Cracks in the EU, revolution in Turkey and racial tension in the USA - Clifford Hill looks at what the word of God says about these times.

It is often said among clergy that the most popular song requested for funeral services is Frank Sinatra's 'I did it my way'. The song describes various incidents in life and boasts "I faced it all and I stood tall: and I did it my way".

I think I would be really scared to go to my grave boasting that throughout my life I have done everything my way, but clearly this song strikes a chord with very many people as it epitomises the spirit of the age.

Maybe this is why so many people voted for Brexit – not because they were expressing a desire to be free from secular humanist rules and regulations from Brussels, but because they saw this as a chance to register a protest against all those in authority. It is the desire to be free – to do what we want, to be in charge of our own lives – that's what most people want, not just in Britain, but all over the world. It's very much in evidence in Europe.

Leaving the EU

Britain's decision to leave the European Union has inspired populist movements throughout the Continent. Political parties in no fewer than 18 Eurozone nations are demanding a referendum to decide whether they also can leave the European Union. Austria's highest court has ruled that the recent presidential election must be re-run due to voting irregularities. The Freedom Party candidate Norbert Hofer only lost by a handful of votes and is very likely to win the re-run. He has declared that one of the first things he will do is to hold an 'in/out' referendum on the EU. There are similar demands from populist parties in the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, France, Hungary, and even in Germany.

There is a rising tide of nationalism in Europe

Of course, European leaders are watching these developments with alarm knowing that their Empire building plans for a 'super-state' are being challenged by a rising tide of nationalism in most of the member countries. In Britain political leaders are trying hard to hold things together against a tide of dissent. Conservative Party leaders are closing ranks despite the disappointment of losing the referendum, while the Labour Party is tearing itself apart on a wave of rank and file rebellion against the intellectual idealists who have run the Party for decades.

Trump and ClintonMary Altaffer & Chuck Benton/AP/Press Association Images

But it's not just Europe that is going through a period of increasing instability. The same spirit of rebellion against authority propelled Donald Trump to the top to the disgust and horror of traditional Republicans. But his opponent, Hillary Clinton, is also seen as part of the hated establishment who have run America for many years - so the outcome of the forthcoming Presidential election is by no means certain.

America is teetering on the brink of what the New York Post described as "Civil War", with racial tensions between African-Americans and the white population the highest they have been for 50 years – since the days of the protest movement led by Dr Martin Luther King.

Trump's speech appealed to the angry and the frustrated.

Trump's speech accepting the Presidential nomination was deliberately targeted to appeal to the angry and the frustrated. This indicates that a highly dangerous and toxic campaign lies ahead at a time when community relationships in the USA are at an all-time low due to the number of gun crime incidents – not just the shooting of young black men by the police but multiple murders of innocent people by gunmen using sophisticated weapons that are freely available in the USA. The need for a statesman of exceptional ability to lead the nation has never been greater in America. Yet most unbiased observers can only view the future with anxiety or even alarm for the future of the world in a highly unstable period of history.

Spirit of Rebellion

It was the spirit of rebellion that triggered the Arab Spring and still drives the Civil War in Syria and the tribal war in Iraq. The same spirit of rebellion can be seen in many other parts of the world, the latest being Turkey with its failed coup that is being used by President Erdogan to subdue all resistance to his becoming a national dictator. 50,000 people are said to have been arrested – not merely members of the military who staged the coup – but judges and teachers and journalists and civil servants – anyone suspected of being a hindrance to the absolute power of the President.

By declaring a state of emergency Erdogan already has the power to rule by decree without being subject to Parliament. So democracy, which he claimed to be defending, by calling the people out onto the streets, is now virtually dead in Turkey. The implications of this are unknown for the European Union who have been relying upon Turkey to stem the tidal wave of migration from the Middle East.

So where does God come into all this?

The Word of God

So where does God come into all this? Does the Bible give us any understanding of what is happening today and how we should be praying? Psalm 2 comes directly to the point. It says that the spirit of rebellion among the nations is not just against earthly rulers, it is against God – because he is perceived as the ultimate authority. "Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. 'Let us break their chains', they say, and throw off their fetters...."

In the New Testament, Paul's letter to Timothy describes what we're seeing in many parts of the world today. He says "There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to parents.... brutal... Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power... In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived" (2 Tim 3:1-5, 3:12-13). Jesus strongly warned about deception, "Watch out that no one deceives you" (Matt 24:4).

Anarchists' Activity

That warning is particularly significant this week because there is a lot of activity among New Agers and occultists as well as anarchists who want to show their defiance of convention. There is the big 'Tomorrowland' heavy-metal festival at Boon in Belgium, a meeting of Satanists in California and the Gay Pride March through the streets of Jerusalem this weekend.

Of course we should not be fearful of these things! We know there are plenty of people who love to dabble in the occult simply to demonstrate their rejection of faith in God, which was no doubt the motive behind the Satanists' ritual at the opening of the Gotthard Tunnel between Switzerland and Italy last month.¹

As Christians we have to be realists and recognise what is happening in the world around us but remember that "the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). And the solemn promise of God is "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isa 41:10).

References

1 Hill, C. D-Day for Europe. Prophecy Today, 10 June 2016.