be at this very moment. And it says: “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Prov 18:21)

Whether Mr Trump urged his supporters ‘to gather at’ or ‘march on’¹ the Capitol, it was clearly an unwise use of words, because crowds can so easily get out of hand in highly charged atmospheres like these.

We still have no published evidence of the election fraud Mr Trump claims stole the presidential election from him, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t any. As I said, so much of what is happening in the political and social realms of our world is unseen. There are dark powers at work (Eph 6:12) determined to cause chaos and bring down the foundations of a Western civilisation built on Judeo-Christian principles.

So we must choose our words carefully, and be very circumspect about whom or what we choose to hear.

Wickedness will be multiplied in the days leading up to the return of our Lord Jesus – of that much is certain (see 2 Tim 3:1-5). So we must choose our words carefully, and be very circumspect about whom or what we choose to hear. For example, do we give more time to watching the BBC (or alternative) news than listening for God’s voice through the Holy Scriptures?Do we give more time to following the news than to listening for God's voice through the Holy Scriptures?

Blinkered media

The worldly media loves to reduce everything down to a single issue, from which the devil can build all kinds of reasons why we should defy God and his people (the Jews) and persecute Christians.

In the case of the BLM riots, the focus was on George Floyd. In the case of the ‘storming of Capitol Hill’, the focus will surely be on Ashli Babbitt, the 35-year-old US Air Force veteran tragically struck down by police. There’s a pattern here.

This will no doubt be used to rubbish all the good work done by Mr Trump, who has come close to bringing peace to the Middle East but who has been sadly unable to stem the growing conflict at home.

Even in his final days as President, he has seen Sudan join an increasingly long line of Arab states agreeing to normalise diplomatic relations with Israel.

That is not to say Mr Trump hasn’t also made an impact at home where he has led the way in plans to unravel the nation’s abortion clinics which have seen millions of unborn babies butchered over the past 50 years. He has spoken up for the innocent lives that left-wing politicians consigned to the fires of hospital incinerators. Mr T is certainly no saint, as we have seen, but he brought life back to a spiritually dying world.

On the other hand, the multitudes who have connived in this mass slaughter do not appear to want life – only death, both physical and spiritual.

Wisdom from God needed

Also in Proverbs, we read: “Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint…” (Prov 29:18) Isn’t that exactly what we are seeing in Western society today?

In the UK recently, eco-warriors brought central London to a standstill while arguments over Brexit threatened to bring permanent division to our nation – also with a history of civil war. Now we are plagued by Covid, with no end in sight.

It seems that even our best politicians are unable to lift us out of the mire. I agree with Clifford Hill, elsewhere in this edition, that (in Britain’s case at least) it is because they refuse to bow the knee to a higher authority or seek revelation from above, for the verse just quoted continues, “…blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction”.

Revelation from God is the need of the hour – and the gospel of Christ is the ultimate revelation of truth to man. Unless we embrace it, all our efforts will be discarded in the dustbin of history.

The Bible teaches that no-one should be put in charge of a church unless he can run his own household well (1 Tim 3:5). And yet we elect people to run nations without this essential qualification.

The World Economic Forum has called for a ‘Great Reset’ to put the world to rights, involving what will inevitably turn out to be totalitarian rule with Big Brother watching our every move.

But this is a dreadful counterfeit of the coming kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, the only One capable of bringing peace on earth and goodwill to all men.

Endnotes

¹Associated Press reported that he had ‘egged’ his supporters on to march on the Capitol.